Techniques for both Natives and Europeans in warfare changed drastically when the two engaged each other on the battlefield. Natives were observed by early Europeans as being more of playful in warfare rather than bloody and costly. The Europeans on first sight of a Native battle observed that the Natives would fire their arrows and then look and observe on where it would land. Depending on ideas and conditions, the Native wars among different tribes would at times would consist of low intensity raids, some plunder a few captives and other more less intensive fighting. Some of these low intensity fighting methods among the Native Indian tribes were more of acts of revenge against two rivalry tribes. The Native Indians showed skills in being tactical, strategic, and stealthy.
The Europeans were skilled more in battlefield tactics, traditions, and customs rather than the stealthier guerrilla tactics of the Native Indians. Where Europeans relied more on structured tactics as a group or a whole, as in a division, the Native Indians would work more in smaller groups or pacts. Europeans would also shoot mass volleys are what some may say would shoot in the general direction of their enemy while Native Indians were more precise in singling out one target. While the battlefield tactics of the Europeans worked well on a plain battlefield, in a wooded area or an area that had limited space, the Native Indian was more tactical in their skills.
Upon the European observation of Native Indians, they soon learned that they were out skilled being that they were in a different territory with different terrain than Europe. Rather than fighting against the Indians, the Europeans would befriend a certain tribe and use them in proxy for battles. As time went on with the early settles, they learned to employ the tactics and techniques of the Native Indians, and the Native Indians found that they could learn from the battlefield tactics of the Europeans. Different skills were traded along with weapons. Were Europeans used gunpowder and flintlocks, the Native Indians eventually learned how to employ these skills also. The same went for the bow and arrow and having the element of surprise through stealth, of which the Europeans learned these from the local Natives.