Flintlock and Tomahawk: New England in King Philip's War [Paperback]

Douglas Edward Leach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1992

“Marked by scrupulous and wide-ranging research, it is not only good history but good narrative as well.” —Robert J. Taylor, American Historical Review

This classic account of King Philip’s War, first published in 1958, offers a bird’s-eye view of the conflict, from the Wampanoag sachem’s rise to his ultimate defeat. The battles, massacres, stratagems, and logistics of this war are all detailed, with the leaders of both sides figuring prominently in this tale of bloodshed, privation, and woe. The author weighs all the factors contributing to the Native Americans’ defeat and surveys the effects of the war on the lives of both Indians and colonists in the years to come. With insight, balance, and compassion, Leach portrays the tragedy of the war and points toward the future of the nascent American republic.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Douglas Edward Leach (1920−2003) was a distinguished scholar and professor of American history. Leach spent the last three decades of his career at Vanderbilt University. Among his achievements were Fulbright Lectureships at the Universities of Liverpool, England, and Auckland, New Zealand. His other published works include The Northern Colonial Frontier, 1607−1763; Arms for Empire; and Roots of Conflict: British Armed Forces and Colonial Americans, 1677−1763. Leach’s final book, Now Hear This: The Memoir of a Junior Naval Officer in the Great Pacific War, won the John Lyman Book Award of the North American Society for Oceanic History. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Parnassus (September 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940160552
• ISBN-13: 978-0940160552
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,673,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best, June 3, 2003

By 

"genealogyandhistory" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flintlock and Tomahawk: New England in King Philip's War (Paperback)

Of all the accounts of KPW, this is by far the best. Though not as detailed as others, I found this gave an excellent birds-eye view of the war.

I part with the other reviewers in the analysis of Leach's objectivity. Most of the KPW authors of the last forty years appear to hate the Puritans as much as the KPW authors of the 1920s and earlier hated the First Nations.

Leach's work, I think, holds a good balance. He clearly acknowledges English arrogance, stupidity, all-out barbarism, and total failure in the area of evangelism, without making ridiculous leaps about English psychology.

It's an outstanding work.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Balanced View of the King Philip's War I've Seen, April 4, 2000

By 

Dave Proulx (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flintlock and Tomahawk: New England in King Philip's War (Paperback)

If there is solid criticism of Leach and Morison, let it be founded on fact, not based on bias. In these days of political correctness, anything that shows settlers as good and Native Americans as less than perfect is derided as inaccurate. In fact, there were wonderful cases of heroism and despicable acts of barbaric cruelty on both sides of this fight, and this book presents them better than any book I've ever seen. I'm puzzled by those who feel it's pro-English; some of the most disgusting portrayals are of English leaders. I believe King Philip's War set the tone for European-Indian relationships for centuries. This book does a superb job of documenting the cultural chasms that brought about this tragedy. The truth can be uncomfortable for supporters of either side, but we should seek the truth, even when it upsets us, and apply the lessons of history to our day.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars King Philip's War, November 29, 2006

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flintlock and Tomahawk: New England in King Philip's War (Paperback)

Here's an interesting fact regarding a major conflict on American soil that probably few Americans have ever heard of, King Philips War (1675-76): in terms of proportion to population, more casualties were inflicted on the people during King Philip's War than any other war in US history. It was the first great contest pitting the Indians against the colonists in New England, one that would decide who would hold the reins of empire in America. In that regard it was a precursor to the great struggle between France and Britain for control of the continent, for already the French were supporting, if not exactly aiding outright, the natives in their uprising against the English, and when it was all over many of the Indians found their way to the French to the north.

By the 1660s the honeymoon enjoyed by the Native Americans and the English settlers was over. The colonists wanted the lands the Indians controlled and the Indians were suddenly cognizant of the fact that the English now far outnumbered them and were still coming. Disputes and misunderstandings were growing. Both sides were becoming distrustful of the other. Philip was a sachem of the Wampanoagas; his Indian name was Metacom (the English had given him the name Philip as a token of honor and friendship). Biding his time with the hope of uniting all the New England tribes against the English, in 1675 some of his supporters began attacking settlers. Soon the attacks increased dramatically and before long scores of settlements across much of today's eastern Connecticut and Massachusetts and all of Rhode Island were burned to the ground. Thousands of settlers were killed or displaced. Although the English were slow to mobilize at first and had little understanding of how to defend themselves from attack, they soon got the upper hand and inflicted similar casualties on the Indians. A major target, especially during the winter of 1676, was the Indian's food supply. After a number of successful campaigns and the final killing of Philip in the Great Swamp in Rhode Island in August, the war came to an end.

Douglas Leach relates the events leading up to the conflict and tells all the major incidents of the two-year war interestingly and in detail. Although more recent books on the war have been written, this was the first at the time in over a hundred years. Leach will not get high marks for political correctness in his views on the natives, but the history he lays out is clear and straightforward. His chapter on how this early war was financed and how militias were created is especially interesting. So, too, is his final chapter on the war's aftermath. Despite it being almost 50 years old, this book still holds a worthwhile spot on any shelf of early American history.