Fighting on both the French and British side, Woodland Indians were not to be taken lightly. This is the first of the boxed sets we are releasing in conjunction with Conquest Miniatures and, judging by the number of you placing a pre-order, it's hotly anticipated…
Nothing struck terror into the heart of a British colonist more than an Indian raid. The warriors of the Great Lakes region, often allied with the French, had been fighting the British colonists of North America and their Indian allies for several generations. In those wars, Indian warbands played a major role in terrorizing their enemies with their fearful appearance, wild fighting style, 'skulking' ambush form of warfare, and the brutal effect of their raids on the settlements in the backcountry. Over the many years of contact, trade, and war with Europeans, the Indians had adapted the new technology and material culture of the Europeans to Indian culture and traditions of war. Wooden armor, stone hatchets, and bows were quickly replaced by the trade shirts, metal hatchets, and muskets of Europeans. These were used to devastating effect in the many wars between Indians and European, wars which always featured Indian warriors fighting on both sides of the conflict – and often against each other – as the British, French, and Iroquois empires struggled for dominance on the continent.
Wars such as King Philip's War (1675) had been so devastating that the population of Massachusetts took a generation to recover, and nearly wiped out several of the New England tribes. By the mid 18th Century, as the British and French were stumbling into conflict over control of the lucrative Indian trade in the Ohio River valley, a new round of frontier warfare loomed on the horizon. By 1756, after George Washington's disastrous venture to bolster Virginia's claim on the Ohio country, the frontier was engulfed in the fires of Indian raids and British campaigns from Virginia all the way to New York.
The Woodland Indian War Party metal boxed set contains 19 metal miniatures – 18 Indian warriors, armed mainly with muskets, and an exclusive Sachem miniature. Also included in the set is a full-color background leaflet chronicling the Indian participation in the war, and also their fighting style.
Our first Black Powder supplement, The Last Argument of Kings, covers warfare in the 18th Century and as such also the French & Indian War. Peter Brown, the author of this supplement, has provided us with a great article on alternative ways to refight the Battle of Quebec.
