Virtual Book Talk – “The Cutting-Off Way,” by Wayne E. Lee

“The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500-1800,” by Wayne E. Lee Incorporating archeology, anthropology, cartography, and Indigenous studies into military history, Wayne Lee shows that fighting forces bring their own cultural traditions, values, and limitations onto the battlefield. He looks at a “cutting-off way of war” to show that Native Americans often tried to surprise their targets, “cut off” individuals found getting water, wood, or out hunting, and rarely attacked strong forts or towns. Lee shows that Indians also used these tactics during the American Revolution. Wayne E. Lee, Ph.D. is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina. He is co-author of “The Other Face of Battle,” and more recently, “The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500–1800.” Lee was an officer in the U.S. Army from 1987 to 1992 and served in the 1991 Gulf War.