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Warpaths: Invasions of North America

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Ian K. Steele's Warpaths is one of those all-too-rare books that manages to consistently forge a pathway across the middle ground. The author offers readers the "big picture" of European versus American Indian conflict at the continental level, yet at the same time focuses upon key events in convincing detail. He evenhandedly describes the motivations, standards, and aspirations of the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch who participated in the rivalry for North America, while doing justice to the Indian position as well. Steele manges to state his conclusions in a way that is clear to modern readers, but without distorting the perspective of members of seventh and eighteen century European and Indian societies. Though a book which at times requires some dedication to follow, Pathways is a book which anyone in pursuit of historical truth about North America will find rewarding.

What's quite remarkable about this book is its coverage of the early history of European contacts with Native Americans. These quite a lot of material on the events of the 1700's in other books, but Steele has the best coverage of the 1500's and 1600's I've encountered. It reads well, and takes a sweeping view of events. The later chapters are quite good, too!

This was required reading for a graduate course in the history of American military affairs. In the preface of Warpaths: Invasions of North America, Ian K. Steele stated that it was his goal to reassess early North American history by welding together the historical disciplines of ethnohistory and the history of early colonial wars. This reader found he did an admirable job at studying the two historical disciplines without the usual injection of racial prejudice, victimization, or "hero worship" which has too often been attached to historical accounts of the early colonial era. Steele's book, written in three parts from1565 to 1684, described the history of five areas of European invasion in North America by the Spanish, English, French, and Dutch. Part II was a study from 1687 to 1748, examining how the expansion of colonies invariably produced conflict between European settlers and Amerindians as well as combat between Amerindian tribes as they became caught up in European rivalries in North America. Part III was a very useful analysis by Steele in the adoption of the European method of warfare brought to North America; specifically by the English and French militaries after 1748. He ends the book in 1765 with a "negotiated" peace, albeit short lived as history will bear out, between Amerindians and the English and French colonial powers.

Throughout the book, this reader found the strength of the book to be in the three major strands of Steele's thesis. Steele contends that there was just as much interracial warfare within the Amerindians, as there was between them and the European invaders. Steele also found that alliances between Amerindians and European invaders were in a constant state of flux depending on the perceived advantage either side thought would be most beneficial for them to take at the time. Finally, what will surprise many readers who have been raised to believe in the technological superiority of European military prowess, was Steele's thesis that the Amerindians were in many instances victorious in their military engagements against the European invaders, because they had quickly adopted as their weapon of choice the flintlock musket which put them on a near equal war footing with their European rivals. Another important aspect of Steele's book for students of American military history, was his examination of the too often neglected Amerindian conduct of warfare--both tribal conflict and with the European invaders. Amerindians followed their own time-honored rules of military engagement and diplomatic and political conduct, which was all influenced by socio-economic and religious features pertaining to their society.

Although, there is much to admire in Steele's comprehensive study of invasion, co-existence, and warfare in the early colonial period, this reader found a few faults with his book. Though the book provides ample notes to back up Steele's facts throughout his book, it lacks a bibliography, which any serious student of history relies on to expand their knowledge base. In addition, Steele's book lacks a good concluding chapter, which would have been helpful in summing up his thesis and in giving the reader a "taste" of Amerindian and colonial relations beyond 1765.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in military history, and American history.

Steele obviously knows his stuff and paints interesting pictures of the situations on the ground in North America. The tremendous problem with Warpaths is that it is nearly impossible to follow unless you already know a great deal about the topic. His writing is not only dense, with Steele introducing several new individuals and events on every page for the entire book, but also imprecise - you'll find yourself either reading and rereading the same paragraphs throughout the book in an effort to determine what he actually meant, or skimming over whole sections only to realize that you don't actually recall half of what he covered.

So in short, it's too short. If it had been 500 pages long (as opposed to about 250), with the extra 250 pages full of transitions, fluff, flavor, and general "writing stuff," it would be far more readable, but as it stands expect some very tough going.

Despite the name, Warpaths: Invasion of North America, the book was very fair and balanced with the views of both the Indians and Colonists being portrayed. The chapter about New England was especially well documented and written. The explanations of how the peace ended in New England, and the out break of King Philips war is the best analysis of the topic I have ever read, and I have read several books on the subject. The book is a good sweeping overview of all the early colonies.

My only annoyance is his made up term Amerindians. It really doesn't sound good and the name didn't stick at all. Much newer books use Indian and Indian is generally accepted.

if you enjoy books like howard peckhams colonial wars, and francis parkmans montcalm and wolfe, youll enjoy this. Its great.

I ordered this book for a history class I am about to start, and found it fascinating. So much info. that I had not learned previously. Doing business with Amazon is always terrific. The item arrives quickly and the prices are less than retail. What more does anyone need?