Tracking Indians, 1859©

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I came across a copy of The Rule Book by Stephen Kirschner et al. the other day.  On page 132 there were ten rules for tracking Indians, circa 1859.  Unfortunately they didn’t list the source, so I looked for it.  It is from The Prairie Traveler: A Hand-book for Overland Expeditions, written Captain Randolph B. Marcy, an experienced U.S. Army officer, (1812 - 1887).  And again unfortunately, these authors modernized and abbreviated the original rules.  Here are the rules in their original form.

 

Both Captain Randolph Marcy and a later author, Captain William H. Waldron, the author of Scouting and Patrolling, insisted upon caution when overlooking the crest of hills and ridges during a search for hostiles.

 

Waldron include some interesting tips on limiting and focusing long distance vision when reconnoitering over long distances WITHOUT binoculars. 

 

As I read Captain Marcy’s rules, I was struck by how similar many of these operational rules and the practices of Major Robert Rogers and Captain Samuel Brady, both famous scouts and guerilla fighters, were.  In addition, they share many similarities to the later LRRP standard operating procedures of the Vietnam War, as noted in The B-52 Tips: Jungle Recon Tips of the Trade.

 

Captain Marcy continues his list of SOPs for tracking hostile Native Americans, with the following six additional rules. 

 

I trust you had fun with me on this expedition through historical miscellanea and something entirely different.

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

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That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

Sources

 

Farrow, Mountain Scouting

https://dn790008.ca.archive.org/0/items/farrowsmanualofm00farr/farrowsmanualofm00farr.pdf, accessed October 22, 2026

 

Marcy, Randolph B.; The Prairie Traveler: A Hand-book for Overland Expeditions, [London, Trübner and Co., 1863], page 149 to 15,

https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5QafxOH9ci5FNgD7rI2yHtaQ83KRfUar23SOXPzKjPUsNLu6OzJxtefH4NVPvefs04BO-VWqVAKakoR3ur4q7saH6vHOD3lJHzCYIXIfZGSEF5OTxqMsB5XIf2BKxlKtntbNLIg_3fatYzl9Quuch-tnpMRY3qWUOMI3lbx8DR3tRS4UXzD4nq2vbyEKOBv8Dgnnn0Ksr65shx3BVem29YR7VUk_YQKEzntRB8M9a92ruYfSTL5kCEinXn2-wQQ5lm19Fxg4TQK-NB4NOk68fujwSPmu0fsg8WbwSR197SRcGCfrqGQg, accessed October 22, 2026

 

Project (B-52) Delta H.Q. Nha Trang, Republic of Viet Nam, The B-52 Tips: Jungle Recon Tips of the Trade, [Special Operations Press, 2012]

 

Waldron, William Henry; Scouting and Patrolling, [National Capital Press, Washington, 1916], https://www.google.com/books/edition/Scouting_and_Patrolling/S6gVAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Scouting+and+patrolling+waldron&printsec=frontcover, accessed October 22, 2026