Lives of Great Americans. Published Monthly. Number Twelve. Pontiac, the Conspirator. BEADLE AND ADAMS, 98 WILLIAM STREET, NEW YORK. General Dime Book Publishers. “HONEA CHV SNVIGNI ZHL XO NOWWISOdSIG FHL SETAOHS 90.1 ‘HOUIS THL DNINAC DCLIO¢ Lad ¢ CHIEF OF THE OTTAWAS, TOGETHER WITH ae A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE SIEGE OF DETROIT. BY EDWARD 8. ELLIS, : Sa AUTHOR OF LIVES OF “CROCKET,”’ “ BOONE,” “KIT CARSON," ETO, ‘oe Be NEW YORK: _ BEADLE AND ADAMS, PUBLISHERS, 98 WILLIAM STREET. Gniered according to Act of Congress, in the Year 1861, b7 BEADLE AND COMPANY, in tho Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States fox th: Southern District of New York. INTRODUOTORY. Nor quite a hundred years since, Detroit was held in a state of siege by the Indians for a period of fifteen months. Con- nected with this remarkable event were thrilling conflicts be- tween the hostile parties, disastrous defeats and successful victories, all of which I have sought to give in the following pages. Few histories of this,epoch in our history have been pre- served. The mere facts is known to.every one, but the partic- ulars have been rarely recorded. These I have here collected, together with other events of less importance, but of surpass- ing interest, and of clear relation to the history of Pontiac. In the preparation of this little volume, numerous documents nave been examined ; but the authority in all cases has been the “History of the Conspiracy of Pontiac,” by Francis Parkman, Jr. This gentleman collected his materials from the State Paper offices-of London and Paris, the archives of New York, Pennsylvania and other States; from the statements of men who had seen and known Pontiac when living; he has exam- ined the journals kept by men during the siege of Detroit; and, besides visiting the scene of all the incidents he describes, he lived for a time among the Indians of the Far West. Mr. Parkman is still engaged in collecting information in regard to Pontiac’s career.and the old Indian Wars. .From.a mass of material numbering thousands of pages, Mr. Parkman has spent _ Several years in elaborating a work which is one of the most inestimable contributions to early American history. Pontiac baffled — Hostilities—The War-Dance—Death of Captain OONTENTS. PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. | x A brief Account of the a al Indian Tribes that formerly oceupied the Territory East of the Mississippi,- - - « + - 9 CHAPTER I. i Imprudent Conduct of the English—Instigations of the French— . larm of Captain Campbell—The Sulphurous Storm—Pontiac and = his Embageadors—Sir William Johnson—Fort Miami—Treaty of } ree Paris, - - - - - ae - Ss Aa EE ES ee CHAPTER TTI. Pontiae holds a Council—Visits the Garrison with his Spies—The Plan of the Conspiracy agreed upon —Suspicious Proceedings _ noted—Giadwyn warned by M. Gouin—Is not alarmed—The Plot” ~ revealed by an Ojibwa Girl—Preparations for the 4+taek, - - 20 , CHAPTER TIT. Robertson and Sir Robert Davers—Pontiae joined by the Ojibwas— Defenses of Detroit—The Attack—Betrayal of Major Campbell and Lieutenant M’Dougal—Pontiac compels the Wyandots to join him— Attack renewed, - - : - - - - - ‘ =» 85" a CHAPTER IV. Ae Want of Provisions—Pontiac’s Promissory Notes—The Relief re clipes dition —Its sad Fate —Pontiac’s Schemes some Western For- i tresses successful—Fall of Fort Sandusky, of Fort St. Joseph, of Fort) Mackinaw, of Fort Miami, of Fort Presqu’Isle— Monstrous : Perfidy of the Savages, -- o- .- = -- = a fee CHAPTER V. a aa Second Attempt to relieve the Garrison—The Schooner’s Voyage— Its Assault by the Savages—Their Repulse—Safe Arrival at Detroit —Fury of Pontiac—Ingenious Attempt to destroy the Vessels—The Fire Raft— Peace asked by the Wyandots and Pottawatomies— Pieze continued, 8? SOMME Uli CRUEL UES gOn tie ta4 ea CHAPTER VI. i Another Reinforcement from Niagara—Captain Dalzell’s Arrival—His Night Expedition —Its disastrous Result—Fury of the Indians— A third Vessel of Relief—Its Assault and remarkable Preserva-. tion)! (o- 98@al gouty dow 4 ecleodels nt gueey Tetisoege CHAPTER VII. ; The Fall of Mackinaw and Adventures of an English Trader, - 70 CHAPTER VIII. = he The Indians Ask for Peace—Pontiac Leaves Detroit for the Maumee— English Armies ordered into the Country— Bradstreet’s and Bou- quet’s Expedition—A Peace conquered, - - 9 - | =e 2B CHAPTER Ix, Re. “oe The Conspirator foiled—He buries the Hatchet—His subsequent Life and Death—Summary of his Character, - + + + = 98° x or ; oeeee. * m4 na a * Te Maguay, Nes Confederates, Hodenosaunee, Aquanuscioni, Onge THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE PRINCIPAL INDIAN TRIBES THAT FORMERLY OCCUPIED THE TERRITORY EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. _ {a numerous tribes of North American Indians which, a century since, held possession of the greater part of the territory east of the _ Mississippi, may be divided into three great tribes or families :—the Iroquois, the Algonquin, and the Mobilian. Each of these divisions was characterized by distinct peculiarities in dress, customs and language. The most important were the Iroquois, who, for a time, were absolute monarchs over that vast area inclosed by Quebee and the forests of Maine on the north, and the Carolinas and western prairies on the south and west.* In the north, they conquered the Wyandots; in the east, the Indians of New England; in the west, they uprooted forever the Eries and Andastes; in the south, they “made Women” of the Delawares. The confederation as it first, : _ existed, included five nations, viz.:—the Mohawks, Oneidas, Cay- ugas, Onondagas and Senecas. At a later date, the Tuscaroras of the south were added, and, from this circumstance, the name Siz Nations is derived.| The home of the Iroquois was in central * The different names by which this division is known occasion endless - ‘confusion to the student of Indian history. The different English, French and German authorities styled them the Iroquois, Five, and oe onwe, tas, Mengwe, Mahaquase, Aggonnonshioni, Palenachendchiesktaj eet. name of Mingoes is applied only to a small branch of the Iroquois which settled near the Ohio. The name Massawomees has been given to several different tribes. + As a literary curiosity, we subjoin the different names by which the © original Five Nations have been known: OHAWKS, Anies. Agniers, Agnierrhonons, Sankhicans, Canungas, Mauguawogs, Caneagaonoh. OnzrpAs, Oneotas, Onoyats, Anoyints, Onneiouts, Oneyyatecaronoh - Onoiochrhonons. INONDAGAS, Oxnontagues, Onondagaonohs. ‘ -Sznxods, Sinnikes, Chennessies, Genesees, Chenandoanes, Tsonnon ~ tonaus, Jenontowanos, Nundawaronoh, : re By q THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. New York, where, by means of the vast network of rivers, and the numerous lakes, they were offered the readiest means of penetrating _ the surrounding wilderness. Add to this their inherent energy, their admirable government, and the true cause of their power is “Gy. apparent, At the Great Council House in the Onondaga Valley, ap } the embassadors from the different nations were received, and all seg |. subjects of importance were there discussed and regulated with the : E "greatest harmony. The system of totemship was perfect, and pre- i J vented those discords which otherwise would have arisen amorg the a3 H. individual tribes. The Froquois nation, independent of their division T st _ into. tribes; were separated into eight totemic clans, which were } 5 ed bound together by an affection as great as that of the family, and 3 pe: which is. preserved among the remnants of these tribes to this day. | The members of these clans were not allowed to intermarry, while an insult. to. an individual was an insult to the whole clan, which i every warrior considered it his duty to avenge, as much as if it had a fe.’ been his own particular quarrel. ees eS Another singular custom has been rigidly adhered to by these = Z people—that of descent in the female line. The right of furnishing 2 a sachem being conceded to some particular totemic clan, it follows Bk that the descent of the sachemship must be the same asthat of the fh totem, Thus, if a warrior of the Turtle clan married a squaw of ! the Hawk clan, their children were Hawks and not Turtles; and if the warrior were a sachem, the office passed not to his son but to es his brother's. or sister’s son. a aie? Inthe days of their greatest triumphs, the numerical strength of ; this confederation. was about four thousand warriors; and yet this handful. tyrannized. over one-half of America; their name was as great a terror upon the banks of the far-off Mississippi as upon the shore of the Atlantic. While the other tribes were distracted by | - internal discords, and resolutely abstained from wniting either for | offense or defense, their dreaded enemies maintained a perfect hare Bes Ps mony among themselves, and kept up a confederation that. has Ve never been: equaled for influence and strength, by any that ever existed among the aborigines of this continent. The Hurons or Wyandots occupied the southwestern porta of that peninsula formied by Lakes Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Otitaric,. It is from them that the former lake has detived’ its name. They : spoke a dialect of the Iroquois tongue, and resembled the Five e PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 2 j a Nations m many respects. Their number bas been estimated at ten thousand ; and, although their government resembled that of the Troquois in many respects, it was not so perfect. Their weak- ness proved their ruin, for the ferocious Iroquois waged war against them, and in 1649, in the midst of winter, attacked and burnt their largest villages, slaughtered thousands, and scattered the nation forever. Along the northern shores of Lake Erie dwelt the Veutral Nation, so called from its neutrality in the war between the Wyandots and the Five Nations, These were similar to the former in many respects, yet entirely distinct, Their number was about the same and their ruin as complete. Soon after the Huron war, the Senecas managed ‘to pick a quarrel with them, and in a short time they were assailed by the entire confederation, and scattered like chaff before the wind. -This war had scarcely ended, when the Five Nations turned against the Erigas or Eries, dwelling along the southern shore of Lake Erie, In 1655 they were attacked with the greatest fury, and nearly the entire tribe massacred. The remaining members were incorporated with their conquerors or with other tribes, and their name at this day is scarcely mentioned upon the page of history. The Andastes’ villages, dotting the valleys of Upper Ohio and the Alleghany, were next attacked. They were a brave tribe, and maintained the unequal struggle for over twenty years with the most determined courage; but, their doom was sealed. In 1672 they were blotted from. the face of the earth by their bloodthisty conquerors. Thus, within the space of twenty-five years, four powerful tribes were exerminated by the Iroquois; but, unsatisfied with these achievements, they continued in incessant war upon all tribes not members of the confederacy. They drove the, Ottawas from the — -tiver of that name, in the north, west and south, conquered every tribe that adjoined them, and, at the commencement of the eight- eenth century, sounded their war-whoop under the very walls of Quebec. The Tuscaroras had acted as their allies in their wars upon the southern tribes, and, having suffered a disastrous defeat from the hands of the whites, now applied for admission into the confederacy, They were gladly received, given a seat in the council-house, aud, THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. from’ 1715, the name of “Six Nations” jseoies ieabie te ‘ie Tuscaroras. ¥ The members of the great ALGonquin division extended from the Tiudson Bay on the north, to the Carolinas on the south, and fr. m the Atlantic on the east, to the Mississippi and Lake Winnepeg on the west, inclosing the Iroquois, like an island, in their center. When we Jacques Cartier ascended the St. Lawrence, he found the Algonquins along its banks, while Pocahontas, who saved the life of Captain: © John Smith in Virginia, was the daughter of an Algonquin chief. { — The savages who made the treaty with William Penn, and the Pequots (or Pequods) who, under Philip and Sassacus, waged war agaiust the New England Puritans, also were members of the F Algonquin family. The Delawares are conceded the first position in this dividual as they claim to be the root from which all other Algonquins have | sprung, and the claim is allowed by the other tribes.t It was with their sachems that William Penn formed his celebrated treaty, at a period when they were in the most abject submission to the Iro- quois. So complete, indeed, was their subjection, that they had submitted to the name of Women, and given up the use of fire- - arms. Driven further westward by the encroachments of civiliza- tion, their ancient spirit returned, and, in the Old French War, they fought against their old enemies on the side of the French. Atter ward they declared their independence, and, at the commencement of the Revolution, openly defied their former masters, who soon admitted they were no longer Women, but brave and generous warriors, Probably next in importance to the Lenape are the Shawnees, ok whom comparatively little is known. They originally had their home in the south, occupying, it is believed, Georgia and the ‘ Floridas. ‘They were a restless people delighting in wars,” and ¢ became so obnoxious to their neighbors, that the Cherokees, Creeks and Choctaws combined and drove them from the country. Going © northward, they settled upon the Ohio and its branches in the land * The French term the Delawares the Loup, They call themselves Lenni _ Lenape, or Original Men, . +The Lenape, on their part, call the other Algonquin tribes Children, F er Nephews, or Younger Brothers ; but the; ‘din confess the riority of the Weyandots and the Five Nations, by»yielding them the : tine of Jneles, They, in return, call the Lenape, Nephews, or, mo°9 BP) a quentiy, Cousins. See Parkinan’s Hi istory, : 1 of the Wyandots, who gladly welcomed them. Hera they becanie » a powerful nation, resembling the Iroquois in their demon-like ferocity and hatred of: the whites. ‘ Along the shores of Lake Michigan, Superior and Huron dwelt _ the Ojibwas, Ottawas and Pottawatomies; west of Lake Michigan were the Sacs, Foxes and Menemones, and: further northward the wandering bands of Knisteneaux. The Ojibwas, Ottawas and Pottawatomies formed a sort of con- federation, and were the first to offer an effectual check to the ambi- tion of the Six Nations. At the mouth of Lake Superior, it is stated, a war-party of the latter were completely routed and almost entirely slaughtered. The fugitive Wyandots and many others — found a safe refuge and protection among them. ‘The Mosturan family comprehended the Creeks, Choctaws and Chickesaws of the south. They resembled the Iroquois in many. respects; but, az they were far removed from the seene of events described in these pages, and took no part in them, they will not be referred to again in the course of our narration. THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH GOLONIES IN AMERICA, A careful study of the acts of England and France in America is necessary, to understand not only Pontiac’s conspiracy, but the causes of the numerous wars which, a century since, raged along _the frontier, and opened the way for the Revolution of the colonies, Each nation pursued a different policy. The French settlements in Canada were nursed by the Church and State, and their strength matured under the most favorable auspices; still, they languished and declined, year after year. The outcast colonies of England, forsaken by Government, grew and strengthened like young giants, _and soon proved themselves possessed of power and resources that made the mother country glad to claim them as her own. The world can not afford stronger contrasts than that shown in the sub- missive, priest-tidden Canadians, and the stern, vigorous, unyielding Puritans of New England. Champlain, the founder of Quebec, brought four Franciscan Monks from France to assist in the conver- sion of Canada, Indeed, the sole object of settling the country © seemed to be that of gaining proselytes. The priest and soldier, _ the cross and flew de lis, went together, and the French mission- aries, fired by a holy zeal, braved death and torture among. the 18, re ee s+ mA THE LIFE OF PONTIAC) savages, Jean de Brebeuf and Gabriel Lallemant suffered the most, ; k horrible death at the hands of the Iroquois: Isaac Jaques and ais ds many others were tomahawked, and-everywhere the faithful emmis- saries were persecuted. Numerous Indians were baptized, and theis - conversions reported, but their labors were thrown away upon the stolid savages. As Le Clereq remarks, an Indian would be baptized ten times a day for a pint of whisky; and, with all the gaudy trink- ets of religion upon’ his ‘person, he was probably a greater’ heathen : at heart than ever. eal ¢ io aS Meanwhile, the French prosecuted their explorations in America. j In 1679, Robert Cavalier de la Salle passed through Lake Erie in a gh vessel, through Detroit River, across Lake Huron, and, in bireh ES canoes, coasted along the shores of Lake Michigan, reaching its southern extremity in the month of October. Crossing overland t¢ St. Joseph, he established a fort, and pushed on toward the Illinois wilderness.’ Here dangers began to thicken, his men mutinied, and + the vessel, sent back to Canada for supplies, foundered in one of the ee [ _jakes. Nothing daunted, he left: his men in charge of the fort on — i Illinois River, and turned his face toward Canada. He journeyed Been" over a thousand miles on foot through the “ frozen forest, crossing rivers, toiling through snow-drifts, wading ice-encumbered swamps, sustaining life by the fruits of the chase, and threatened day and night by lurking enemies.” Reaching Canada, he found a great-ery had been raised against him by his enemies, who had seized upon his property and given out that he was dead. He had a warm friend, however, in Count Frontenac, the Governor, and, with another supply of men and provisions, again set out for Illinois, The fort he found empty, thé men having fled to escape the menaced it 5 dangers, i t The second time the brave man returned to Canada, and, assisted by v by the Governor, collected means to prosecute his cherished journey. ». ff With a small flotilla of canoes, he left the fort at the outlet of Lake’ | Ontario and made his tedious way over the surface of the vast inland -* seas, and finally crossed the portage at the waters of the Illinois, . His memorable descent of the mighty Mississippi was made, and, on‘ the 9th of April, 1682, he took formal possession of the great valley - in the name of Louis, King of France and Navarre. La Salle now visited France, where he was well received at court, and furnished with a squadron of vessels and: every means for j > ea ers SAITEON £0 2 BE Se PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 18 ‘establishing a colony, But the expedition made a miserable failure, “fhe squadron missed the mouth of the Mississippi, the naval com- mander ‘deserted, and La. Salle, with a few wretched followers, fanded on the Texan coast. Here, while devoting all his energies to the well-being of his men, a conspiracy was formed and he was . basely murdered. France, fully sensible of the great advantage, of establishing her dominion over this territory, dispatched Lemoine d’Iberville in 1699, who planted the colony of Lonisiana.. This settlement steadily increased in strength and prosperity, in spite of the wretched man- _ ner in which it was governed, and the bursting of the memorable “Mississippi bubble.” It was not long before it took rank as one of the most important settlements of France. Canada and Louisiana, being in the possession of the French, they held, as it were, the two ends of the country east of the Mississippi. It only remained for her to connect, these two extremities. This was determined upon, and at the opening of the eighteenth century the commencement was made, Her plan was to establish a series. of forts and settlements through the wilderness between the valleys of the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi, and thus gain a firm foot- hold west of the Alleganies, before the tide of English civilization had reached its eastern slope. This policy was effectually carried out. The fort at the strait of Niagara controlled the entrance to she interior, another at-Detroit commanded the passage from Lake Erie, and a third at St. Mary guarded the access to Lake Superior. The, post at Mackinaw held the entrance to Lake . Michigan, - and those at Green Bay and St. Joseph the two routes to the Mis- sissippi, There were others at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and at long intervals the stockade forts peeped forth from the abundant vege- tation along the banks of the Mississippi, as far down as Natchez, where the cabins of the Louisiana settlers began to show themselves, In 1748, Count Galissonniere proposed to France that ten thou. ~ sand peasants be planted in the Obio valley, and «long the borders of the different lakes. . But, while this and similar schemes were debating, England was moving forward slowly but surely in the western forests, Already the crashing of her woodmen’s axes were heard in the Mohawk valley, while scores of cabins dotted the e eastern slope of the Alleganies. The two great powers that had . been rivals for centuries were gradually closing in upon each otber, and the hour of Sllision: was rapily srs In one, “xogiies France had mitch the advantage of England. Her widely-separated — posts gave her an extended acquaintance with the Indian tribes, and the fur trade of Canada made multitudes of the savages depend. ent upon her. The St. Lawrence, and the chain of Great Lakes, - _ offered thé most extraordinary means of intercourse with the inte- rior, and she neglected no means to propitiate her heathen brethren, — Nature had done all in her power, but, south of Lake Ontario dwelt the Iroquois, her implacable enemies. These savages kept up a : most incessant war upon her trading companies, soldiers and mis-" sionaries, and spread woe in many of her settlements. As early as 1609, Champlain was attacked by a large party upon the river which bears his name, One of the most bloody and merciless wars — was thus commenced, The routes between Quebec and Montreal were watched with a lynx-eyed vigilance, and the wretched inhabitants were driven again and again within the palisades and forced to see their harvest fields swept by fire. The fur trade was broken up, and barbarities, too revolting to be described, were perpetrated upon the Canadians. It was not until 1696 that the wisdom of Count Frontenac checked this dreadful butchery. In 1726, a permanent military post was erected at the pass of Niagara, within the territory of the Iroquois confederacy, and the fur trade resumed with greater vigor than ever. The rapid increase of the French colonies convinced the Five Nations that all opposi- tion was useless. They, therefore, sullenly submitted, for the time, to the encroachments upon their hunting-grounds. In 1738, La Verandrye established a trading post upon Lake Assinniboine, which was connected by a regular line with those further east, and, with the exception of the Iroquois, was on the — best of terms with the surrounding savages. With the English, the case was different. They now xesembled a _ peninsula, encompassed on the north, west and south by the French: The Iroquois befriended and assisted them in their efforts to estab- lish the fur trade, Many years before (1669) the Hudson Bay — _ Company had been formed, and a fort established at the head of James's Bay, This company prospered greatly; but the scene of their labors was so far to the northward that it is hardly included in the account of the English settlements in America. In 1687, ed y Mettisey made his way, with a boat-load of goods, to Lake Uu ony i: woe PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. where he was 5 immediately seized and imprisoned by a party of Freneh. This checked the English fur trade in this direction until 1725, when a post was established at the mouth of the Oswego, on Lake Ontario, where a brisk trade was at once opened with the surrounding tribes. A few years later the Alleganies were crossed by the English traders, to the great disgust of the Governor ‘of Canada, who imprisoned several that were found near the Ohio. Had the English colonies pursued a policy toward the Indians _ that common sense dictated, the historian would not be compelled to record the numerous disasters which fell to their lot. In the province of New York they found the powerful Iroquois who bore a deadly hatred to the French, and were naturally friendly to the English. It was solely the fault of the latter that this friendship, a few years later, was forever lost. At the critical period, the Assem- bly of New York was found to be composed of little-minded men, who considered their own personal interest of more value than the welfure of the province. They quarreled among themselves con- tinually, and the annual present sent by England to the Iroquois ‘was often stolen by corrupt Governors or their favorites.* The negotiations were conducted through the fur and whisky traders, _ who were literally abominated by the savages. The sagacious chiefs were not long in seeing how lightly they were held, and how differ- ently they were treated by the French. Not New York alone, but all the English colonies treated the Indians more or less in the same manner, A fatal short-sightedness ‘seemed to have taken possession of them all. Even when threaten- ings of discontent reached their ears, they failed to take warning ; but continued their reckless policy, estranging the Indians more and more, and placing the match to the powder-mine which lay beneath ; their feet. France, on the contrary, neglected no means of conciliating her enemies, She treated the chiefs with the greatest consideration, had her agents in every village, flattering them and instilling their © minds with: prejudice against the English, and carefully abstained from. doingany thing that: could offend them.in the least, . Numer- ous and costly presents were made, and a visit by their sachems announced by the firing of cannon and beating of drums. It ja _e¥en stated, with good authority, that Couut Drontenac, Serene * Smith’s History, New York. - : ia oe LIFE or poxmmac. with the pleased savages. Further than this did the French go to please their Indian allies, In 1695, the French commandant at Mackinaw most brutally tortured an Iroquois embassador to death ; and one of the darkest stains upon the history of France is the inhuman abandonment by Montcalm of the defenders of Oswego and William Henry to an infuriated band of Indians, Hundreds and ~ Fthousands of the French amalgamated with the savages, and the coureurs des bois were in reality as much Indians as though born and nourished in their wigwams. In this manner it may be said that the French became identified with the tribes and the two almost one people. No’such mingling of races occurred upon the part of the English. ; Their traders and voyageurs became savages enough in disposition ; but an uncontrollable disgust prevented them from uniting their blood with the dusky denizens of the forest. They looked upon them much as we would upon a race of monkeys—a sort of necessary evil which we ever desire to keep ata respectable dis- tance, The remonstrances of the Indians, at the encroachments of the settlers, were met by curses and kicks or a contemptuous silence. _ Their friendship was not esteemed worth seeking, nor their enmity worth avoiding. One great exception to this manner of settling a country is well known—the founding of the Pennsylvania colony by William Penn ; but, as remarked by Mr. Parkman, our admiration of the alleged re- sults of this treaty is much diminished by closely viewing the circum- stances of the case. The treaty was made with the Delawares, who, at that time, bore the name of Women, and were debarred the use of fire- -ariis, They were far removed from the warlike Iroquois’ and the liribes of New England, and the very principles of the Quaker faith necessitated a kind of conciliating course toward the Indians, ‘When war at length burst'forth along the frontier, this philanthropy became a fiery fanaticism. The Quakers refused to believe the. Indians could'‘ever do any thing wrong; and, even when the Ger-: man and Irish settlers were massacred by hundreds, and droves of. 4 terror- atricken inhabitants were flying across the Susquehanna, the Philadelphia Quakers bitterly opposed an offensive war against ae savages. * *In 1764, a number of panty tracts were published by these inen, in. which they denounced ali the whites, who engaged in the war against the 4 of Canada, plained and painted himself ard danced the war- dance. : oe te PRELIMINART CHAPTER. ee ey acae the other acts of the English colonies that hastened on the outbreak of the Indians, was the celebrated walking purchase— one of the most infamous swindles of the time. In 1787, an old, musty, dingy, worm-eaten deed was brought forth, bearing date far back in the previous century. Its force, if any, had long been — _ destroyed; nevertheless, on the strength of it, the proprietors laid a to a large tract of land lying on the Delaware. Its western "boundary was given by a line drawn from a certain point on Neshaminey creek, in a north-westerly direction, a3 far as a man eould walk in a day and a half. From the extremity of this walk, the northern boundary was defined by a line drawn eastward to the Delaware river. The proprietors put the most active of the settlers ‘into a vigorous training, cleared a long way for them, and, by this means, made the north-western boundary of an extraordinary length, Then, instead of runniug eastward in a direct line to the Delaware : (as the deed clearly specified), they inclined far to the northward, - thus securing an immense and valuable tract of land by the most barefaced cheatery. This walking purchase was in the Forks of the Delaware above Easton, and was occupied by a powerful branch of the Delawares, who were ordered to abandon the land at once. Their indignation was so great that they refused to move, when the Quaker Legislature found that force was necessary. This, of course, they themselves could not exercise. Accordingly they summoned the Iroquois, the masters of the Lenni Lenape. These tyrants soon humbled the down-trodden Delawares, Eneouraged by this submission, the English made bolder advances than ever, Numerous families of Germans and Irish crossed the Susquehanna and built their cabins in the valley of the Juniata, ane Delawares remonstrated again and again, and finally the Iro- (quois themselves became enraged sad demanded redress for these audacious intrusions, A feeble attempt was made to satisfy them, but it amounted to nothing. The Shawnees and a portion of the © Delawares moved westward on the waters of the Allegany and the — ~ Muskingum. Such treatment as this could but alienate the different tribes from the English, The crafty French at this time were penetrating the - Ohio valley, and they found the savages well prepared to receive Indians, in tke bitterest terms,. While we gladly yield these men all credit for their Christian helief and actious, we can but deplore the blind. : prejudice displayed in taking the course mentioned, THE LIFE OF PONTIAC, ae their insinuations against the English. The friendship of the Ire quois, also, had become colder and colder. In the war of 1745, ‘their indifferent aid gave the English colonies good reason to fear ‘their final estrangement. The French, using every measure to gain and retain the good-will of the different tribes, pressed furtherand = further into the wilderness, until (1753) Governor Dinwiddie, of Vir- Pe Bee ginia, was startled to hear that a body of their troops had crossed *, : Lake Erie and were then on the northern branches of the Ohio. A, message was sent requiring their removal. The bearer of thath order was George Washington, then but twenty-one years of age. The results of this mission are well known. The French refused h compliance, and the Old French and Indian War was shortly com- | -—s meneed. +=‘In 1754, delegates from the different provinces met at Albany, when it was that the plan of uniting their different prov- / inces for mutual protection was first broached. Curiously enough, this policy was rejected by the Crown, as giving too much power to— the people, and by the people themselves as giving too much power to the Crown. A treaty, however, was made with the Iroquois, who coldly entered into an alliance of friendship,” ¢ In 1755, the capture of the two French ships, the Lys and the 2 Alcide, off the banks of Newfoundland, by the English Admiral, — > Boscawen, closed the doors of peace. The French withdrew their 4 oe embassador from the court of London, and the war was opened, ae It is not our purpose to refer at length to this war, We have only endeavored to show the reasons why the Indians in such num: : ; bers were found arrayed upon the side of the French, and why,a | ~ few years later, the former friends of the English proved their most — ‘} jmplacable enemies. On the 9th of July, 1755, occurred the disase : trous defeat of General Braddock. The shameful behavior of the ©. > ee Britigh upon the occasion inspired the Indians with such contempt a for them that all wavering and neutral tribes immediately joined the French. In this memorable battle the subject of these pages, i Pontiac, led the Ottawas. It is said he then displayed an ability © _ that gave evidence of the subsequent greatness of his life, This ia / ; the first mention made of him by history. ee S i Events now follow each other in rapid succession. The battle of : 4 see, § * During this council, an Iroquois chief upbraided the English for their. ; : - Snvasion of their lands, and neglect of the Indians, adding aaa : - ._ thac the French had treated them like men ‘and warriors, PRELIMINARY CHAPTER, Lake George; the siege and capture of Louisburg ;’ the successful Ros assault of Fort da Quesne; the route of Lord Abercrombie’s magnifi- | -eent army; the massacre of the defenders of Fort William Henry ; : aud finally the brilliant taking of Quebec—all are comprehended in _ the space of a few years. The well-tried valor of old England again? - humbled the pride of France. On the 10th of February, 1768, a «treaty was signed at Paris, by which the Government of the latter | surrendered to Great Britain all her possessions in North America, eastward of the Mississippi river, from its source to the river Iber- ville, and thence, through Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain, to _ the Gulf of Mexico.