382 The Winning of the West 



in every military sense inferior, possessing their de 

 fects, sometimes in an accentuated form, and not 

 possessing their compensating virtues. Like the 

 regulars, these militia fought the Indians at a terri 

 ble disadvantage. A defeat for either meant mur 

 derous slaughter; for whereas the trained Indian 

 fighters fought or fled each for himself, the ordinary 

 troops huddled together in a mass, an easy mark 

 for their savage foes. 



The task set the leaders of the army in the 

 Northwest was one of extreme difficulty and dan 

 ger. They had to overcome a foe trained through 

 untold ages how to fight most effectively on the very 

 battle-ground where the contest was to be waged. 

 To the whites a march through the wilderness was 

 fraught with incredible toil; whereas the Indians 

 moved without baggage, and scattered and came to 

 gether as they wished, so that it was impossible to 

 bring them to battle against their will. All that 

 could be done was to try to beat them when they 

 chose to receive or deliver an attack. With ordi 

 nary militia it was hopeless to attempt to accomplish 

 anything needing prolonged and sustained effort, 

 and, as already said, the thoroughly trained Indian 

 fighters who were able to beat the savages at their 

 own game were too few in numbers, and too unac 

 customed to control and restraint, to permit of their 

 forming the main body of the army in an offensive 

 campaign. There remained only the regulars; and 

 the raw recruits had to undergo a long and special 

 training, and be put under the command of a thor- 



