Pontiac’s War, or Pontiac’s Rebellion, began in the Great Lakes region of North America in 1763.  Pontiac was an Ottawa leader who led a loose confederation of Native Americans from numerous tribes to fight for their land against the presence of British troops at the conclusion of the French and Indian War.

Pontiac’s War was ruthless and bloody and ended a few years later without a clear victory for the Native people or for the British.  However, the policy changes that the British introduced due to the violent conflict, such as the Proclamation of 1763, laid the groundwork for what would become the American Revolution.

The policy changes Britain introduced because of Pontiac’s War, such as the Proclamation of 1763, laid the groundwork for what would become the American Revolution.

The French and Indian War had been a clash between the French and British empires for control of North America.  At the war’s conclusion with the Treaty of Paris 1763, Britain gained control of French Canada and all land east of the Mississippi River.  Britain was now firmly established as the European authority in North America.

Britain was now firmly established as the European authority in North America.

This transfer of power to the British created resentment and concern among the numerous tribes of Native Americans who lived in this territory. Most of the Native people had formed economic and political ties with the French and saw the conclusion of the French and Indian War as disruptive to their way of life and even their very existence.

Most of the Native people had formed economic and political ties with the French and saw the conclusion of the French and Indian War as disruptive to their way of life and even their very existence.

Native American grievances against the British had been building ever since the British took possession of French forts during the war.  The French had long followed a Native American practice of presenting gifts (such as gun-powder, kettles, and clothing) to Native American leaders who would then distribute these goods to their people. This allowed for the Native leaders to curry favor with their own people and also to maintain alliances with the French.

The French gave gifts to Native American leaders, which promoted the status of the leader within their group; this created strong alliances between French and Native American tribes.

Once the British took possession from the French, the new commander-in-chief of North America, General Jeffery Amherst, announced an end to the exchange of gifts stating that Native people must learn to live “without our charity.”

Additionally, Native Americans accused British traders of defrauding them in the sales of rum, blankets, and fishing tools while the British soldiers who occupied military forts in the Northwest would overhunt and overfish.

In 1761, a Native American prophet named Neolin was inspired by a religious vision to ask Native people to give up alcohol, polygamy, and materialism and return to their traditional ways.  Neolin’s teachings impacted around twenty tribes of Native Americans – including the Seneca, Huron, and Shawnee people.

One of Neolin’s most devoted followers became Pontiac, a leader of the Ottawa people.  While Neolin did not support Pontiac’s tactics of aggression and warfare, Pontiac was able to join together numerous tribes in resistance to the British partly because of Neolin’s unifying vision.

Pontiac’s War began in 1763 when Pontiac and several hundred followers attempted a surprise attack on Fort Detroit.  While Pontiac’s siege on the fort was ultimately not successful, word of Pontiac’s actions spread and the war expanded far beyond Detroit.  At least eight British forts were taken while several others were unsuccessfully besieged.

These attacks appear not to have been coordinated by Pontiac; instead angry and frustrated Native people used the news of Pontiac’s attack on Fort Detroit as inspiration for their own uprisings.  Therefore, what is commonly called “Pontiac’s War” or “Pontiac’s Rebellion” was not quite a unified act of Native American aggression led by one man against the British, but rather a series of skirmishes across a wide area of the Northwest where Pontiac was just one of many Native leaders.

“Pontiac’s Rebellion” was not quite a unified act of Native American aggression, but rather a series of skirmishes across a wide area of the Northwest against the British.

These clashes between Native Americans and British may have resulted in the death and capture of over 2000 white settlers in territory west of the Allegheny Mountains while thousands more were forced to flee from their homes. Native American losses in the war were largely unrecorded although deaths from fighting and smallpox infections were unquestionably high.  When Delaware people attacked Fort Pitt, General Amherst ordered retaliation in the form of blankets used at Fort Pitt in treating smallpox patients.

Undoubtedly smallpox had a devastating impact on the Native American people, though it is unclear just how deadly these blankets from Fort Pitt really were.  Native people had long ago been exposed to smallpox and many tribes had means of treating and quarantining sick patients.  However, smallpox continued to ravage through Native American population with devastating effect.

By 1764 the British negotiated a peace treaty with several tribes of Native Americans at Fort Niagara and by 1766 another peace treaty was signed at Fort Ontario with Pontiac himself.

While the Native people agreed to return some British prisoners and acknowledged British control over much of the Northwestern territory, this was not quite a military defeat for the Native Americans.  The British had not successfully defeated the Native Americans, and in recalling General Amherst back to Great Britain, admitted that the British needed to abandon their demeaning policies and build relationships with the Native people.