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SgtMunro
Soldier of the King
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
September 23 2002
Status: offline
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 Posted - October 07 2002 : 03:54:35 AM
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After Braddock's disasterous engagement on the Monogahala, Pennsylvania Colony was victim to a series of raids eminatting from the Delaware Indians of present day Western Pennsylvania. This firestorm of fury, some historians debate, could have been the result of repeated insults caused by the infamous "Walking Purchase". The insults (both real and imagined) appeared to be coming from both the Iroquois Confederacy (who had made 'women' of the entire Delaware Tribe) as well as the settlers of Pennsylvania Colony (who were busy moving on to and improving the land aquired by the purchase).
It is generally agreed that the defeat of General Braddock was the 'starting gun' that signaled that the time was right to attempt to regain their dignity. Since the Delawares were too weak to face off against the whole Iroquois Confederacy, they figured the Pennsylvanians made an easier target (They could not have been more wrong).
After a series of raids, some deep into the very heart of the colony, a plan of action was decided upon. Col. Armstrong and a picked force from his own 2nd Battalion of the Pennsylvania Provincial Regiment executed a well planned overland march and subsequent attack on the Delaware town of Kittaning. Along with the destruction of critical stores, they also managed to rescue some of the prisoneers taken during the preceeding summer's raids. It should be noted that Col. Armstrong's Raid was the only sucessful offensive action taken by the Crown Forces from late 1755 to 1758. The only other raid like it was Major Roger's Raid on the Abnaki Village at St. Francis.
The question is are retalitory raids, like the above two, truly worth the expediture in material and the risk to trained personel? In the case of Roger's Raid, it was a knock out blow to the Abnaki Indians but to the Delawares of Col. Armstrong's Raid it was a temporary (albeit major) setback.
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Edmund McKinnon
Colonial Settler
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
May 23 2002
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Posted - October 09 2002 : 6:23:34 PM
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I'm going to take the lead on this one.While true that eastern Pennsylvania was left virtually defenseless due to the pacifistic Quaker Assembly,Jack Armstrong's raid on Kittanning was essential in that theater.Aside from the fact that they torched the Indian village and rescued some white captives,the psychological impact of hitting the indians on their own turf was priceless. I'm suprised that the Pennsylvania Provincials were able to even pull it off at all.This gave the populace a morale boost on the homefront,almost like what the Doolittle raid did to Japan in 1942.
Edmond N.Highlander Jr. |
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SgtMunro
Soldier of the King
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
September 23 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - October 10 2002 : 12:45:02 AM
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I feel you hit the nail on the head LT. The best way to deal with an attack is to lash out at the enemy, preferably in his own back yard, and put him on the defensive. Perhaps Cousin Seamus can give us some more insight on this, being that he was one of the men "on the ground in the A/O", so to speak...
Sgt. Duncan Munro
Capt. Graham's Coy
1/42nd Royal Highlanders
"Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" |
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SgtMunro
Soldier of the King
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
September 23 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - October 22 2002 : 01:45:56 AM
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When people talk of F&I SpecOps style campaigns, they always point to Robert Rogers' deep strike against the Abnaki Indians at St. Francis. Col. Armstrong's retalitory raid against the Delaware Indians at Kittaning was no less spetacular. The only reason that I can see why history has slighted Col. Armstrong is due to the fact the Armstrong's main mission was the protection of the subjects of Pennsylvania Colony, other than that he and his Pennsylvanians had little desire to serve far from the colony.
Your Humble Servant,
Sgt. Duncan Munro
Capt. Graham's Coy
1/42nd Royal Highlanders
"Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" |
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Edmund McKinnon
Colonial Settler
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
May 23 2002
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Posted - October 23 2002 : 02:44:01 AM
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Standard problem of F&I with regards to the colonies.There was no unity as Ben Franklin had suggested.Every colony usually acted as an individual.For example,after the fall of Ft.Duquesne,GW sat the rest of the war out because Virginia was no longer threatened.EM
Capt.John Graham
Cmdr.42nd Highlanders |
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SgtMunro
Soldier of the King
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
September 23 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - October 23 2002 : 03:42:10 AM
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'If we do not elect to hang together, we most assuredly shall hang separatley', I think that was how Mr. Franklin put it.
Sgt. Duncan Munro
Capt. Graham's Coy
1/42nd Royal Highlanders
"Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" |
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Response to Indian Raids...Proactive vs. Reactive
