Forts On The Frontier (1 Viewer)

mikemiller1955

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When the white man came, the Indian relied on bow and spear, or tomahawk and knife, but he soon learned the value of the white man's muskets and was not long in obtaining them in trade for his valuable furs.

With bow or musket, his method of fighting was the same.

Indian tribes had no organized system of war; warriors simply formed voluntary bands under war chiefs and took off on the warpath.

In battle each Indian fought a separate opponent without regard for his fellow warriors.

Indians avoided pitched battle whenever possible, instead seeking victory by surprise and carefully utilizing cover and concealment.

Only when they had the advantage did they close in for hand-to-hand combat.

In such combat the Indian brave lacked neither skill nor courage.

Since he cared little about the rules of civilized warfare, he slaughtered men, women, and children indiscriminately.

The favorite Indian tactic was a surprise raid on an isolated settlement.

When the settlers organized a pursuit, the Indians lay in wait and ambushed them.

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The white man soon adapted his tactics to the Indian's, quickly learning the value of surprise and stealth himself.

To avoid ambush he sent out scouts as the Indians did, frequently employing friendly Indians in the role.

Instead of fighting in the closed formations of Europe, he too adopted the open formation and fought from behind trees, rocks, and fences.

In such fighting more depended on individual initiative and courage than on strict discipline and control.

The white settler learned to benefit from some of the enemy's weaknesses.

For all their cunning, the Indians never learned the lesson of proper security and did not post guards at night.

Nor did they like to fight in winter.

Expeditions into the Indian country used as their favorite technique an attack on an Indian village at dawn and in the winter season.

This attack almost invariably came as a surprise, and the white man, imitating the savagery of his opponent, burned the Indian's villages and sometimes slaughtered braves, squaws, and papooses.

The settlers tried to provide some permanent protection for their frontiers by erecting forts along the western most line of settlement in each colony, moving them forward as the line of settlement moved.

These forts were not the elaborate earth and masonry structures of Europe, but simple rectangular enclosures, their walls constructed of upright pointed logs.

Usually there were wooden blockhouses at each corner.

These rude frontier forts served as points to which settlers and their families could retreat for protection in time of Indian troubles.

Having no artillery, the Indians found the forts hard to take and could rely only on burning arrows to set them afire, on surprise attack, or on direct frontal assault.

From the last alternative they almost invariably shrank.

Their war chiefs possessed no power to order any group of braves to undertake an assault in which they would suffer heavy casualties for the sake of gaining an objective.

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Michael,
More great shots of your JJ figs, and a cool diorama with superb fore and backgrounds!
Mike
 
The pictures remind me of the film 'Drums on the Mohawk' with Henry Fonda. Ok maybe a decade or two out but with the same sort of imagery. Excellent set-up well done. I must get some Indians
 
Agreed with the others comments. Nice combination of images from your collection and discussion of tactics and so on. I find this particular topic to be very interesting myself and have just returned from exploring at least one such frontier fort, albeit a bit further west than you diorama's setting. If you have not had the chance to look already, you will find a few photos of the Fort Phil Kearny site and environs in the "actual real west" thread within the Misc. section down below.

In the case of Ft. PK, it like the other forts constructed along the Bozeman trail in 1866, were abandoned by 1868 and burned to the ground. The garrisons here were essentially prisoners within the pallisade walls during their brief time in residence.

Thanks for the interesting thread. :)

MD
 
Great job again Michael. I love the use of the British arty figures trying to get the gates shut in time. Also, I think the use of the Virginia Militia was exceptional as well. They were so stretched thin along the frontier that their mission to protect the frontier population was impossible.

I believe this group of pictures is my second favorite of yours. Obviously your BOM dio can't be beat.

Darrell
 
i will like to ask you,ho wyou mak ethe ground?
What you use to make the ground? It look so realistic
 
Just finished viewing your latest playtime Michael and once again it as enjoyable as all you've done before it. Your becoming a master story teller and your photos speak for themselves. Thanks for sharing your play time with us....Josephieee.
 
Great female figures as well! I know something about the period and the clothing is right on.
 

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