Siege of Fort Pitt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Fort Pitt
Part of Pontiac's Rebellion
"A Plan of the New Fort at Pitts-Burgh", drawn by cartographer John Rocque and published in 1765.
Date June 22 – August 10, 1763 Location Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 40°26′28″N 80°00′35″W / 40.4412°N 80.0098°W / 40.4412; -80.0098 Result British victory
Belligerents
Ohio Country natives	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Guyasuta	Simeon Ecuyer William Trent

The Siege of Fort Pitt happened in June and July 1763. It took place in what is now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. This event was part of Pontiac's War. This war was an effort by Native Americans to make the British leave their lands. The British had promised to leave the Ohio Country after defeating the French, but they did not keep their word. The Native Americans tried to remove the British from Fort Pitt through talks and by attacking the fort. However, their efforts were not successful.

This siege is also known for an early attempt at biological warfare. The British gave items from a smallpox hospital to Native American visitors. They hoped this would spread the disease to nearby tribes. We don't know for sure how effective this was. Spreading smallpox this way is less effective than breathing it in. It's also hard to tell if new cases came from these gifts or from earlier contact with settlers.

Why Did the Siege of Fort Pitt Happen?

Fort Pitt was built in 1758 during the French and Indian War. It was built where Fort Duquesne used to be, in what is now Pittsburgh. The French destroyed Fort Duquesne in November 1758. This happened as General John Forbes's army got close. The Forbes Expedition was successful partly because of the Treaty of Easton. In this treaty, local American Indians agreed to stop helping the French.

The Native Americans, mainly the Six Nations, Delawares, and Shawnee, agreed to this. They understood that the British would leave their lands after the war. But the British stayed instead of leaving the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. They even made their forts stronger. More settlers also kept moving west.

Pontiac's War began in early May 1763. Pontiac led attacks against the British near Fort Detroit. The siege of Fort Pitt and other British forts in 1763 were part of this war. Native Americans wanted to get their land back. They hoped to push the British out of the Ohio Country. Many forts were destroyed, but the Native Americans could not take Fort Pitt.

How the Siege Unfolded

By May 27, 1763, the fighting reached the tribes near Fort Pitt. There were many signs that attacks were coming. The captain of the Fort Pitt militia learned that the Delaware tribe had left their homes. The Mingo tribe also left their villages. A store owner reported that many Delaware warriors quickly traded animal skins for gunpowder.

The Delaware warrior leaders, Wolf and Keekyuscung, had fewer than 100 warriors. They did not attack the strong Fort Pitt right away. Instead, on May 29, they attacked farms and villages near the fort. Scared settlers rushed into the already crowded fort. Captain Simeon Ecuyer prepared the fort for battle. He had 230 men, some soldiers and some quickly trained militia.

The fort had strong stone walls and 16 cannons. Ecuyer kept the cannons loaded. He tore down nearby houses to remove places where attackers could hide. He also dug trenches outside the fort. Smallpox was found inside the fort. Ecuyer built a hospital to keep sick people separate.

On June 16, four Shawnee visited Fort Pitt. They warned Alexander McKee and Captain Simeon Ecuyer that many Indian nations were going to attack. They said the Delaware were still deciding. The next day, the Shawnee returned. They said all nations had decided to fight the British. They even hinted that the people in Fort Pitt should leave. Ecuyer ignored these warnings.

On June 22, Shawnee, western Delaware, Mingo, and Seneca warriors attacked Fort Pitt. They attacked from three sides. Ecuyer's cannons fired back, and the first attack was stopped. Since the Native Americans were not used to siege warfare, they tried talking again.

On June 24, Turtleheart spoke with McKee and Trent outside the fort. He told them that all other forts had fallen. He said Fort Pitt was the only one left. He warned that "six different nations of Indians" would attack if the British did not leave. McKee and Trent thanked Turtleheart. They said Fort Pitt could stand against "all nations of Indians." They also gave the Native American leaders two blankets and a handkerchief from the smallpox hospital.

The next few days were quiet. But reports came in about other forts falling to large groups of warriors.

A map from 1764 showing the area around Fort Pitt.

On July 3, four Ottawa warriors tried to trick the fort's defenders into surrendering. This trick did not work. After this, it was quiet for several weeks. On July 18, a large group of warriors arrived.

On July 26, Captain Ecuyer met with several Native American leaders outside the fort. These leaders, including Shingas, Wingenum, and Grey Eyes, came under a flag of peace. They again asked the British to leave. They explained that the British caused the war by taking their land. Tessecumme of the Delaware said the British broke their promises. They built forts on Native land even after being asked not to. Now, the tribes wanted their lands back.

Turtleheart told Ecuyer, "You marched your armies into our country, and built forts here, though we told you, again and again, that we wished you to move, this land is ours, and not yours." The Delaware also said they would fight until they burned Philadelphia. The British refused to leave. They claimed it was their home now. They also said they could hold out for three years. They bragged that large armies were coming to help them. This made the Native American leaders very angry.

