Frontier Partisans

“For all this talk of chaos, I just didn’t see it. Not from my perch.” — John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council At the recommendation of Bill Roggio of FDD’s Long War Journal, I fired up Frontline’s new doco America and the Taliban. It’s three hours of excellent reporting, and I’m not sorry I … [Read more...] about A War Of Frontier & Empire

One for your here-we-go-again file... New Regency is adapting Pulitzer Prize winner Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, widely considered one of the greatest works of American literature, as a feature film. John Hillcoat set to direct. The film will be produced by New Regency, Black Bear Pictures’ Keith Redmon, and Hillcoat. McCarthy and his son, … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — New Colter Wall & Old Cormac McCarthy

Hawken Horse sent me down a sidetrail that should have been run long ago. I have no excuse for failing to tell the tale of the great 18th Century long hunter Kasper Mansker, for he stands among the elite of the Frontier Partisans. HH posted a picture of what’s called in the trade a “documentary copy” of an original long rifle wielded by one of … [Read more...] about The Mighty Hunter — Kasper Mansker On The Cumberland Frontier

Robert W. Griffing strikes again. The grand master of historical frontier art recently posted a new painting — The Scouts of Major Grant. The Grant in question is Major James Grant, who commanded a contingent of regulars and militia approaching Fort Duquesne at the Forks of the Ohio in 1758. As Griffing notes: The painting depicts an event that … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline —Tomahawks & Tunes

“He was just one of those guys who wanted to be on the edge of the empire, as far as he could get, living large and defending his country.” — Cofer Black, CIA, describing the legendary Special Forces and CIA paramilitary operator Billy Waugh Brian H passed along the news that a legend has gone up the trail. Billy Waugh entered the feast … [Read more...] about A Salute To Billy Waugh

Efforts to rescue a pilot from New Zealand kidnapped earlier this year by rebels in New Guinea turned deadly. Per AP: JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian security forces recovered the bodies of four government soldiers who were killed in a separatist attack while searching for a New Zealand pilot taken hostage by the rebels in Indonesia’s … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Pummeling Poachers & Pursuing A Pilot

Greg Marshall scouted up some music from Corb Lund and Colter Wall country: Richard Inman. He’s the real deal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue3XnZcigBw I caught a Townes Van Zandt vibe from this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMMj2P8mLVs And sure enough... Richard was adopted and grew up on a dairy farm in Southeastern … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Strikes With A Gun & the Dogs Of War

The final episode of the Frontier Partisans Podcast series on King Philip’s War is up. You can listen here or on most listening platforms, including Spotify. This episode is a wrap-up, an assessment of the impact of King Philip’s War. It was a catastrophe for Puritan New England, but it was a true apocalypse for the native peoples of southern … [Read more...] about Apocalypse, 1676

  After a grinder of a work day, nothing sounded finer than to hit the gym (the actual gym; I did a smoker of a Frontier Partisan Biathlon on Saturday) fire up a podcast and just go. My companion on the trail was Dan Carlin. I love Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast; it was his deep dive into the Great War, Blueprint For Armageddon, that … [Read more...] about Taking The Long View