King William’s War: The First Contest for North America, 1689–1697

Independent scholar Laramie (By Wind and Iron) continues his studies of colonial North America with this account of King William’s War. This was the first of four wars to gain control of North America, fought by the French and the Wabanaki Confederacy against the English and the Iroquois Confederacy. Laramie offers a blow-by-blow, year-by-year narrative of the military and naval battles between the combatants in the eight years the war was waged. The military maneuvers are analyzed in great detail, and Laramie often second-guesses strategies of both sides, never shrinking away from describing the ferocity of the war. His analysis of the external and internal dynamics and sophisticated politics of indigenous confederacies provides depth and an understanding of the complicated factors at work. Similarly, insights into how the home politics of the European rivals influenced the outcome of the North American war also gives helpful perspective. Laramie credits France with winning this war, but indicts their overconfidence following the victory as a key factor in their loss to the English in the French and Indian War 100 years later. Laramie’s straightforward, well-organized effort should interest readers with a taste for colonial history and detailed martial narratives. (Nov.)