A Wilderness of Miseries - War and Warriors in Early America

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Most of the studies of America's early military history have been little more than narratives of battles, strategy, and tactics. Little scholarly attention has been paid to the profound effects that the many colonial wars, large and small, had on the social and emotional lives of American people. This is an examination of the nature of war in early America, and the impact of war on both the warriors themselves and society at large. Placing 17th and 18th century American conflict in a world perspective, Ferling demonstrates that European wars became more restrained after the religious struggles of the 16th century while conflict in America remained total war involving whole populations. European inhabitants were often unaware a war was in progress; American civilians were compelled to serve in militias, were made victims of Indian attack, or, at the very least suffered economic and social hardship...