however, came not from the military but
rather from the settlers. In contrast to the
French, English colonials crossed the Ap-
palachian Mountains looking for land to culti-
vate. After several months of abuse, the Great
Lakes Indians were ready for insurrection.
Pontiac himself was initially friendly to-
ward the victorious English and anticipated
that their behavior would emulate the French.
By 1762, it became apparent to him that his
traditional way of life would be threatened
unless something was done soon. Pontiac, an
accomplished warrior, settled on a military
solution. If the Indians could unify and strike
simultaneously at English forts and settle-
ments across the frontier, perhaps the French
would enter the war and drive out the hated
interlopers. Indian unity was an alien con-
cept, but Pontiac, a gifted, powerful, persua-
sive orator, began making his case. At a meet-
ing of tribal leaders in April 1763, he outlined
his strategy for striking at Detroit, the main
English fort, while other tribes would fan out
and attack lesser posts. His argument was
aided by a shaman known as the Delaware
Prophet, who called for a religious and cul-
tural renewal to drive white influence out of
Indian lands. The various chieftains agreed to
Pontiac’s plan, and bands from the Ottawa,
Huron, Chippewa, Potawatomi, and other
tribes prepared to launch an offensive.
Unfortunately for the Indians, Maj. Henry
Gladwyn, Detroit’s commanding officer, had
been forewarned of their strategy. When Pon-
tiac appeared at the fort with several warriors
and requested to be allowed in on the pre-
tense of performing a ceremonial dance for
the garrison, he was greeted by the sight of
the soldiers armed and ready to receive him.
The Indians had concealed arms under their
blankets to achieve surprise, but Pontiac
withdrew without hostility. Suddenly, on May
7, 1763, the Native Americans, numbering
nearly 1,000 men, launched a surprise attack
against the fort. Gladwyn, alert for such a
move, was ready and handily repulsed the at-
tackers. Pontiac had little recourse but to set-
tle in for a lengthy siege. The British garrison
was cut off by land but received continual re-
inforcements and supplies by ships on Lake
Erie. On July 31, 1763, Gladwyn detached a
body of men under Maj. James Dalyell to at-
tack the Indians in their camp, but the English
troops were ambushed at Bloody Run. Dalyell
was killed and his command driven back into
the fort with heavy losses. The Indians, how-
ever, could make no headway against the for-
tifications and grew discouraged. Pontiac, by
eloquence and example, rallied enough of
them to maintain his position for nearly a
year. By August 1764, when a large column
under Col. James Bradstreet arrived to relieve
the beleaguered garrison, Pontiac lifted the
siege and withdrew to the woods.
In contrast to the impasse at Detroit, Indi-
ans elsewhere enjoyed a startling series of
military successes. In little more than a
month, they captured and destroyed no less
than eight posts and forced the evacuation of
a ninth. With the exception of Detroit and
Fort Pitt, in western Pennsylvania, Native
Americans had completely driven the English
from the trans-Appalachian west. But once
the British recovered from their initial sur-
prise, they acted decisively. To help break the
siege of Fort Pitt, Amherst authorized a primi-
tive form of biological warfare by circulating
blankets infected with smallpox among the
Indians, and it severely affected the Delaware
tribe. Next a column under Col. Henri Bou-
quet, a Swiss mercenary, defeated a large In-
dian force at Bushy Run in 1764, relieved Fort
Pitt, and swept through the Ohio Valley. At
this point, many tribes began deserting Pon-
tiac’s confederation and sued for peace indi-
vidually. Pontiac himself remained belligerent
until October 1764, when he received word
from the French commander in Louisiana that
French aid was not forthcoming. This fact,
coupled with word that the Treaty of Paris,
which concluded the French and Indian War,
resulted in the French evacuation of Canada,
ended the uprising. In July 1766, Pontiac at-
tended peace talks at Fort Ontario hosted by
Sir William Johnson, and a lasting truce was
arranged. English efforts were abetted by aPONTIAC