Our weapon?

[gryphon46]

Being a 'sharp and pointy' kind of guy, I was surfing the net at work (not with their blessing) and being in the process of ordering stuff from Andy and being a fencer once upon a time (I know points better than slashes) I find I like tomahawks to have, but what's the story on using them.....I've read the stuff on the 'opening of the west', and all of the mountain man thing...and they apparantly wouldn't be caught dead without a tomahawk.....but no one ever says anything about why or how they used it and why it was so important...
can anybody enlighten me?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Big-Target]

The hawk, historically, was a "general purpose" tool. Used for everything from camp chores to affairs to honor, and everything else in between.

During the Fench & Indian war, when local militia were levied by the crown. Lots of wives wre alone in their frontier cabins. And when a Huron or Ottawa(allied to the french)war party decided to raid a cabin. A hawk in the hands of a determined female(standing in a doorway), could create alot of casualties on that war party.

And that same hawk, several hours earlier, was probably used to chop firewood and behead a chicken,for dinner that night. By the same wife.

 

[gryphon46]

Do they have these wimmen in New Jersey? And where do I meet them?

 

[Crayola]

I read a great book on Early American Tomahawks that we have at the University library. In it they say that the Brits coming to the Americas often had a choice of sword or tomahawk (often clled a hatchet) to use along with their firearm- many chose the tomahawk as you could do a ton of field chores with it, and use it as a weapon. Swords tended to break when used to fortify defenses!

A "hand axe" is just so darned useful for so many chores, they were the way to go- and still are today! That's why Rangers and many others carry 'em now- great tool, for CQB or for securing supper. All that in one lightweight package! Cool eh!