On July 28, the siege began in full force. It lasted for several days. Seven of the fort's soldiers were hurt. Ecuyer was wounded in the leg by an arrow.

General Jeffery Amherst, the British commander, was very frustrated. He had not thought the Native Americans would fight so well. He told Colonel Henry Bouquet not to take any Native American prisoners. He even suggested exposing them to smallpox and hunting them with dogs. He wanted to "Extirpate this Execrable Race." Amherst ordered Bouquet to lead his troops to help Fort Pitt. This march would take weeks.

The siege at Fort Pitt continued until August 1, 1763. Most of the Native Americans stopped their attack. They left to stop almost 500 British troops marching to the fort under Colonel Bouquet. On August 5, these two forces met at Edge Hill in the Battle of Bushy Run. Bouquet's forces survived the attack. The Native Americans could not stop him from reaching Fort Pitt on August 10.

What Happened After the Siege?

More than 500 British soldiers and thousands of settlers died in the Ohio Valley. Of more than a dozen British forts, only Detroit, Niagara, and Pitt remained standing. On October 7, 1763, the British Crown issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763. This rule said that no settlers could live west of the Appalachian Mountains. However, British settlers ignored this rule. The British military did not enforce it either. Fort Pitt stayed in British hands. It became a main stop for settlers moving west in the next ten years.

The Smallpox Incident

Giving Infected Items to Native Americans

In the spring of 1763, a smallpox outbreak happened near Fort Pitt. It then spread to the fort. A hospital was set up there to treat sick soldiers. There had been earlier smallpox outbreaks among Ohio tribes in the 1750s.

On June 24, 1763, William Trent, a fur trader and captain at Fort Pitt, wrote in his journal about a meeting with two Delaware Indians. He wrote, "Out of our regard to them we gave them two Blankets and an Handkerchief out of the Small Pox Hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect." People in the past believed smallpox could easily spread through infected clothes. However, later research showed it mostly spreads by breathing.

The two blankets and handkerchief from the hospital were dirty and wrapped in linen. In 1955, a record from Trent's company was found. It showed an invoice for these items given to the Native Americans. Captain Ecuyer signed the expense. Trent likely planned this idea. He knew more about the disease and helped set up the smallpox hospital. Alexander McKee, who was half-Native, helped with messages. He might not have known about the infected items. This plan was done without orders from General Amherst or Colonel Bouquet.

The meeting happened on June 24. The two Delaware men, Turtle's Heart and Mamaltee, tried to convince the British to leave the fort. Ecuyer refused. He said more soldiers were coming and the fort was strong. The Native American messengers asked for gifts like food and alcohol. Ecuyer gave them "large quantities" of food, including the linen bundle with the blankets and handkerchief.

A month later, on July 22, Trent met the same Native American leaders again. They did not seem to have smallpox.

Gershom Hicks, who spoke the Delaware language, said that about a hundred Native Americans died from smallpox between spring 1763 and April 1764. This included people from the Delaware and Shawnee tribes. This was a relatively small outbreak. Years later, David McClure wrote in his journal that people in Pittsburgh told him the smallpox given to the Native Americans was "far more destructive than the guns from the walls."

Letters from General Amherst

A month later, in July, Colonel Bouquet and General Amherst discussed Pontiac's War in letters. In these letters, Amherst suggested using smallpox as a weapon. Bouquet mentioned using blankets, and Amherst supported the idea. He wanted to "Extirpate this Execreble Race."

Bouquet himself probably never had the chance to "Send the Small Pox." He was very worried about catching smallpox. He died two years later from yellow fever.

How Effective Was the Smallpox Plan?

This event is often called an early attempt at biological warfare. However, many historians question how effective the plan actually was.

Early historians like Francis Parkman wrote about this event. He called Amherst's suggestion "detestable." He thought Amherst had planned the gifting, but Amherst only discussed it a month later. Howard Peckham also wrote about it, saying the smallpox outbreak affected the Native Americans' ability to fight.

Later historians like Bernhard Knollenberg pointed out that smallpox was already spreading among the tribes before the meeting. Elizabeth A. Fenn writes that it's "impossible to ascertain" if the attempt to spread smallpox worked. She notes that infection could have happened naturally. Philip Ranlet points out that the same Native American leaders met a month later and seemed fine. He also notes that most of the Native Americans met lived for decades afterward. He questions why Trent didn't brag about any success in his journal.

Researchers James W. Martin, George W. Christopher, and Edward M. Eitzen from the US Army Medical Department Center & School studied this. They found it hard to know if Captain Ecuyer's plan worked. Smallpox could have spread from other contacts with settlers. They also noted that smallpox scabs are not very infectious. Spreading the disease through objects is less effective than breathing it in.

Vincent Barras and Gilbert Greub, writing in a medical journal, also doubt the plan's success. They note that smallpox transmission through objects is less efficient than respiratory transmission. Also, Native Americans had been exposed to smallpox for over 200 years before this event. They conclude that it's hard to tell if these attempts were biological attacks or just naturally occurring outbreaks.