* It now only remained to take possession of the western outposts where the flag of France still floated in the breeze. The cross of St. George was raised over the walls of Quebec, and the plaina around Montreal were covered with her conquerors; but the French _still remained at Detroit, Mackinaw, and several important stations. In September, 1760, Major Robert Rogers, leader of the celebrated | “Roger Rangers,” received orders from Sir Jeffrey Amherst to take _- possession of the two forts mentioned, in the name of his Britannic Majesty. This, it will be observed, was several years previous to the signing of the treaty in Paris; but Canada had already surren- dered, and these forts were included in the capitulation. At the head of two hundred rangers, Rogers left Montreal, on the _ 18th of September, in fifteen whale-boats. Passing through Lake sf Ontario, and carrying their boats over the portage of Fort Niagara, they encamped, on the 7th of November, at the mouth of Cuyahoga river, where Cleveland now stands. The weather was cold and rainy, and Rogers resolved to rest his men before proceeding further, Shortly after he had encamped, he was visited by several chiefs, who announced themselves as embassadors from Pontiac. They claimed that country, and, in the name of their great chief, forbade the British to proceed any further without his permission. In the afternoon, Pontiac himself made his appearance, and de- manded of Rogers the reason why he had dared to enter his country. The ranger replied that Canada had surrendered, and he was on his way to take possession of Detroit, and restore peace to * [berville is an outlet of the Mississippi, fourteen miles below Baton Rouge, and connects with the Amite river which flows into Lake Maurepas. vv receives water from the Mistissippi only at high Hood. *“ gui LIFE OF PONTIAC, — bidding him to move any further until they had conversed again, ' withdrew to his own camp and spent the night with his chiefs, In, the morning, he replied to Rogers that he, was willing to live at peace with the English so long as they were treated with considera- tion and respect. The officers and chiefs smoked the calumet of peace together, and good-will seemed established upon both sides, it may seem strange that Pontiac, who; up to this time, had been the firm friend of the French, should form such a treaty with the English ; but the far-seeing mind of the chieftain himself affords the true solution of the singular act. The events that had been going on around him for the last few years, showed him that the French power was on the decline, and that, self-interest demanded ‘he should make allies of the most powerful. He vainly believed, too, that the English would treat him with great deference, and aid him in his ambitious projects of subduing the surrounding tribes, — Reaching the western extremity of Lake Evie, Rogers received ntelligence that a band of four hundred Detroit Indians were lying in ambush at the mouth of the river to cut them off. Pontiac immediately went forward, and by means of that remarkable influ. ence he ever exercised over his ferocious kinsmen, persuaded the Indians to abandon their intention. When Rogers entered the Detroit river, he sent one of his men forward to Captain Beletree, with a copy of the capitulation, requir- ing that the place should be given up in accordance with its pro- visions. The French commander stormed and raved, and, at first, refused submission. He did all he could to incite the Indians to attack the English; but his efforts proved useless, and he was com- _ pelled to surrender with the best grace possible. On the 29th of November, 1760, about one century ago, Major Rogers took formal possession of Detroit, The lily of France was lowered, and the cross of St. George run up in its place. The garrison were sent as prisoners down the lake; and the surrounding Canadian settlers, ioe swearing allegiance to Great Britain, were allowed to retain their farms and honses, The thousands of Indians who. beheld a great ~ number of French surrender to a handful of English, viewed the. proceeding with the most wondering amazement. They believed the latter to be the bravest nation of the world, and hailed their adyent with the most frenzied yells of admiration. i all alike, Pontiac listened to his words, with attention, and, for- ee | be | Ls se | | ie op cee x Me ChE AUS Pap Fee) -IMPRUDENT CONDUCT OF THE ENGLISH—INSTIGATIONS DF THE FRENCH ALARM OF CAPTAIN CAMPBELL—THE SULPHUROUS STORM—PONTIAC AND WIS EMBASSADORS—SIR) WILLIAM JOHNSON—FORT MIAMI—TREATY AT PARIS. Now that Canada was in possession of the English, and she had thrown feeble garrisons into all’of the extreme western: * posts, it might well be supposed that every thing would be’ > done to retain the good-will of the Indians. This was an easy task, as the savages had welcomed their coming with the most boisterous manifestations of joy; but, with an unaccount-. able blindness, the new’ masters of the country failed to see their own interests. Hitherto the Indians had been treated with indifference, now they were scorned and insulted. Their annual presents were either withheld or were meted out with a niggardly hand. In many cases Government agents first ap- propriated these presents to themselves, and then sold them at - infamous prices to their allies and dependents. The French, entering a new country, always presented their red friends with guns, ammunition and blankets. Thus the savages became, in a measure, dependent upon them. The sudden stoppage of these presents by the English occasioned much suffering and discontent ; while, to aggravate growing dislike, the English Government licensed, as fur-traders, a set of unscrupulous men, - who took every advantage of the Indians, who received their remonstrances with blows and curses, and left nothing undone which could inflame their hatred. Ere long the English found inveterate enemies in all the tribes by which they were’ sur- rounded. The French, smarting under their humiliation, witnessed’ this growing discontent with the greatest pleasure. Knowing that Canada was irrecoverably gone, they found consolation. in the thought of Indian revenge upon their rivals and enemies. . Accordingly they fed these’ murmurings, never neglected to slander the English, assuring the savages that the determina- tion of the conquerors was to uproot the Indian race, and tha 5 their only hope lay in a firm opposition to their schemes, B * x ees a aiemcORPaNtneadc: ser =‘: The French explained their seeming weakness in yielding up _ the coantry, by saying that the King of France had been of s asleep; hut he was now awakened, and was sending his _ armies up the St Lawrence and Mississippi to drive their ; enemies from the country. About this time, a prophet appeared among the Delawares, _ who incited the Indians to rebellion. He besought them to ay aside all the weapons received from the whites, to return their original state, when power would be given them to drive every invader from the country. These mutterings of discontent it must not be imagined were confined merely to the vicinity of Detroit. The encroachments of the settlers in ‘other parts of the country were continued. The Delawares and Shawnees especially were in a state of absolute frenzy, only waiting for the proper moment to burst npon the de- fenseless settlers. ‘‘ From the head of the Potomac to Lake Superior, and from the Alleganies to the Mississippi, in every wigwam and hamlet of the forest, a deep-rooted hatred of the English increased with rapid growth.” A guiding spirit only was wanted—that guiding spirit was destined to’be Pontiac, CHIEF OF THE OTTAWAS. In the summer of 1761, Captain Campbell, then commander of Detroit, was told that a deputation of Senecas had visited the neighboring Wyandots, inciting them to destroy the gar- rison. Campbell’s suspicions had been aroused, for some time, and he immediately investigated the report, to find that there was a general plot by which Forts Pitt, Niagara and others were to share the same fate as Detroit. He quickly dis- _ patched rummers to the different posts, and took such precau- ions that this, the first conspiracy, was crushed out before it had fairly ripened.* The succeeding summer, a_ precisely § Derrorr, June 17th, 1761, ¥ “Sir: 1 2 o'clock in the morning. “Thad the favor of yours, with General Amherst’s Dispatches, “T have sent you an Express with a very Important piece of Intelli- gence, I have had the good Fortune to Discover. I have been Lately alarmed with Reports of the bad Designs of the Indiau Nations against this place and the English in General; [can now Inform Yon for certain it comes from the Six Nations ; and that they have Sent Belts or ee & Deputys to all their Nations, from Nova Scotia to the Illinois, to take up the Hatchet against the English, & have Employed the Messengers to send Belts of Wampum to the Northern Nations. : -. “Their project is as follows: the Six Nations—at least the Senecas are te Assemble at the head of French Creek, within five and twenty Leagues : ee ; Ys [~ghes a = | PORTENTS OF THE COMING STORM. | similar plot was discovered, and, in the same manner, frus-— trated. ; But these were only the faint mutterings of the thunder in the far-off horizon. Unseen but subtle elements were rapidly uniting in eyery part of the sky, and the whole heavens were goon to burst forth in one blaze of destroying fire. A storm, suck as the North American continent had never before wit- nessed was marshaling its forces, and its awful gloom was already darkening the land. ae It is stated that a few days before Philip of Mount Hope rushed forth at the head of his Narragansett warriors, the New England Puritans saw the figure of an Indian bow in the sky, and the shadow of a human scalp upon the moon’s disk. In the autumn of 1762, clouds of midnight blackness _ settled over the settlement and fort of Detroit. Rain of a sulphurous odor, and of such dark color fell, that it is reported to have been gathered and used for writing purposes !* A phenomenon that philosophers have attempted to explain upon ~ some principle sf meteorologic science, was a dire portent to the simple-minded Canadian. All through the following win- ter, around their hearth-stones, they conversed about it in subdued voices, and all agreed that a gloomy future awaited them. _ The fort and settlement of Detroit, at this time, numbered | about twenty-five hundred souls. They stood on the western side of Detroit river. The fort, or fortified part of the town, was directly in the center of the settlement, and contained about one hundred houses placed compactly together, and sur- rounded by a palisade. Above and below, for six or eight miles, the stream was lined with the cabins of the Canadians. These latter, it must be borne in mind, are not included in that part of the town which was besieged, as their inhabit-, ants, being French, remained on good terms with the Indians, of Presqu’Isle, part of the Six Nations, the Delawars and Shanese, are to Assemble on the Ohio, and all at the same time, about the latter End of the Month, to surprise Niagaraand Fort Pitt, und Cut off the Communica~ tion Everywhere; I hope this will Come Time enough to put You on Your Guard and to send to Oswego, and all the Posts on that Gommuhication, the paper to be Joined by the Nations that are Come from the North of Torouto.—” - Cantain Campdell, Commander at Detroit to Captain Walters Commander 1s ie _ * Gentleman’s Magazine XXXIV, 408. Carver's Travels, 153. * ‘ae THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. — The fort and palisaded center of the settlement were the portions occupied by the English, and against them the fury of the savages was directed. ’ Tt has never been known which tribe opened hostilities ; but itis generally believed that Kiashuta, chief of the Senecas and one of the leading men of the Six Nations, took the initia- tory step, by attacking Fort Pitt. Pontiac, however, had opened the way, and he alone, on the side of the Indians, is responsible for the war. Without the guidance of his masterly — mind, it would have ended with the first demonstration, - Pontiac, by the force of his own genius, had risen to be the supreme head of the Ottawas, Ojibwas and Pottawatomies, who occupied both sides of the river around Detroit. No chief dared to oppose him. Even tribes in Illinois, to the furthest limits of the Algonquin race, reverenced his name and obeyed his will. In gifts, genius, influence and vaulting ambition, he only finds a parallel in the renowned Shawnee chief, Tecumseh. At the moment of hostilities at Detroit he was about fifty years of age, of a strong, well-developed frame, a finely poised head,.and an eye as keen asthe eagle’s. All were moved by a mind of exhaustless resource, and a will as firm as the unyielding oak of his native forests, His dignity, determination, courage, address, surpassing elo- quence and extraordinary aims had given him boundless power over the wild denizens of the forest. He seemed to imperson- ate the spirit of Vengeance, and inspired in his followers the reverence which only a master-soul can compel. So lasting was that influence, that, to this day, the name PontrAc is reyerently pronounced by Algonquin lips. Every thing being in readiness for the long-meditated scheme of deliverance, the chieftain no longer hesitated. In the win- ter of 1762, while the inky storm was the subject of every tongue, he sent his embassadors to the tribes on the Ohio, to the upper lakes, and as far south as the mouth of the Missis- sippi. They bore with them an enormous war-belt of wam- - pum, so important was the occasion, and a blood-red tomahawk (the sign of war) which was flung on the ground, while, with excited gestures the leading embassador addressed the assem- bled. chiefs and warriors, in the words which Pontiac had instructed him. Everywhere the belt was welcomed, the Ste | GATHERING OF THE TRIBES FOR WAR. , hatchet caught up, and the chiefs pledged themsélves for war, _ Not a tribe demurred. All were anxious to sitike the blow. It was therefore finally determined that the uprising should occur in the following May. The Indians thus pledged, comprised, with the exception of _ one or two small tribes, the entire Algonquin family, includ: ing also the Wyandots and Senécas. The remaining members of the Six Nations were kept from’ joining in’ tlie Conspiracy by the influence of the excellent Sir William Johnson.* Not the least wonderful fact of this gigantic uprising, was the skill and secrecy with which it was matured. While the thousands of savages that surrounded the whites were con- cocting their schemes of destruction, the latter, save in a few - exceptional cases, had no intimation of the threatened danger. The lazy Indians’still’ lounged around the fort, begging for “tobac,” whisky or ammunition, their faces, so far as discerni- ble beneath their coat of grease and dirt, wearing the same _Stolid expression of brutish indifference. Now and'then, per- haps, when some imprudent soldier kicked the savage in his way, the snakish eyes of the “ son’ of the forest” would glit- ter with a malignant blackness, and menacing his insulter’s back, he would mutte> something about “ kill,—burn,—sealps.” Perchance some intoxicated half-breed let out a dark hint about adorning his hunting-frock with English hair, or some brooding Frenchman checked the boasting Englishman with the meaning remark that Detroit might change masters’ ere long: This was all, however, that the English could after- ward recall of warning of the méditated massacre’ of their _ Tace. In March, 1763, a friendly Indian’ told Ensign Holmes, at Fort Miami, that a war-belt’ had just beech received by the * This man-was an Irishman who emigrated to’America. in’ 1784, aud when but nineteen years of age, took charge of an extensive tract of land wn New York Province, belonging to a relative. He accumulated wealtk tapidly, and built two large mansions, one of which (Johnson Hall) is stil. standing in Johnstown. He settled in Mohawk valley, and became a great favorite with the surrounding Indians. In the war of 1755, he was made a Major-General and commanded the colonial troops at the battle of Lake George. For his brilliant victory he was made a baronet, and given five thousand pounds by his king, He was, shortly after, appointed Superin- _ tendent of Indian Affairs ; and in 1759, when General Pridgaux was killed oré Niagara, he took his place, and routed the Frénch for the second’ ime. After the treaty of 1763 he remained at Johnson Hall, surronaded by numerous tenantry, who greatly loved him. He died 1774. x ee : savages: of a neighboring village and they had been urged to” making preparations to do it. Holmes instantly called then - to having been instigated to commit the deed, but expressed slain but himself; or some returning hunter reported the * already been commenced, further south. “tober. Had this been done a year sooner, the great Conspiracy | - dancing their war-danee, and preparing their weapons for a THE LIFE O¥ PONTIAC. destroy the garrison. He added, also, that the Indians were together and charged them with the treachery. .They confessed great sorrow end pledged eternal good-will in future... Holmes sent the tidings to Major Gladwyn, who, in turn, carefully — considered the circumstances, and, while Pontiac, the life and being of the Conspiracy, was scarcely a mile above him, he sent. a letter to Sir Jeffrey Amherst, stating the particulars, adding that, in all probability, the affair would soon blow over, and that it was hardly worth while to give any further con- cern regarding it, The winter passed without any thing further occurring to spread.direct alarm in the fort. Numerous reports,—gloomy, fearful and vague, reached the garrison, but the Indians around Detroit and the other forts manifested no noticeable change in their conduct. As spring approached, they gathered in small parties around the different posts, usually encamping in the woods at night. More definite rumors finally came ftom the settlements. Perhaps some wounded trader tottered into a fort with the tidings that his party had been attacked and all woods full of warlike bands of Indians. Then came the dreadful tidings that.every post had fallen and all the inhabit- ants massacred! Although this proved false, the hardly less startling fact was made known that the bloody work had In February, 1763, the treaty at Paris wassigned. By this, France, as before stated, yielded all claims to the territory east of the Mississippi, while England commanded her subjects to leave the Ohio valley and adjacent regions as an Indian do- main, issuing a proclamation to that effect,on the 7th of Oc- in all probability would have never been entered into. But ~ the remedy came too late. While negotiations were pending | in the courts of Europe, thousands of infuriated Indians in the wilds of North America were chanting their war-song, conflict which ae cause the hearts of sree men te ene — at its recital. \ ad ‘ CHAE TER EL : PONTIAC HOLDS A COUNCIL—VISITS THE GARRISON WITH HIS SPIES--~THE PLAN OF THE CONSPIRACY AGREED UPON—SUSPICIOUS PROCEEDINGS NOTED Re x oa —GLADWYN WARNED BY M. GOUIN—IS NOT ALARMED—THE PLOT RE- *) aa VEALED BY AN OJIBWA GIRL—PREPARATIONS FOR THE ATTACK, Z On the 27th of April, Pontiac called a council of the differ. ent tribes to meet on the river Ecorces, a short distance from Detroit. At the appointed time, the wild and almost naked 2 Ojibwas, the Ottawas with their picturesque blankets drawn te closely around them, and the Wyandots in their painted shirts, x and feathered hair, seated themselves upon the ground in dif- ferent circles and gravely awaited the commencement. of ceremonies. ; First, the pipes with ornamented stems were lighted, and passed from mouth to mouth ; then Pontiac walked deliberately forward into the midst of the council. Though ordinarily _ dressed in the simple attire of his followers, he was now plumed and painted in a manner becoming his high station. ine Looking around upon the faces of his different auditors, his - Dlack eye shone with unwonted fierceness. He commenced speaking in an impassioned voice, pouring forth his indigna- © tion upon the English for their arrogance and insults. He compared their severe conduct with the kind treatment of the French, and asserted that unless they were driven from the country the Indians would soon be utterly exterminated. Then, holding up the broad belt of wampum, he stated that it had been received from the King of France, whose sleep was now ended, and who, at that moment, was on his way with his big war-canoes to drive the intruders from the country. } - Having wrought his listeners up to the highest pitch of excitement, he changed his voice, and in a low, deep and thrilling tone related the following story :— he Indian obeyed, and again began to ascend among the rocks, id while the woman, seeing him still discouraged, laughed at his ka faintness of heart, and told him that, if he wished for success, Sid! he must climb by the aid of one foot and one hand only. After -- great toil and suffering, he at length found himself at the sum- . mit. The woman had disappeared, and he was left alone. A rich and beautiful plain lay before him, and at a little distance, he saw three great villages, far superior to the squalid dwellings — of the Delawares. As he approached the largest, and stood hesitating whether he should enter, aman gorgeously attired — stepped forth, and taking him by the hand, welcomed him to the celestial abode. He then conducted him into the presence i of the. Great. Spirit, where the Indian stood confounded at the > unspeakable splendor which surrounded him. ‘The Great Spirit ie bade him be seated, and thus addressed him :— ee “*T am the Maker of heaven and earth, the trees, lakes, rivers, and all things else; I am the maker of mankind; and because I \ % white men to dwell among you? My AN ARTIFICE—THE CALUMET DANCE. Bt ‘ was made for you, and not for others. Why do you suffer the | children, you have for- gotten the customs and traditions of your forefathers. Why do you not clothe pourele in skins, as. they did, and use the bows and arrows, and the stone-pointed lances, which they used ? You have bought guns, knives, kettles, and blankets from the white men, until you can no longer do without them; and what is worse, you have drunk the poison fire-water, which turns you _into fools. Fling all these things away ; live as your wise fore- fathers lived before you. And as for these English,—these dogs dressed in red, who have come to rob you of your hunting grounds, and drive away the game,—you must lift the hatchet against them. Wipe them from the face of the earth, and then you will win my favor back again, and once more.be happy and pipenero ns. The children of your great father, the King of ‘ance, are not like the English. Never forget that they are your brethren. They are very dear to me, for they love the red men, and understand the true mode of worshiping me.’ “The Great Spirit next instructed his hearer in various pre- cepts of morality and religion, such as the prohibition to marry more than one wife, and a warning against the practice of magic, which is worshiping the deyil. A prayer, embodying the sub- stance of all that he had heard, ‘was then presented to the ’Delaware. It was cut in hieroglyphics upon @ wooden stick, ‘after the custom of his people, arid he was directed to: send . Copies of.it to all the Indian villages. a9 The adventurer now Ceparted, and returning to the earth, _ reported all the wonders he had seen in the celestial regions.*” The Indian is naturally superstitious, and this dream, or offspring of Pontiac’s heated imagination, in all probability -was. as implicitly believed to be a direct revelation from the Great Spirit by himself as by his followers. . It willbe noticed . that one of the peculiar ideas it is intended to enforce is that of inducing the Indians to return to their primitive condition —to reject,every thing received from the English and use only _ the weapons. they had. possessed before they ever saw a white man. This.is in perfect keeping with the Indian character. It was afterward one of the fayorite ideas with Tecumseh and Many other distinguished chiefs. ' At the conclusion, as Pontiac expected, he found the Indians 5 eager to attack the British garrison. . He told them that on second of May, under pretense of performing the calumet | fore the fort, they would gain admittance (or a large ea eo * Parkman es Jove you, you must do my will. The land on which youlived ~ ‘THE ‘ure or PONTIAC. : Chie note carefully the sont and preparations of the Fir when another council would be held and the mode of assault | wetakéd upon. : ‘The council now broke up. In the paBphiny! in accordance 2 ‘with a long-observed custom, the Indians moved up the river and took up their encampment within a short distance of Detroit. A few days after (the first of May) Pontiac, atthe head of forty Ottawas, made his appearance before the gate and asked permission to enter and perform the calumet dance — before the officers, There was some debate and hesitation — before admitting him; but, as no just cause could be given for refusing, the gate was thrown open and the warriors stalked into the village. Walking to the front of Major Gladwyn’s house, Pontiac, with thirty of the Ottawas, instantly com- menced the noisy da¢_#, while the ten others wandered into — the fort, as if by accident. Their listless manner failed to — attract the attention of a single soldier, whose minds seemed wholly absorbed in witnessing the grotesque performance of % the others at the corner of the street. But not an object escaped these spies. Behind the black, horse-like hair that dangled in their faces, their glowing eygs were constantly — flitting hither and thither, resting upon even the smallest — preparation, and taking in with an unerring accuracy the strength of the little garrison. Their object being accom- plished they withdrew and gradually mixed in with their ye ling confederates in the street. Soon after the whole body passed out of the fort, without awakening in the minds of either officers or men, a single suspicion of the true ae of _ their visit. So soon as all the Indians could be notified, a oativeal of the principal chiefs was called in the Pottawatomie village. — In the dimly lighted council-house were seated over a hundred sachems. The sacred pipe passed from mouth to mouth until — all had smoked. Sentinels were stationed on the outside to prevent interruption, When the proper moment arrived, Pontiac arose and unfolded his treacherous scheme. He proposed that a council should be demanded of Major Gladwyn on matters of the utmost importance. By this means, he believed he and the principal chiefs would gain admittance, with their ams concealed bencath their blankets, Pontiae 3 Pee eS aes ee 53s ay SUSPICIONS AROUSED AND WARNINGS GIVEN. | would address the commandant, and, at the close of his specch, s ‘present him with a belt of wampum. This was to be the signal for all the chiefs to rush upon the officers present and strike them down. A large body of Indians would be loiter- ing upon the outside, who, upon hearing the discharge of guns, would rush in and assail the soldiers, and thus, it was believed, Detroit would be a certain and easy prey. The chiefs received the proposal with hoarse grunts of ap- proval, and, gathering their blankets around them departed to prepare for the execution of the deep-laid plan. An unaccountable sense of security pervaded the garrison. The dark, ominous storm of the winter before was forgotten or failed of its first effect upon their minds. The Indians still lounged around the fort in large numbers, as persistently beg- ging for whisky, tobacco and ammunition ; the soldiers treated them in the same reckless, insulting manner. On the fifth of May a Canadian woman (Mrs. Aubun) visited the Ottawa vil- _ lage for the purpose of procuring some maple sugar. She was struck at noticing that. most of the Indians were engaged in filing off their gun-barrels, so as to shorten them nearly one- half. Returning home she mentioned the fact to several of her neighbors, when one of them, a blacksmith, remarked that there had been large numbers at his shop for a day or two, asking for files and saws for some purpose which they refused to reyeal.* This circumstance aroused the suspicions of several of the Canadians that something was going wrong, and they proceeded to notify Major Gladwyn. Some of the lower classes of the Canadians must have been aware of the plot, and could have revealed it, if they chose; but it is generally be- lieved that the better class knew nothing of the conspiracy until it was upon them, or they would have disclosed it. Gouin, one of the wealthiest settlers, hearing the blacksmith’s story, went to Major Gladwyn and told him to be upon his y guard, as there was every reason to believe that a deep plot _* In 1924, General Cass, wishing to write an account of the siege of De _ troit, caused numerous inquiries to be made among the aged Canadians, ; many of whom distinctly remembered the inc’ ‘dents. Lieutenant Aubnn, gon of the woman mentioned, was fifteen years old at the time, and : “with great minuteness many of the events. He recollected the Visit of his mother, and xemembered often seeing Pontiac at his atadts quarters at the house of Meloche. oS THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. was brewing among the Ottawas.* Gladwyn thanked his’ informer, but laughed at his fears and regarded the suspicions — as without the slightest foundation. _ His disbelief, however, was socn removed by a direct revela- tion of the whole plot. In the Pottawatomie village lived an ~ Ojibwa girl who was the mistress of Major Gladwyn, and whe — loved him with the whole warmth of her generous soul. On’ — the afternoon of the day, following the warning of M. Gouin, she came into the fort with a pair of elk-skin moccasins as a preSent to the commander. He noticed the pensive and sad- dened look she wore, but said nothing about it, and she withdrew. Still she lingered on the street, as if loth to depart until she had relieved her mind of some burden that was oppressing it. The sentinel, noticing her singular conduct, mentioned it to Gladwyn, who, recalling the girl, pressed’ her to reveal the cause of her trouble. She refused for a time to make any reply ; but, after much urging and many promises not to betray her, she disclosed the whole murderous scheme. She said that on the morrow Pontiac, accompanied by sixty chiefs, would come to the fort. Each of these would haye a short musket concealed under his blanket. Pontiac would make a speech as before mentioned, and, at its close, offer a — peace-belt of wampum, holding it in a reversed position. This - would be the signal for the chiefs to shoot down the officers, and for the Indians upon the outside to commence the bloody work. The French were to be spared, but every Englishman was to be massacred. This was certainly enough to alarm any one, and Major Gladwyn concluded it was time for his preparations to be made. He thanked the faithful, loving girl, promising that she should be rewarded, but advised her to return to the yil- lage to prevent any suspicions being excited in regard to her. Calling in his subordinates he related what had transpired. He knew the defenses were too weak to repel a general assault, © and was fearful the Indians might attack them during” the * M. Gouin, another of General Cass’s informants, was the son of. this Canadian settler, Although but eleven years old at ‘the time, he remem- bered the siege with great distinctness, He often saw Pontiac, and 8p pokge of him as possessing the most extraordinary power. over his follo The father of M. Gouin was one of the most influential. traders in the set- - tlements, and more than once acted the part of mediator between English and Indians. a ~~ THE WARRIORS ADMITTED TO THE FORT. : wi ; night. Every possible’ preparation was made. Half the gar- rison were put under arms, and the other half spent the night — upon the ramparts. The sentinels knew not why their strength was doubled, nor had the men any idéa of the true danger that threatened them. At intervals through the night, Major Gladwyn mounted the ramparts, and spent many long, anxious minutes in endeavoring to pierce the surrounding .gloom. | ’ - Nothing disturbed the quiet appearance of the forest ; but, now and then, the soft night-wind brought faintly to his ears the; sounds of yells and drums in the distance—sure evicence ott the truth of what the Ojibwa maiden had told him. Notre.—A curious document, supposed to be a diary kept by a Frenck _priest, during this memorable siege, and known as the ‘* Pontiac Manu- script,’’ was preserved by a Canadian family at Detroit, and is now in possession of the Historical Society in Michigan. Contrary to all other accounts, it states that Pontiac’s Conspiracy was disclosed io Major Glad- win by a man of the Ottawa tribe; but, in regard to the girl mentioned, it says that she was seized upon suspicion, by Pontiac’s orders—failing, however, to add whether she was punished ornot. An old Indian, who, for many years, was United States interpreter at Detroit, stated that Pon- tiac himself gave her a severe beating, but that she lived many years afterward and, getting into bad habits, in her old age, she oue day fell _ to akettle of boiling sap, and was so badly scalded that she soon died. OH APL ESR ELL, PONTIAC BAFFLED—HOSTILITIES—THE WAR-DANCE—DEATH OF OAPTAIN ROBERTSON AND SIR ROBERT DAVERS—PONTIAC JOINED BY THE OJIB- WAS—DEFENSES OF DETROIT—THE ATTACK—BETRAYAL OF MAJOR CAMP- i BELL AND LIEUTENANT M’ DOUGAL—PONTIAG COMPELS THE WYANDOTS TO JOIN HIM—ATTACK RENEWED. m Tae sun had hardly risen when the common behind the — fort was filled with warriors, squaws and children. They were excited and restless, and appeared to be making prepa Tations for a general game of ball. Several applied for _ admission, and Gladwyn did not refuse, it being his wish to let the Indians know their plot was detected and their inten- tions held in contempt. Shortly after, Pontiac was seen approaching, at the head of sixty warriors, all marching in. THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. Indian file. Just gididiein to this, a Canadian named Bene - h, fait had started homeward. He met these savages at the bridge leading over Bloody Creek,.and stepped aside to allow - them to pass. As the last one. in the file came up to him, the white recognized him as an old friend. The savage saluted him,—then carefully lifting the fold of his blanket, revealed the concealed gun, intimating, at the same time, bya meaning gesture toward the fort, what their intentions were in Tegard to it.