Most First Nations men were superb warriors; they began training for war in childhood. Their first games involved stalking, ambushing and marksmanship. As they grew up they continued to hone these skills while hunting wild game to feed their families.

Warriors were eager to prove their skills in battle in order to win respect from their community. They were not willing to risk their lives for the sake of honour, however, because their families depended on them for survival. Once a warrior had proved himself in battle he generally chose to return home.

At the beginning of the War of 1812, many Native people, including Grand River Chief John Norton, had already served in the British army. This did not mean that the Natives fought like the Europeans. Rather than meeting the enemy on an open battlefield, the Natives preferred to surprise the enemy in order to achieve victory with minimal casualties. After an extensive reconnaissance to assess the enemy's strength, the warriors would launch a surprise assault or lay a trap to confuse enemy soldiers. The Amherstburg merchant John s said that one Indian was the equal of three white soldiers when fighting in the forest.

A few wise British commanders were able to take advantage of the Natives' propensity for bush warfare. The threat of Native participation in a battle was also employed as a psychological weapon to frighten the enemy. Many European or American commanders were exasperated by the independent nature of the First Nations, however. The warriors would not generally commit to long campaigns and had different goals than white combatants.

Because the First Nations were first and foremost concerned with their own welfare, white military leaders often considered them unreliable. If defeat appeared unavoidable the Natives would not hesitate to withdraw from the war or even change sides.