Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-03-05
INDIAN WARFARE.

war, or by torture.
The history Of man is, for the
most part, one continued detail OF
bloodshed, battles and devastatiOns.
War has been, from the earliest pc
RODS Of history, the almost constant
employment Of individuals, clans,
tribes and nations. Fame, one of
the most potent objects of human
ambition, has at all times been the
delusive, but costly reward of mill
tary achievement. The triumph
of conquest, the epithet of great.
ness, the throne and the sccptre,
have uniformly been purchased by
the conflict of battle and garments
rolled in blood.
If the modern European laws OF
warfare have softened in some de-
gree the hOrrid features Of national
conflicts, by respecting the rights
of private property, and extending
humanity to the sick, wounded and
prisoners, we ought to reflect that
this amelioration is the effect of
civilization only. Thenatural state
of war knows no such mixture of
mercy with cruelty. In his print
tive state man knows no object in
his wars but that Of the eXtermina-
tion of his enemies, either 10y death
or captivity.
The wars of the Jews were exter-
minatory in their object. The de.
struction of a whole nation was
often the result of single cam
paign. Even the beasts themselves
were sometimes included in the gen,
eral massacre.
The present war between the
Greeks and Turks is war upon
the ancient model-a war of utter
determination.
1t is, to be sure, much to be re-
GREETED that our people so often fol-
lowed the cruel examples of the In
dians in the slaughter of prisoners,
and sometimes women and children;
yet let them receive a candid hear
ing at the bar of reason and justice,
before they are condemned as bar
barians, equally with the Indians
themselves.
History scarcely presents an ex-
ample of a civilized nation carrying
on war with barbarians without
adopting the mode of warfare OF
the barbarous nation. The ferocious
SuwarrOw, when at war with the
Turks, was as much of a savage as
the Turks themselves. His slaugh-
ters were as indiscriminate as thcirs;
but during the war against the
French, in Italy, he faithfully OBJ
served the laws of civilized war
fare.
Were the Greeks now at wal
with IA civilized nation, we should
hear nothing Of the barbarities
which they have committed on the
Turks; but being at war with bar
barians, the principle Of self-deiensC
compels them to retaliate on the
Turks the barbarities which they
commit OH them.
In the last rebellion in Ireland
that of the United Irishmen, the
Government party were not muci
behind the rebels in acts Of lawlesi
cruelty. IL was not by the hands
of the executiOner alone they per
ished. Summary justice, as it wa
called, was sometimes inflicted
How mauy perished unGcr the tor
turing scourge of the drummer 70
the purpose of extorting cOnfts
Sions These eXtra.judiclal eXecu
tons were attempted to he jnStifie'
on the ground Of the necessity o
the case.
Our Revolutionary war has
B double aspect: on tue one hand "
carried on war with the English
in which We observed the maxim
of civilized warfare with the utmOs
. strictness; but the brave, the pc
tent, the magnanimous nation G
our forefathers had associated wit
themselves, as auxilaries, the muI
derOus tOmahawk aud scalpin
knife Of the Indian nations arOun
our defepseless frontiers, leavinI
those barbarOus sons Of the fOres
to their own savage mode Of wal
fare, to the full indulgence Of al
their native thirst for human blood
On them, then, be the b'ame q
all the hOrrid features Of tins wa
between civilized and savage men
i'm which the former was compelled
by every principle Of selfdcfense
to adop, the Indian mode OF wal
fare, IN all its revolving and d(
structive features.
We're those who were engaged j.
the war against the Indians les
humane than those who carried o.
the war against their English allies
No, they were not. Both partie
carried on the war on the sam
principle of reciprocity of advani
ages and disadvantages. For el
ample, the English and American
take each one thousand prisoners
they are exchanged: neither arm
is weakened by this arrangement
A sacrifice is indeed made to hi
manity, in the expense of takin
care of the sick, wounded and pr
oners; but this expense is mutua
= No disadvantages result from a