* ‘Near the middle of the forenoon these warriors appeared before the gate, and Pontiac demanded admission. The gate was opened and they filed in. Pontiac instinctively looked about him as he entered, and the start he made when he saw the evidences of preparation upon every hand, was noticed by all His habitual stoicism could not conceal the chagrin he felt — when made aware that his treachery was discovered. On either side were drawn up ranks of armed soldiers, the fierce- looking fur-traders armed to the teeth, while the meaning tap of the drum was heard in the streets. Smothering his indig- nation by a great effort, he strode through the. town to the door of the council-house, standing onthe margin of the river, where he was allowed to enter, followed by his chiefs. ~ Within the building Pontiac found Major Gladwyn and his officers seated ready to receive him. It did not escape the eyes of the chief that every man’s belt held a pair of pistols, and every sword was in its place. “Why do I see so many of my father’s men standing with their guns in the street?” demanded Pontiac. “They are ordered under arms for the purpose of ataci- pline,” replied Major Gladwyn through; his interpreter. Pontiac said nothing further, but it was plainly evident , hat he was dissatisfied with this. explanation, and was in a dilemma at the attitude of things. Soon, however, the ~ chiefs seated themselves upon the mats, and, after the usual pause, Pontiac arose to speak, holding i in his hand the belt = wampum. What an exciting moment! On the floor, in several titling gat the sixty warriors, their blankets drawn closely around their throats, each shielding & weapon charged with death * Tis incident is given in Cas’’s Discourse before the Michigan i Bie te ow Society. It was related to the General by the sor of Beaufa fo a A PONTIAC BAFFLED, — Some wore pliines made from’ the hawk, raven cz €agle’s _ 2 - wings; others had nothing but the long scalp‘lock dszgling from their crown: Their cheeks were daubed with yormil- — ion, ocher and soot, whilé their orbs gleamed and scintiilated like’ those of the rattlesnake. In the center, and a little in advance, stood Pontiac—their léader—holdiiig the all-import- — ant wampum-belt in one hand, while the other was raised to _ give force to his words. A few feet distant were seated’ Ma- jor Gladwyn and his officers, thei eyes immovably fixed upon the Ottawa chief, while his speéch was scarcely heard): A single movement of that upraised arm, they knew would ‘be the signal for an instant and deadly conflict between those who weie now so calmly confronting each other: Once, it is said, Pontiac raised the belt, but a sudden rattle of arms, and the din of the rolling drum, made him lower it again. How the hearts of officers’ and men must have tlrobbed! How the chests of, those red tigers must: have heaved, as the torch was thtis dallied within a few inches of the powder-mine! Pontiac, completely perplexed and outwitted, sat’ down with the wampunv-belt in his hand,and Major Gladwyn arosé to reply. His words were brief, but’ tothe point. He said that, as long as the Indians deserved the friendship of the English - they should have it; but, the first’ treacherous act would’ be followed by a'prompt retaliation: The cotincil then broke up. The doors were flung open, and, as the chiefs were about to pass out, Pontiac told Gladwyn that he should visit the fort again i atow days, accompanied by his squaws and‘children, | that they might’ shake hands with the English. Gladwyn made no reply, and the savages weré soon again oulitside the fort. The next morning, Pontiac reappeared at the fort wite _ three of his chiefs; cartying the calumet of peace. Offering it to Gladwyn, he said :— “My father, evil birds: have sung lies in your ears. We ‘who stand beforé you are friends of the English. We love you a$ our brothers, and have now comeé'to smoke the pipe — of peace with you.” ‘When all hail’ smoked lie presented it to Major Campbell, as a further Pledge of friendship. In the afternoon of the - *Bame: » day, Pontiac called all the y' any men to a game of ball, THK LIFE OF PONTIAC. which took place near the fort. At its close, the victorious | party set up loud yells which so alarmed the officers that the drums were beat to quarters; but the alarm shortly passed off — when the true cause was made known. On Monday, the ninth of May, the common behind the fort was once more thronged with Indians from the four different tribes. Pontiac advanced from the midst and demanded adinittance at the gate. “You may enter yourself, if you choose,” said Gladwyn, “put no one else can come in.” “YT wish all my warriors to enjoy the friendly calumet,” said - the chief. 5 All your warriors shall not do it, and no one besides you shall enter as long as we can keep them out,” rejoined Gladwyn. Pontiac saw that it was useless to undertake to conceal his designs any longer. With an expression of the deadliest hate, he turned and strode toward his warriors, who, at his approach sprung up and ran off “ yelping like so many devils.” The Indians were seen running rapidly toward a house where an English woman and her twosons lived. They beat down the door and poured in like a swarm of bees. A mo- ment after, the dismal scalp-yell .announced the fate of the inmates. A number of them then started on a rapid run down the river-bank. Springing. into their canoes they pad- dled rapidly toward the Isle au Cochon. Here lived an Englishman, formerly a Sergeant of the regulars, named Fisher. He was immediately seized, murdered and scalped, and with many yells of exultation, the savages left the island. The next day, several Canadians crossed over to the island and buried the body, But upon visiting the spot the next day they saw the hands of the murdered man protruding from the givund, as if in an attitude of entreaty. They buried him _ _ more effectually, but. upon returning a second time, to their horror, they saw the hands again. They repaired to a priest, ewho visited the island and performed the neglected rites, after which the corpse reposed in peace.* » Pontiac, when repulsed by Gladwyn, turned to the shore, * This circumstance is well supported by tradition. Lientenant Aubun_ asserted to General Cass that it was true in every particular. Such an oc on it can be seen, could take place without any supernatural wane: 1a THE WAR-DANCE. None dared to approach him, so awful was his rage. Stepping into a canoe, he impelled it up stream toward the Ottawa vil- lage. As he drew near he shouted to the inhabitants. They all rushed forth, old men, women and children. He ordered them to move their camp to the western shore, that the river should no longer be between them and the English. They — set to work at once so assiduously, that by night-fall every . thing, even the bark-covering to their lodges, was ready for transportation, By this time the Indians had returned from their murders, and as they gathered around, Pontiac, covered’ with his war-paint, bounded into the open space in the center of the assembly. Swinging his tomahawk over his head, and stamping the ground, he commenced a wild and loud harangue —relating his various services and exploits, and ended by vowing vengeance upon the hated English foe. The others caught his wild enthusiasm, and shortly all were circling around and around, giving vent to yells that went down over the waters like the notes of vengeance to the garrison. : The war-dance finished, the work of removal commenced. Before daybreak the Ottawa village stood on the western side of Detroit, just above the mouth of Parent’s creek, and about a mile anda half above the garrison. (This creek is now known as Bloody Run. It is indicated on the accompanying map as the scene of Dalzell’s fight.) In the evening, a Canadian coming down the river landed at the fort, bringing the sad tidings that two English officers, Captain Robertson and Sir Robert Davers, had been murdered by the Indians above Lake St. Clair. He stated, also, that the Ojibwas of Saginaw Bay, a most bloodthi'sty set, had united with Pontiac. Major Gladwyn now began to entertain an adequate idea of the danger which threatened his little garrison. Hitherto he had believed it to be only a temporary outbreak which must ‘soon, be quieted, but it now was plain that the disaffection was general and that a most dreadful fate menaced all the Western forts, Major Gladwyn took a careful survey of the defenses of the place. The center of the town, it will be recolleeted, was _-inclosed by pickets, nearly in the form of asquare. At the corners. and over the gates were block-houses, while an open | Cc THE {1IFE 01’ PONTIAC. tap : space intervened between the houses‘and pickets. The forti. fications did not reach to the river, but a gate opened in the direction of the stream, where, at this time, most fortunately indeed, two armed vessels lay at anchor. The ordnance of ‘the fort consisted of two six-pounders, one three-pounder and three mortars, all of which were of an indifferent quality. The garrison numbered one hundred and thirty, including the. officers. Besides these, were some thirty or forty traders in . the place; but the inadequateness of this entire force will be, seen, when it is known that the stockade which surrounded the town was over a thousand feet in length. Not a man lay down to sleep during the night, and Glad- wyn himself walked the ramparts until morning. Just‘as the light of day was breaking over the scene, the dreadftil war- whoop was sounded, and the whole host of Ottawas, Ojibwas Wyandots and Pottawatomies, came bounding from the wood like so many wolves. Their bullets rattled like hail against the palisades, and the soldiers expected a rush against their defenses. But, peering through the loop-holes,it was discov-_ ered that their assailants were not so excited as to forget to use caution in exposing their persons. Each had. his mouth full of bullets and all were firing—every fence, barn; bush, tree and hollow was a flame. The incessant crashing of their rifles was hardly more deafening than their demoniac yells. Behind an adjoining hill, a multitude of tufted heads were — constantly appearing and vanishing, while the reports of their guns were incessant. Still nearer was a barn which seemed packed with the inhuman scoundrels, judging from the fire that'came from it. To dislodgé these, several handfuls of red- hot spikes were thrown down a cannon aiid fired at’ the barn. The combustible material caught instantly, and in-a:moment the building was wrapped in flames. The Indians, in the greatest terror went leaping, yelling and dodging for other shelter, making such grotesque figures that the whole garrison broke out into hearty laughter. os For six hours the firmg was kept up, when the Indians ae withdrew, having suffered but a trifling loss, while the garrison \ had only five wounded. Gladwyn at this time had bat: three - weeks’ provision in the fort. Desirous of obtaining more; he concitded to open negotiations with Pontiac, under cover of _ BETRAYAL OF MAJOR CAMPBELL. which he hoped to obtain’ the needed supplies. Acabpllypay _ La Butte, the interpreter, (who being a Frenchman may be said to have held a neutral position between the English and Indians) was sent to Pontiac to demand reasons for the attack. Chapeton and Godfroy, two old Canadians, volunteered 2 ‘accompany him in order to assist in the negotiation. _ Pontiac received them kindly, and listened respectfully to” the message of La Butte. At its conclusion, Chapeton and _ Godfroy made an earnest remonstrance with the chief, doing their utmost to persuade him from continuing the hostilities. Pontiac, with the courtesy that always distinguished him, uttered assent to all that was said, and La Butte believing perfect suc- ‘ess would crown their efforts, withdrew for.a time, that his presence might be no restraint to the two Canadians. He was deeply mortified, however, upon returning, to find that their arguments had produced no effect. Pontiac could not be prevailed upon to make any definite reply. He stated that he wished to hold a council with the English fathers them- selves, expressing a desire that Major Campbell, second in com- mand, should visit the camp. This old and faithful officer was greatly vencrated by the Indians, and the proposal seemed perfectly natural. The embassadors, therefore, returned and reported to the commandant. Gladwyn believed it was only _ another of Pontiac’s treacherous schemes; but Major Campbell could not suspect those, with whom he had so long been friendly, He urged permission very strongly, and Gladwyn. ‘ at length yielded his reluctant consent. Lieutenant McDougal, was also granted permission to attend Campbell, and the two, accompanied: by La Butte and several other Canadians, left the fort. Betore this, how- . _ eyer, M. Gouin (heretofore zeferred to) had moved through the Indian camp, and heard enough to satisfy him that the. ' Officers were about to enter a trap laid for:them, He accord- ingly dispatched two men to warn them from coming, but it was too late. They had already left the gate, and the mes- | sengers could not induce them to return. : Going up the tiver-bank, they crossed the bridge over Bloody Run, and, a little further on, came in sight of the _ Ottawa eicampment. The instant the red uniforms of the Englishi.en were geen, the Indians set up a loud outcry, and, THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. . armed with sticks and stones, rushed toward them. Pontiac quelled the tumult, and shaking the officers by the hand, led the way through the camp to a large lodge where he ‘seated them upon mats and waited to hear what they had to communicate. Major Campbell arose, made a short speech and then sat down. Pontiac deigned no reply, and for full an hour Campbell and his friends sat in the most embarrassing silence. Unable to bear the suspense longer, he arose and sig: nified his intention to return. Pontiac instantly signed for _ him to reseat himself. Campbell did so, and saw at once that’ they had been betrayed. Still the gray-haired officer would not believe that any thing more than their mere retention was intended. Such, indeed, seemed the case with Pontiac. Many of his followers were eager to slay the Englishmen; but the chief would not con- ‘sent. He took them as prisoners to the house of M. Meloche, near Bloody Run,* where as much liberty as prudent was allowed them. A good reason for Campbell believing that Pontiac would do no more than this, was that two Ojibwas at that moment were in the power of Major Gladwyn. La Butte, the interpreter, did not return to the fort until late | in the evening. His gloomy intelligence was immediately read in his face. Two or three of the officers were unjust enough to express their suspicion that he was a party to the treachery. The interpreter, deeply mortified, left the fort, and sullen and thoughtful wandered around the streets, refusing communication ‘with any one. The next day Pontiac crossed the river to the Wyandot 5 village, where a portion of the tribe had been so influenced — by a Jesuit priest, that, thus far, they refused to take part in the hostility. Pontiac told them they should all be tomay hawked if they remained neutral any longer. They soon Joined him, and, it is said, proved the best warriors under his — command. ~Having now a truly formidable force at his disposal, thd chief made his disposition of them. A number of Pottawat- omies were concealed along the river-bank, where they remained ready to cut off the approach of any supplies or reinforcements and to prevent any one leaving the fort. _ # Previons to Dalzell’s fight this etream was known as Parent's crock. NOSTILITIZS OPENED Another force was ordered to keep conccaled near the . place, when-no attack was going on, and pick off every trader, — _. or Englishman who showed himself for an instant. These preparations were completed on the twelfth of May. ° On that morning, the Indians opened « hot fire upon the fort, kept itup almost without intermission until dusk, when their firing ceased. Major Gladwyn now called a council of his officers to decide what course to pursue. An interchange. of views proved that nearly all were. in favor of embarking — for Niagara, in the vessels that lay in the river. This con- clusion seemed reasonable, as their provisions, by the most rigid economy, would barely hold out but three weeks, and there was no room for believing that succor would be sent them. What troubled the officers most was the fear that the Indians would make a united onset upon the pickets. In such a case, nothing could prevent the massacre of the whole garrison. An old Canadian, who had spent many years among the savages, assured the council that there were not. the least grounds for such an apprehension. Pontiac would neyer make or allow such an assault to be made by his warriors, as their principles of warfare were opposed to it. The old Pennsylvania Gazette stated that Gladwyn was the only one who opposed the plan of embarking for Niagara, and that when his wishes were known, and their fears relieved by\the Canadian, the officers agreed to a man to defend the fort to the last extremity. Whatever may have induced ths change of mind, it did take place, and Gladwyn resolved to hold the place to the last. Numbers of the soldiers sallied out from time to time and cut down the orchards and bushes, so that no shelter in