The most important conflicts in the founding of the English colonies and the American republic were fought against enemies either totally outside of their society or within it: barbarians or brothers. In this work; Wayne E. Lee presents a searching exploration of early modern English and American warfare; looking at the sixteenth-century wars in Ireland; the English Civil War; the colonial Anglo-Indian wars; the American Revolution; and the American Civil War.Crucial to the level of violence in each of these conflicts was the perception of the enemy as either a brother (a fellow countryman) or a barbarian. But Lee goes beyond issues of ethnicity and race to explore how culture; strategy; and logistics also determined the nature of the fighting. Each conflict contributed to the development of American attitudes toward war. The brutal nature of English warfare in Ireland helped shape the military methods the English employed in North America; just as the legacy of the English Civil War cautioned American colonists about the need to restrain soldiers' behavior. Nonetheless; Anglo-Americans waged war against Indians with terrifying violence; in part because Native Americans' system of restraints on warfare diverged from European traditions. The Americans then struggled during the Revolution to reconcile these two different trends of restraint and violence when fighting various enemies.Through compelling campaign narratives; Lee explores the lives and fears of soldiers; as well as the strategies of their commanders; while showing how their collective choices determined the nature of wartime violence. In the end; the repeated experience of wars with barbarians or brothers created an American culture of war that demanded absolute solutions: enemies were either to be incorporated or rejected. And that determination played a major role in defining the violence used against them.
#983738 in Books 2014-04-11 2014-04-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x 1.20 x 9.20l; 1.10 #File Name: 019937645X356 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great Scholarly WorkBy Cole AndersonLee's book delves into the origins of the European (particularly British) and American way of war. He explores the culture of a variety of peoples stemming from different areas and conflicts and the implications these cultures and subcultures have on the manner which the conflicts are fought. Lee's work focuses on the "frightfulness" and restraint of war and how cultural understandings and misunderstandings dictate where on the spectrum of violence the conflict falls. His work does not simply examine how conflicts were fought; but why they were fought in that manner. Barbarians and Brothers offers a unique insight into how the Irish; English; Native American peoples and Americans perceive conflict and how conflicts should be fought. The book is excellently researched and utilizes a wide and varying library of first hand accounts that places the reader into the minds of the people experiencing the conflict. As a former student of Lee's; I was always amazed at the ease that he is able to connect the dots to unite trends that exist over hundreds of years. In his book; Barbarians and Brothers; Lee does not disappoint. By examining conflicts ranging from the wars in Ireland; the English Civil War; and the early Colonial and Indian Wars; as well as; the American War for Independence and the American Civil War; Lee is able to outline a convincing argument for how the English and Americans' perceptions of war have developed over the last 500 years.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy IronmikeGreat copy; good price and on time delivery.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Were Anglo-Irish and Colonial-Indian wars similar in their barbarism?By lyndonbrechtThis is a novel approach to understanding some wars. Lee posits that the concept of brother versus barbarian limits battlefield carnage; even if it is brother versus brother; and in the Revolutionary War (the American name for it; there are others!).The wars described illustrate his point. English versus Irish; savage and barbaric (on both sides). Americans versus Indians; savage and barbaric. British versus American; brotherly. Union versus Confederate; brotherly--but Confederates versus Union black soldiers; not so much(Note: formally Great Britain did not exist prior to the union with Scotland after 1700; so the use of "English" and "British" varies).The book is complicated by his concept that four factors determine the kind of war--capacity; control; calculation and culture. His book really makes a solid case for this; but I remain unconvinced; culture alone can account for the civil and the barbaric in a war context. It is still a well-written and thoroughly researched book. Linking the sequence from the Anglo-Irish wars; through colonial Indian wars; the Revolution and the US Civil War is an interesting and informative approach. Perhaps there is an Anglo American way of war. The reader will come away with something new; whether agreeing or disagreeing with the author's interpretation.
