The Dividing Paths: Cherokees and South Carolinians through the Era of Revolution Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Dividing Paths" by Tom Hatley is a commendable work of scholarship concerning Cherokees and South Carolinians in the colonial period. It is well researched with many quotes from primary sources. The book surveys Cherokee culture and interaction with South Carolinians in matters of trade, religion, intermarriage and kinship, and war. It should serve as a valuable reference for anyone studying Cherokee history or the colonial history of the southeastern United States.
The strongest part of this work is Hatley's description and research of the various military campaigns of the South Carolinians against the Cherokees. The reasons for going to war, the specific events of the campaigns, and their devastating results are explored with proper detail. Hatley gives account of the Yamassee War beginning in 1715, the three campaigns of the so-called "Cherokee War" from 1759-1761, and Cherokee and South Carolinian conflict with each other during the American Revolution. Through Hatley's narrative, insights and colorful quotes are also obtained on some of the prominent figures of the times: Governor James Glen, British General James Grant, Cherokee Chiefs Little Carpenter and Dragging Canoe, British Indian Superintendent John Stuart, Colonial General Andrew Pickens, and numerous others.
This book is highly recommended as an important academic resource.


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War under Heaven: Pontiac, the Indian Nations, and the British Empire Review

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(More customer reviews)I am going to offer a rave review, (admittedly of a favorite period), and want to disclaim the need for a disclaimer --- I do not know the author or have any connection to his University or publisher.
Gregory Dowd can hardly be accused of writing inaccessible history only to other historians on an obscure topic. The linkages in British Colonial Indian policy between the end of the French and Indian War and the Revolution are interesting in their own right. This account covers all perspectives, dealing with French attitudes; Pontiac's turbulent, adroit yet ultimately unpopular leadership; and above all the cultural and emotional influences at work in the era. Not merely about Pontiac's War, this work is aptly subtitled: Pontiac, The Indian Nations and the British Empire.
Of particular import is Dowd's sophisticated analysis of British policy paralleled with a sober yet, when appropriate, complimentary account of the methods of the Indian Nations. Dowd provides new insight in his focus on the issue of status and dignity as a motivating factor in Pontiac's War -- without ever collapsing into easy platitudes on the plight of Native Americans. Wholistic in the best sense of the word, the impact of Indian religion and its interaction with Christianity is also assessed.
Expert, well written, well researched, non-polemic; War Under Heaven, also offers seamless assessments of the work of other historians.
The fact that Dowd accomplishes so much in just 275 pages of text is a testament to good writing and the tightness of the text. Just as accessible to newcomer as to student of the era.

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