the ‘immediate proximity of the fort was afforded their assailants. In spite of their precautions, the snake-like warriors would crawl through the grass to the palisade, and there shoot arrows tipped with blazing tow upon the roofs of the houses; but, each building was provided with a tank of water as a special guard against this danger, and the twists of fire were instantly extinguished. The church was most exposed, and Pontiac would have fired it, had not the French priest threatened” ‘wch sacrilege with the vengeance of God. ‘Determined that the garrison should fall into his hands at “(THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. — ail hazards, he eagerly asked the ‘French ‘to teach him thei: method of approaching a fortified place; but such as pos ae sessed this knowledge prudently affected ignorance. : The immediate fear of the commandant was now in: regard ; to provisions. Every thing that could answer for food was éollected and placed in ‘the public store-house. The men were served in close rations. Not a particle was. allowed to ‘go to waste; but, in spite of these precautions, hunger would have compelled the evacuation of the fort, had it not: been for the timely assistance of a few friendly Canadians. One of these named Baby, who lived across the river, transported, under cover of night, numbers of hogs and cattle to the garri- 3on. By this means the soldiers maintained hope and confi- dence, and openly defied the Indians to do their utmost. CHA PTH Ls WANT OF PROVISIONS—PONTIAC’S. PROMISSORY NOTES—THE RELIEF EXPER: DITION —ITS SAD FATE — PONTIAC’S SCHEMES AGAINST WESTERN FOR- | TRESSES SUCCESSFUL—FALL OF FORT SANDUSKY, OF FORT ST. JOSEPH, OF © FORT MACKINAW, OF FORT MIAMI, OF FORT PRESQU ISLE — MONSTROUS : PERFIDY OF THE SAVAGES. : Tue Indians, believing the garrison’ could not hold out for any length of time, had ‘neglected to provide themselves with provisions, and now began to experience the same privations that the English did. In meeting these wants, Pontiac dis- played. an ingenuity perfectly wonderful in an Indian, The Canadian settlers had complained of the Indians stealing their provisions and destroying their crops. The chief checked this annoyance at once, and then visited each house, inspected its contents, and told. the proprietor what amount he must furnish for the sustenance of his warriors, establishing a store- house at. the same time, and. appointing a director, Having no means. at hand to compensate the. settlers, he issued pre- -missory notes, drawn upon bark and signed with the figure of an otter—the totem to which he belonged: It is worthy of record that every one of these notes was afterward faithfully — redeemed by the remarkable debtor. at. THE BAPROTHD RELEGE, Time wore on, and the flag of Briton ‘still floated ‘on ~ Detroit. The savages did not for an instant relax their watch- been said, hardly a man lay down to rest at night for wecks together. The streets were deserted and quiet. Now and then some indolent Canadian, or a gaudily-dressed Indian girl mistress of a trader or officer, would saunter along, making the gloom and desolation only the more gloomy and desolate. Soon Gladwyn heard that a convoy was on its way to Detroit to relieve him. Impatient and anxious for its arrival, Gladwyn dispatched one of his schooners to hasten it forward. The vessel moved slowly down the river, the men fearful and almost certain of an attack from the savages before they should reach their destination, The next day, while in the very mouth of Lake Erie, the wind fell to a dead calm, and she became motionless, « as a painted ship upon a painted sea.” As she lay here, the sails now and then flapping uselessly, a multitude of canoes suddenly started out from the opposite shores and made toward her. In the prow of the foremost the Indians had stationed Major Campbell, their prisoner, believing he would be a screen of safety to themselves. The gallant old officer cried out to his friends to do their duty without minding him. Fortunate indeed had it been for him had such been the case, and he had fallen by a bullet from his own countrymen; but, before the canoes could reach the schooner, her sails suddenly swelled to the wind, and she was carried safely out into the lake beyond their reach. ~ Long and anxiously did the garrison look for the expected convoy; the weary sentinel, pacing the ramparts, turned his eager eyes again and again to catch a glimpse of her as shoe rounded the bend in the river. And, as day afier day, the sun disappeared without bringing any tidings, the heart sick- ened at the dreadful apprehensions that arose in the minds of all. But on the morning of the thirtieth of May, the sentinel shouted that the convoy had appeared! ‘The news ran like aroused. Officers, soldiers and traders, their faces illuminated by joy, and hope gratified, crowded together, as, with swell- fulness. If the head or limb of a soldier was exposed, several — _ rifles were sure to be discharged at it, and, as has already an electric shock through the garrison. The whole place was o _ ing hearts, they watched. the boats as they slowly came up 46 THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. ; the river. A perfect fleet of them was rounding Montreal - Point, their ashen oars flashing in the sunlight, and the blood-. red cross of England gayly streaming above them. The — siege, they believed, was now at. an end. Men, arms and provisions were at hand, and the treacherous savages were baffled of their prey. Nearer and nearer comes the welcome vessel, while the garrison breaks forth into three hearty cheers. Again and again they are repeated, and the soldiers become frenzied with joy. The cannons belch forth their loud welcome of friends and their defiance of enemies. The ramparts are crowded, hats are seen frantically swinging in the air, and the joyous hurrahs are echoed back for miles. But look! The shouts cease. Hands drop suddenly and— listlessly, while an expression of terror flashes across every face. Eyery heart seems to haye stopped pulsating. The eyes of every officer, soldier and trader are riveted upon the canoes. Dark, dusky figures are seen to rise in them, and, with wild gestures and the chilling war-whoop, to return the salute. The dreadful truth is known at once. The convoy is in the hands of Pontiac and his murderous followers ! While the garrison stand paralyzed by this overwhelming misfortune, an incident occurs that, for the time, rouses them from their apathy by its thrilling interest. There were about a score of canoes, in each of which were two or more soldiers, deprived of their arms, and compelled to row by their armed captors. In the foremost of these chanced to be four soldiers and-only three Indians. One of the former was acting as stcersman, and, as the boat came opposite the schooner, which was still at anchor near the fort, he formed a plan of escape. One of the Indians was sitting directly in front of another soldier, and the steersman called to him in English to pitch the savage overboard. The man replied that he was not strong ex vugh. The other then told him to change places with him, as though fatigued with rowing. The steersman- stepped forward as if to take the oar, when he stooped, ~ caught the Indian’s hair in his left hand and his girdle in his right, and, by main strength, flung him overboard. The agile gavage, as he felt himself lifted from his seat, twisted around with the quickness of lightning and caught tne steersman by ¥ ‘the clothes. Holding fast by one hand, and trailing along- — side, he drew his knife with the other, pulled himself up out ‘the water, and stabbed the soldier again and again. In their struggles the boat tipped to its gunwale, and the poor fellow went overboard. The contest cortinued in the water, the forms rising and sinking, in deadly strife, until both finally disappeared.* The other two Indians, at the very commencement of the contest—which, indeed, was scarce a minute in length—sprung overboard, and the soldiers rowed for the fort with all their strength, shouting aloud for help. The other canoes werr but a short distance behind and started instantly in pursuit, while the Indians upon shore opened a fire upon them. The light, birchen vessels of the pursuers gained with incredible rapidity. When about to give up in despair, a cannon from the vessel sent its ball plowing through the water within a . few feet of the most advanced of the pursuers, while another one scattered the savages upon the bank. The soldiers were soon with the excited garrison. These men gaye the dismal © account of their misfortune. Lieutenant Cuyler had left Fort Niagara, on the thirteenth of May, with over ninety men and an abundance of provision and ammunition. He had coasted along the northern shore of Lake Erie without seeing a human being besides his own men, until the twenty-cighth of the month, when he put ashore near the mouth of Detroit river. The boats (the convoy consisted only of comparatively small boats) were drawn upon the shore and preparations made for encampment. — While a man and a boy were a short distance away cutting fire-wood, several Indians sprung upon them, and killed the boy, when the man ran into camp with the alarm. Lieuten- ant Cuyler instantly formed his men into line, and had scarcely done so when a destructive fire was opened upon them. Doth parties stood their ground for a while, when a multitude of Wyendots poured out of the wood and attacked them with the greatest fury. The men became panic-struck, the line was thrown into the most disgraceful confusion, and all, in a blind terror, rushed for the boats, throwing their guna from them as they ran. Five were pushed into the water _*M. Gouin, who was a boy at this time, says the Indian freed himself from the soldier, and he saw him swim ashore. - °° CAPTURE! OF THE CONVOY. _ Oe TARE LIFE OF PoNTIAc. ’ XN and piled full of the soldiers, while the Indians, setting two others afloat, started in pursuit. Three of the former allowed the Indians to recapture them without the least resistance. Lieutenant Cuyler, seeing his men all captured or routed, waded into the water, was taken in by one of the other two — hoats, which eventually made their escape to Niagara, where their disaster was reported to the commanding officer. The fate of the sixty prisoners was eyen more appalling — — than their hopeless friends expected. When night set in, several.Canadians came into the garrison, bringing yague and horrible rumors of their massacre by their inhuman captors. “Naked corpses, gashed with knives and scorched with fire, floated down on the pure waters of the Detroit, whose fish came up to nibble at the clotted blood that clung to their ghastly faces.’* The ‘Pontiac Manuscript” before referred to, in regard to this awful affair, has the following account : ‘The Indians, fearing that the other barges might escape as Ahe first had done, changed their plan of going to the camp, They landed their prisoners, tied them, and conducted them hy land to the Ottawa village, and then crossed them to Pontiac’s camp, where they were all butchered. As soon as the canoes reached the shore, the barbarians landed their prisoners, one \ ‘after the other, on the beach. They made them strip themsetver, and then sent arrows into different parts of their bodies, These unfortunate men wished sometimes to throw themselves on the ground to ayoid the arrows; but they were beaten with sticks and forced to stand up until they were déad; after which those who had not fired fell upon their bodies, cut them to pieces, cooked and ate them. On others they exercised different modes of torment by cutting their flesh with flints, and piercing them with lances. They wonld then cut their feet and hands off, and leave them weltering in their blood till they were dead. — Others were fastened to stakes, and children employed in - burning them with a slow fire. No kind of tcrment was left untried by these Indians. Some of the bodies were left on shore; others were thrown into the river. Eyen the women assisted their husbands in torturing their victims. They slitted them with their knives, and mangied them in yarious ways. ~ ‘There were, however, a few whose lives were saved, being — adopted to serve as slaves.” This is sufficient to give a faint idea of the death of these men. As the sad truth became known to the besieged of * Parkman. Pi i gE SOME Th BT | ‘ tae at a ry Re a ae + : _ APTACK UPON FeRT ST, JOSEPTL See es r . ‘ Ap . Metroit, a deep gloom settled upon’ the’ spirits of all. None Pig ‘knew how soon they might share the fate of Lieutenant “ers Cuyler’s men. Enemies watchful, malignant, vindictive and. a merciless environed theti on every side, and none but: the arm of Omnipotence was strong enough to deliver them. Fortune seemed to hive abandoned the little garrison to its impending fate. Shortly after this, the dismal “ death-halloo” was again heard among the Indians; and, upon looking out, a long line of naked savages was seen emerging from the _ wood, and walking across the open space near the fort. All were palnted black, and each bore a scalp upon the top of a. pole. It was plain that some new disaster had occurred, and the hearts of the almost hopeless soldiers sickened at the thought. Indeed, the disgusting ceremony of the savages was hardly finished, when a Canadian arrived at the fort with the intelligence that Fort Sandusky had been taken by. the _ Wyandots, and all of the garrison’ slain or captured. Soon after, Major Gladwyn received a letter froti the commandant, Ensign Paully, giving a whole accoun‘ of the manner in which’ the post had fallen. Like nearly every other victory of the Indians, it was gained through the most consummate treachery. Paully himself had been given the choice of death at the stake or that of adoption vy the tribe. Naturally enough he chose the latter, and at the time the letter was written was enrolled as an Ottawa warrior. The fall of Sandusky was on the sixteenth of May. ones _ Pontiac, it is said, sat silent and mortified at this reply; _ 4 i a4 ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY THE VESSELS. 4 bat, most unexpectedly to himself one of the bourgeois stand- — ing on the outside of the circle, took up the war-belt, and - Qeelared that he and his companions were ready to fight for him. The chiet’s face was illuminated with joy and he greeted each of his new-made friends with many expressions of pleasure. The better-minded Canadians were horrified at the act of their countrymen, and the latter deemed it the best’ fo spend the following night in the camp of their chosen comrades. On the same evening, a party of these infamous renegades, together with a number of Indians, intrenched themselves within a short distance of the fort, for the purpose of picking off the soldiers. They were discovered as soon as it was light, and Lieutenant Hey made a charge upon them, routing all and killing two Indians. One of the latter was a nephew of the Ojibwa chief who, learning of the loss, became so enraged, that, with a party of his warriors, he ran to the house of Meloche—where Major Campbell was confined— brought the venerable and excellent man forth, tied him to the fence and shot him through and through with arrows. The body, brutally mangled, was cast into the river, and, floating ashore, was buried by the Canadians. Lieutenant M’Dougal had effected his escape, previous to this atrocious act. _ In the afternoon, a man was seen running rapidly toward the fort, pursued by a number of Indians. He came up pant- ing and exhausted. He proved to be Ensign Paully, lately commandant at Sandusky who had taken the opportunity to escape from the embraces of the disgusting squaw who had “adopted” him, ' Pontiac felt that the two schooners lying opposite the fort _ were a great obstacle to his success; and as hi$ followers had: _ tasted their mettle more than once, he now turned all his attention toward getting rid of them. It was impossible to approach them, without being discovered. His ingenuity came to the aid of his desires, and he soon devised a plan for _ their extermination without loss to his own warriors. It was _ plan worthy of the intelligence of the chief conspirator. On _ fhe morning of the tenth of July, two boats, filled with burn- — _ 4g pitch-pine, bark and dry wood, were fastened together nd sent down the stream; but, most fortunately, the curre>¢. THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. — dedi them by the vessel without: injury. Neshing further 7 Be “was attempted. ee But, about two o’clock on the morning of the twelfth, ‘the : sentinel saw above him a small flame, asofa candle resting upon ee ‘the surface of the stream. It grew larger.and more intense every moment and soon shot forth several waving forks ot fire. Then it burst forth and spread into a broad, roaring blaze that lit up the-shores as if at noonday. A large mass of combustible material was burning like a furnace, sending the sparks high in air, and floating directly toward the schooner. As it passed down stream, it revealed a multitude of naked savages along the shore who watched the course of the fire- raft with the most breathless interest. The masts, spars and eyery rope on the vessel were outlined as if drawn with ink in the luminous air, while one side was thrown into the full — blaze of light, and the other shrouded in impenetrable dark- ness. ‘The settlers’ cabins, the palisades; the ramparts crowded with officers and men, all as silent as death, stood out in relief against the dark forest behind. The whole singular scene “was awful in its sublimity, eS The raft passed down between the fort and the schooner, without harming any thing. Thus a second time were the Indians baffled. Still hopeful, they made preparations to repeat the experiment. They commenced building a raft much larger than the others, and which from its great width, could be but successful. “While they were employed upen | this, Gladwyn was busy in erecting defenses above the two vessels, which were so formidable that the Indians, after four days’ labor abandoned their scheme. It was now the middle of summer, and Detroit had been ’ Besieged for nearly three months. Its persistent defense began _ to tire some of the assailing wretches. The Wyandots and © Pottawatomies especially viewed the end as hardly worth the — means. The former sent a deputation to Major Gladwyn asking for peace, which was at once granted. Shortly after the Pottawatomies did the same, demanding, also, that suck — of their numbers as were prisoners with the English should be — given up. Gladwyn replied that several of his countrymen _ were in their hands, and must be exchanged. At this, the - deputies onion and sane in but, three nemo: The > commandant rebuked them severely, as he knew they had a number besides these. The deputies withdrew in a rage, but returned’ the next day with six prisoners. Major Gladwyn, — accompanied by an officer, met the savages in the couneil- room. As he was on the point of giving up the Pottawato- _ mie prisoners and concluding a treaty, one of the English _ prisoners called out that there were several of his companions still in the village. This broke the conference up at once Enraged at their duplicity, Major Gladwyn ordered the deputies to depart without standing on ceremony. Observing’ at that instant. an Ottawa warrior among them (the Ottawas were still at war), he signaled for the guard to approach and seize him. This movement saved the commandant’s life; for the deputies had made the resolve that, if repulsed a second time, they would murder him and trust to fortune to make their escape from the couneil-house. The entrance of the soldiers prevented them from carrying out this intention, and they withdrew, sullen and furious. A few days afterward, however, they brought in all their prisoners, when peace was concluded. with them. The time wore on and little change occurred in the for- tunes of the beleaguered garrison. The rattle of the tireless assailants’ guns continued incessant, and the vigilance of the soldiers was not allowed to abate. The story of those days of labor and nights of pain is thus told by one of the men of the garrison, in a letter dated July 6, 1763: ‘ “We have been besieged here two months by six hundred Indians. We have been upon the watch night and day, from the commanding officer to the lowest soldier, from the eighth of May, and have not had our clothes off, nor slept all night since it began; and shall continue so until we have a reinforcement ap We then hope to give a good account of the savages, eir camp lies about a mile and a half from the fort, and that’s the nearest they choose to come now. For the first two or three days we were attacked. by three or four hundred of them, but we gave them so warm a reception that they don’t care for os poring to see us, though they now and then get behind a house or garden and fire at us about three or four hundred yaxds dis- tant. The day before yesterday we killed a chief and three others and wounded some more; yesterday went up in our Beard battered their cabins in such a manner that they are _ gh to keer further off.” TOE aE or PONTIAC. etctivee 3 ‘Soh dated July 9th: “You have long ago heard of our gloomy duntiong but the storm is blown over. Was it not very agreeable to hear every day of their cutting, carving, boiling and eating our compan- ions? to see, every “day, dead bodies floating down the river, mangled and disfigure > But Britons, you know, never shrink ; we always appear red gay to spite the rascals. They boiled and — _eat Sir Robert Davers; and we are informed by Mr. Paully, “who escaped the other’ day from one of the stations surprised at the breaking out of the war, and commanded by himself, that he had seen an Indian have the skin of Captain Robertson's arm for a tobacco-pouch ! “Three days ago a party of us went to demolish a breast- work they had made. We finished owr w ork, and were return-_ ing home; but the fort, espying a party af Indians coming up, as if they intended to ‘fight, we were ordered back, made our dispositions and advanced briskly. Our front was fired upon warmly, and returned the fire for about five minutes.. In the mean time, Captain Hopkins, with about twenty men, filed off to the left, and about twenty French volunteers filed off to the right and got between them and their fires. The villains imme- diately fled, and we returned, as was prudent; for a sent whom I had placed, informed me he saw a body of them commg down from the woods, and our party, being but about eiglity, was not able to cope with their united bands. In shezt, we beat them handsomely, and yet did not much hurt. to them, for they run extremely well. We only killed their leader and wounded two others. One of them fired at me, at the distance of fifteen or twenty paces, but I suppose my terrible visage made him tremble. I-think I shot him.” CHAPTER VI. ANOTHER REINFORCEMENT FROM NIAGARA—CAPTAIN DALZELL’S ARRIVAL—~ HIS NIGHT EXPEDITION—ITS DISASTROUS RESULT—FURY OF THE INDIANS —A THIRD VESSEL OF RELIEF—ITS ASSAULT AND REMARKABLE PRESER- : VATION. WHILE affairs remained thus at Detroit, a Laan pelcitulie 2 ment, unknown to Gladwyn, had been dispatched to his relief. Captain Dalzell, with twenty-two barges, containing © two hundred and eighty men, several small cannon, and a ~ good supply of provisions and ammunition, started from CAPTAIN DALZELL’S NIGHT EXPEDITION. Niagara. Making his way along the southern shore of Lake Erie, he halted and viewed the blackened remains of the pblock-house of Fort Presqu’Isle, so well defended by Ensign, Christie and his men. Embarking again; he- reached Fort Sandusky in the latter part of July, from which he marched to the Wyandot village, burning it and destroying their corn- : fields. On the twenty-ninth of July the convoy reached Detroit. When nearly opposite the fort, the Wyandots and Pottawato- mies—who had just concluded a treaty of peace with Major Gladwyn — fired upon them, killing and wounding fifteen before the contest was over. The treachery of the Indians was second only to their ferocity. Gladwyn might as well have treated with hyenas. The detachment was so large that the men had to be quartered upon the inhabitants. Among them were twenty rangers, commanded by Major Rogers, regular bush-fighters, ever ready for an affray. Their arrival, it may well be sup- posed, occasioned a season of rejoicing with the garrison, saddened, however, by the death of several under their own eyes, from the hands of the faithless Wyandots and Pottawatomies. Major Gladwyn and Captain Dalzell immediately held a conference. Dalzell stated that, in his opinion, the time had arrived to strike a death-blow at the ambition of Pontiac, and - he asked permission to march out upon the following night and attack the Indians in their camp. Gladwyn, who was so well acquainted with the strength and resources of the chief, at first was unwilling; but the lion-hearted Captain would hear no refusal, and was so urgent and strenuous that the commandant at length yielded.* On the thirtieth of July orders were issued and prepara- tions made for the attack. With an unpardonable want of discretion, some of the officers allowed several Canadians to know their intentions, one of whom betrayed it all to Pontiac, who, as may be expected, made every thing ready to receive ‘the assailants. At two o’clock in the morning, two hundred and fifty soldiers, two deep, passed noiselessly through the be * This is the same Dalzell who was a joint hero with Israel Putnam in — many of his most memorable adventures. THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. | _ gates and marched up the left river-bank. Two large battenuz, each containing a swivel, kept abreast of them in the river. _ The advanced guard of twenty-five was led by Lieutenant | Brown, the center by Captain Gray, and the reat by Captain Grant. “The night was still, close and. sultry, arid: the’ men marched in light undress. On their right was the dark, gleaming surface of the river, with a margin of sand inter- A vening ; on their left a stiecession of Canadian houses, with barns, orchards and corn-fields, from whence the: clamorous barking of watch-dogs saluted them as they passed. The. inhabitants, roused from sleep, looked from the windows in astonishment and alarm. An old man has told the writer how, wlien a child, he climbed on the roof of his father’s house, to look down on the glimmering bayonets, and how, long after the troops had passed, their heavy and measured tramp sounded from afar through the still night. Thus-the English moved forward to the attack, little thinking. that, behind houses and inclosures, Indian scouts watched every - yard of their progress—little suspecting that Pontiac, apprised by the Canadians of their plah, had broken up his camp, and woes coming against them with all his warriors, armed and decorated for battle.”* : Referring to the map, the reader’ will notice a small stream which puts in from the northern shore, a short’ distanee above Detroit. At the point where the bridge is marked; the stream descends through a deep and wild-looking hollow, while upon. the opposite side the river-bank rises in several ridges. Here Pontiac had erected: several intrenchments, besides throwing together several piles of cord-wood further on. Behind these were crouching hundreds of Indians, who, with guns ready-. cocked, listened to the dull tramp of the approaching soldiers, The advanced guard had crossed the bridge, and the main ‘body was just entering, when loud yells burst forth, and a sheet of fire flamed along the whole ridge, like the broadside of a frigate. One-half the advanced guard fell dead, and the. others recoiled in terror; but Dalzell, in his clear, stirring yoice, inspired his men with hisown courage. Advancing to — the front he led them to the attack. A second volley was poured into them, when, furious with rage, he led the men on * Parkman, Life of Pontiac, r | THE DISASTROUS RESULT. _ _ @ tapid run across the bridge and up the ridge; but not-an- - Indian was visible. Half frantic with fear and. fury the soldiera charged behind the fence and the intrenchments, but the agile savages were gone, The night had now become of inky _ darkness, and the men were soon scattered and lost among the - houses and inclosures. The only resource left was to retreat and wait for daylight. Accordingly, Captain Grant led his - ™men across the bridge where the others soon followed, with _ the exception of a small party which remained to check the — rapid pursuit of the enemy. Amida hot firing upon both _ sides, the dead and wounded were placed in the two batteaux, Immediately after, the rapid report of musketry was heard in the rear, where Captain Grant was stationed. The shots had come from the house of Meloche and the surrounding orchards, where large numbers of savages had intrenched themselves. Captain Grant charged right at them, driving them at the point of the bayonet from the orchard and from the house | where they found two Canadians, who stated that the Inetaaa had gone in great numbers to occupy the houses. below, frory which they intended to cut off their retreat. This being the case, the only hope was in instant retreat. The men were collected in marching order and the march commenced, Captain Grant leading and Dalzell bringing up the rear. Numbers of Indians dogged: them, and when their fire became too galling, the soldiers wheeled and returned it. In this manner they proceeded for over a half-mile, when they came abreast of a number of barns protected by strong pickets. These were safely passed by the advance party ; but, when the center and rear came opposite, loud yells greeted them, and a ~ most murderous volley was poured into their ranks. The | men shrunk, hesitated and recoiled, and had it not been for _ Datzell would have broke and fled. Though severely wounded . himself, he commanded, threatened, and, it is said, smote seyeral timid ones with the flat of his sword. His persistent efforts partially restored the men, when the fire was returned with considerable effect. It was now near daybreak, and the incessant rattle of rifles toy ether with the horrid yells of the Indian, so drowned the ices of the leaders that their commands could not be heard. ‘The soldiers res4 their orders only in the excited faces and — THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. frenzied gestures. One of the houses had been filled by the savages and from its windows scores of rifles were continually flashing. Major Rogers at the head of his rangers split open the dour with an axe and burst in among them like a thun- deibolt. ‘hey fled in every direction, as the rangers swarmed in. At the same instant Captain Gray was sent to dislodge a - number that were firing from behind the fences. He charged ‘them at the head of his company, but fell with a mortal fvound berore he reached them. His men kept on and routed the Indians. ‘Ihe retreat was now resumed with compara-— tively good order. The fire of the Indians had nearly ceased, but, leaping forward they seized the stragglers, cut them down and scalped them without mercy. A poor Sergeant of the 55th, so wounded that he could not walk, raised himself on. his hands and gazed after his retreating comrades with such a despairing, beseeching expression, that the noble-héarted Dal- zell, now wounded himself in two places, ran toward him with. the intention of rescuing the man from his inhuman enemies, As he reached out his arms to seize the wounded soldier, a shot struck him and _ he fell dead before him. None paused to see their fate. There was no time. Death was hanging on their rear. ; The Indians were rapidly concentrating their numbers again, and the massacre would have been far more dreadful, had not Rogers with his rangers taken possession of another house, which commanded the road and protected the retreat. The account of this battle by Parkman is so graphic and truthful that we transcribe that portion descriptive of the remaining part of the fight :— “Rogers entered this house with some of his men, whilemany ~ panic-stricken regulars broke in after him, in their eagerness to gain a temperzary shelter. The house was.a large and strong one, and the women of the neighborhood had crowded into the cellar for refuge. While some of the soldiers looked in blind terror for a place of concealment, others seized upon a keg of whisky in one of the rooms, and quaffed the liquor with eager, — thirst, while others, again, piled packs of furs, furniture, and all else within their reach, against the windows, to serve as a barri- cade. Panting and breathless, their faces moist with sweat and blackened with ee they thrust their muskets ee / the openings, and fired out upon the whooping assailants. At intervals a bullet flew whizzing through a crevice, THE RETREAT. down a man, perchance, or rapping harmlessly against the ~ partitions. Old Campau, the master of the house, stood on a_ -trap-door to prevent the frightened soldiers from seeking shelter among the women in the cellar. A ball grazed his gray head, and buried itself in the wall, where a few years since it might still have been seen. The screams of the half-stifled women below, the quayvering war-whoops without, the shouts and curses of the soldiers, the groans and blaspheming of the wounded men, mingled in a scene of clamorous confusion, and it was long before the authority of Rogers could restore order. “Tn the mean time, Captain Grant, with his advance party, — had moved forward about half a mile, when he found some ~ orchards and inclosures, by means of which he could maintain — himself until the center and rear should arrive. From this point he detached all the men he could spare to occupy the houses below ; and as soldiers soon began to come in from the rear, he was. enabled to reinforce these detachments, until a complete -line of communication was established with the fort and the retreat effectually secured. Within an hour the whole party had arrived, with the exception of Rogers and his men, who were quite unable to come off, being besieged in the,house of Campau, by full two hundred Indians. The two armed batteaux had gone down to the fort, laden with the dead and wounded. They now returned, and, in obedience to an order from Captain Grant, proceeded up the river to a point opposite Campau’s house, where they opened a fire of swivels, which swept the ground above and below it, and completely scattered the assailants. Rogers and his party now came out and marched down the road, to unite themselves with Grant. The two batteaux accompanied them closely, and by a constant fire, restrained the Indians from making an attack. Scarcely had Rogers left the house at one door, when the enemy entered it at another, to obtain the scalps from two or three corpses left behind. Foremost of them all, a withered old squaw rushed in, with a shrill scream, and slashing open one of the dead rodies with her knife, scooped up the blood between her hands, and quaffed it with a ferocious ecstasy.” : The retreat was conducted so admirably by Captain Grant, that not another of his men was injured. At eight o'clock in the morning the last man of the decimated detachment was received within the walls of the fort, when it was found that fifty-nine had been killed and wounded. [The Indians had not lost more than one-fourth that number,* it was afterward ascertained. ] . The death of the noble Dalzcll and so many of his brave * Some authoritics give the loss of the English as seventy besides forty syounded. ; y THE e tare or + PONTIAC. men aa a gloom for the time over Detroit. All felt that, - had not the Canadians proved traitors, the Indians would have been most completely punished. The condition of the garrison, however, was now much better than it had eyer been. There were over three hundred men within the inclosure, every one of whom had had abundant experience *n Indian warfare. These were well provided with ammuni- tion and provisions, and Gladwyn felt that the raising of the siege was only a question of time and perhaps of eternity with a few more of his brave fellows. Pontiac was.so overjoyed with his success that he sent his runners for hundreds of miles through ‘the adjoining country, — with news of the battle. Vast ntmbers came from great distances to join him, until over a thousand were dancing and yelling in his village, and he became stronger in his belief that the garrison would eventually fall into his hands. The vision of vengeance which haunted him seemed 'to demonize all around him. Now comes a comparatively long season of quiet for Detroit. Ht is true the Indians still hovered around it, but few opportunities were given for any trial of strength or stratagem ‘between the two forces. Now and then a man was shot, or an oyer-eager Indian picked off; but ‘nothing worth relating occurred until the fourth of September, when perhaps the most remarkable incident of this remarkable siege took place. - The smaller of the two schooners had been sent to Niagara with letters and dispatches. She was now returning with a ~ erew of twelve men, including the captain and mate, besides six Mohawk Indians who professed friendship with the ‘nglish. On the morning in question the vessél entered — Detroit river, when these savages asked permission to go ashore. The captain, with great indiscretion, gaye them — permission, and they took their departure. The schooner held her course up the river until evening, when the wind dying away, she anchored off Fighting Island. ; She was now near the spot where the other had been attacked, and the absence of. the Mohawks filled the crew with such apprehension that not one went below. All remained on deck, threading it with stealthy tread, or, leaving _ { Re REMARKABLE PRESERVATION. \ over the bulwarks, strained their eyes to pierce the Stygiar gloom. Every sound on shore sent a thrill of fear through — the watchers. The call of the night-hawk or whippowil was to them the signals of their insidious enemies. They indeed had good reason to watch and fear; for three hundred and fifty Indians—about thirty times their own number—were at that moment gliding over the water for their sacrifice. Tt was not until their canoes shot under the bows of the vessel that they were seen. A cannon was hastily directed and dis- charged among them, and the next minute, holding their knives in their teeth, they were clambering up the sides of the vessel by hundreds. ‘The crew fired their guns among them, and then catching up spears and hatchets, met them with the fury of madmen as they dropped upon the deck. Knowing no quarter was to be expected they resolved to die fighting, and so desperately did they exert themselves that, in a few moments, they had killed and wounded nearly thirty. But, even this destruction could not roll back the living stream pouring over the bulwarks. The captain was killed and several of his crew disabled so that scarce a half-dozen remained. i “Brow UP THE vEssEL!”’ commanded the mate, seeing ‘that ail hope was gone. These words were understood by several Wyandots, who communicated their meaning to the others, and the next second every Indian had leaped over- board, and were swimming away with all their strength to escape the dire explosion: Not an enemy remained on board the schooner, and not one showed himself during the night. Two of the crew were killed, and four badly wounded. The remaining six were unharmed. It was afterward ascer- tained that eight of the Indians subsequently died from their - wounds. The next morning the schooner set sail and passed safely up to the fort. For the conduct of the men on this occasion, the Commander-in-Chief ordered a medal to be struck and presentad to each. OF APE RE Vrr: THE FALL OF MACKINAW AND ADVENTURES OF AN ENGLISH TRADER. THE only authentic account of the fall of Mackinaw, is thae given by Henry, an English trader, whe was in the fort at the time, and participated in the calamities. This account was published in 1800, in New York, and has been preserved by Mr. Schooicraft, in his interesting volumes: “When I reached Mackinaw,” says he, “I found several other traders, who had arrived before me, from different parts of the country, and who, in general, declared the disposition of the Indians to be hostile to the English, and even apprehended some attack. M. Laurent Ducharme: distinctly informed Major Etherington that a plan was absolutely conceived for destroying him, his garrison, and all the English in the upper country ; but the commandant, believing this and other reports to be without foundation, proceeding only from idle or ill-disposed persons, and of a tendency to do mischief, expressed much displeasure against M. Ducharme, and threatened to send the next person who should bring a story of the same kind a prisoner to Detroit. : “The garrison, at this time, consisted of ninety privates, two subalterns, and the commandant; and the English merchants at the fort were four in number. Thus strong, few entertained anxiety concerning the Indians, who had no weapons but small-arms. j “Meanwhile, the Indians, from eyery quarter, were daily assembling in unusual numbers, but with every appearance of friendship; frequenting the fort, and disposing of their peltries in such a manner as to dissipate almost every one’s | fears. For myself, on one occasion, I took the liberty of observing to Major Etherington that, in my judgment, no confidence ought to be placed in them, and that I was informed no less than four hundred lay around the fort. “Tn return, the Major only rallied me on my timidity ; and it is to be confessed, that if this officer neglected admonition on his part, so did Ion mine. Shortly after my first arrival WAWATAM'’S WARNING. ‘ at Mackinaw, in the preceding year, a Chippewa, named Wawatam, began to come frequently to my house, betraying in his demeanor strong. personal regard. After this had continued some time, he came, on a certain day, bringing with him his whole family, and, at the same time, a large _ present, consisting of skins, sugar, and dried meat. Having laid these in a heap, he commenced a specch, in which he informed me that, some years before, he had observed a fast, devoting himself, according to the custom of his nation, to— solitude, and to the mortification of his body, in the hope to " obtain, from the Great Spirit, protection through all his days; that on this occasion he had dreamed of adopting an Englishman as his son, brother, and friend; that, from the moment in which he first beheld me, he had recognized me as the person whom the Great Spirit had been pleased to point out to him for a brother; that he hoped that I would not refuse his present; and that he should forever regard me as one of his family. “T could not. do otherwise than accept the present, and declare my willingness to haye so good a man as this ‘appeared to be for my friend and brother. I offered a present ‘in return for that which I had received, which Wawatam accepted; and then, thanking me for the favor which he said that I had rendered him, he left me, and soon after set out on his winter’s hunt. “Twelve months had now elapsed since the occurrence of this incident, and I had almost. forgot the person of my brother, when, on the second day of June, Wawatam came again to my house, in a temper of mind visibly melancholy and thoughtful. He told me that he had just returned from his wintering-ground, and I asked after his health; but witbeut answering my question, he went on to say that he was scrry ‘to find me returned from the Sault; that he intended ta proceed to that place himself, immediately after his arrival at Mackinaw; and that he wished me to go there along with him and his family the next morning. To all this he joined an inquiry, whether or not the commandant had heard: bad news, adding that during the winter he had himself been frequently disturbed with the noise of evil birds ; and further suggesting tlat there were numerous Indians near the fort, Ee -. oF PONTIAC. e oe miny_ of whom had never shown themsely< winain’ it Wawatam was about forty-five years of age, of an excellent - character among his nation, and a chief, “ Referring much of wit he had heard to the pocwtttitnies : of the Indian character, I did not pay all the attention which they will be found to’ haye deserved to the entreaties and remarks of my visitur. TI answered that I could not think of going to the Sault as soon as the next morning, but would — follow him there after the arrival of my clerks. Finding — himself unable to prevail with me, he withdrew for the day; but early the next morning he came again, brmging with him » ~ his wife, and a present of dried meat. At this interview, ~~ after stating that he had several packs of beaver, for which he intended to deal with me, he expressed a second time his _ apprehensions, from the numerous Indians who were around the fort, and earnestly pressed me to consent to an immediate © departure for the Sault. As a reason for this particular — request, he assured me that all the Indians proposed to come in a body, that day, to the fort, to demand liquor of the commandant, and that he wished me to be gone before they should grow intoxicated. “T had made, at the period to which T am now referring, so, much progress in the language in which Wawatam addressed me, as to be uble to hold an ordinary conversation in it; but the Indian manner of speech is so extravagantly figurative, that it is only for a perfect master to follow and comprehend it entirely. Had I been further advanced in this respect, I think that I should have gathered so much information from this, my friendly monitor, as would put me in possession of the designs of the enemy, and enabled me to save, as well others as myself. As it was, I unfortunately turned a deaf ear to every thing, leaving Wawatam and his wife, after long . and patient, but ineffectual efforts, to depart alone, with — flejected countenances, and not before they had each let in i some tears. “In the course of the same day, I observed that the | * {ndians came in great numbers into the fort, purchasing » Somahawks—small axes of one pound weight--and frequently — _ fesiring to see silver arrma-bands, and other valuable ornaments, ot which T bad a ‘Tange quantity for sale. The ornaments, ~~ . HE GARRISON ATTACKED. “however, thoy in no instance” purchased, but, after turning ae them over, left them, saying they would call again next day. — Their motive, as it afterward appeared, was no other than the artful one of discovering, by requesting to see them, the particular piace of their deposit, so that they might lay their - hands on them in the moment of pillage, with the greater ceitainty and dispatch. “At night I turned in my mind the visits of Wawatam; bat, though they were calculated to excite uneasiness, nothing induced me to believe that serious mischief was at hand. “The following day, being the fourth of June, was the King’s birthday. A Chippewa came to tell me that his nation was going to play at baggatiway with the Sacs or: - Saakies, another Indian nation, for a high wager. He inyited me to witness the sport, adding that the commandant was to be there, and would bet on the side of the Chippewas, In - consequence of this information, I went to the commandant, and expostulated with him a little, representing that the Tndians might possibly have some sinister end in view ; but the commandant only smiled at my suspicions. “ Baggatiway, called by the Canadians le jew de la crosse, is played with a bat and ball. The bat is about four feet in length, curved, and terminating in a sort of racket. Two posts are planted in the ground, at a considerable distance from each other, as a mile or more. Each party has its post, and the game consists in throwing the ball up to the post of the adversary. The ball at the beginning is placed in the _ middle of the course, and each party endeavors as well to throw the ball out of the direction of its own post, as into that of the adversary’s. ! “T did not go myself to see the match which was new te _be played without the fort, because there being a cano¢ prepared to depart, on the following day, for Montreal, } employed myself in writing letters to my friends; and even when a fellow-trader, Mr. Tracy, happened to call. upon me, » saying that another canoe had just arrived from Detroit, amd proposing that I should go with him to the beach, to inquire the news, it so happened that I still remained an finish my. letters, promising to follow Mr. Tracy in the course of a few minutes, Mr. Tracy had not gone more than twenty paces - 7 THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. from the door, when I heard an Indian war-cry, “ a noise of ’ general confusion. “ Going instantly to my window, I saw a crowd of Indians’ within the fort, furiously cutting down and scalping every ‘Englishman they found. In particular, I witnessed the fate of Lioutenant Jemette. “TJ had, in the room in which I was, a fowling-piece, loaded with swan-shot. This I immediately seized, and held it for a few minutes, waiting to hear the drum beat to arms. In this dreadful interval I saw several of my countrymen fall, -* and more than one struggling between the knees of an Indian, who, holding him in this manner, scalped him while yet alive. “At length, disappointed in the hope of resistance made to the enemy, and sensible, of course, that no effort of my own unassisted arm could avail against four hundred Indians, I thought only of seeking shelter. Amid the slaughter which was raging, I observed many of the Canadian inhabitants of the fort calmly looking on, neither opposing the Indians nor suffering injury; and from this circumstance I conceived a _ hope of finding a place of security in their houses: “Between the yard-door of my own house and that of M, Langlade, my next neighbor, there was only a low fence, over which I easily climbed. At my entrance, I found the whole family at the windows, gazing at the scene of blood before them. I addressed myself immediately to Langlade, begging that he would put me in some place of safety, till the heat of the affair should be over—an act of charity by which he might perhaps preserve me from the general massacre; but, while I uttered my petition, M. Langlade, who had looked for a moment at me, turned again to the window, shrugging his- shoulders, and intimating that he could do nothing for me; Que voudrtez-vous que pen ferais ? “This was a moment for despair; but the next, a Pani woman,* a slave of M. Langlade’s, beckoned to me to follow her. She brought me to a door, which she opened, desiring me to enter, and telling me that it led to the garret, where I must go and conceal myself. I joyfully obeyed her directions ; apd she, haying followed me up to the garret-door, locked it eer me, und, with great presence of mind, took away the key. — * The Panies are an Indian nation of the South. THE SEARCH. “This shelter obtained, if shelter I could hepe to find it, was naturally anxious to know what might still be passing without. Through an aperture, which afforded me a view of the area of the fort, I beheld, in shapes the foulest and most terrible, the ferocious triumphs of barbarian conquerors. The dead were scalped and mangled, the dying were writhing and shrieking under the unsatiated knife and tomahawk, and from the bodies of some, ripped open, their savage butchers were drinking the blood, scooped up in the hollow of joined hands, and quaffed amid shouts of rage and victory. I was shaken not only with horror, but with fear. The sufferings which I witnessed, I seemed on the point of experiencing. No long time elapsed before—every one being destroyed who could be found—there was a general cry of ‘ All is finished ! At the same instant, I heard some of the Indians enter the house in which Iwas. * * .*. * “The door was unlocked and opened, and the Indians _ ascending the stairs, before I had completely crept into a small opening which presented itself at one end of the heap. An instant after, four Indians entered the room, all armed with tomahawks, and all besmeared with blood upon every part of _ their bodies. “The die appeared to be cast. I could scarcely breathe ; but I thought the throbbing of my heart occasioned a noise loud enough to betray me. The Indians walked in every direction about the garret, and one of them approached me so closely that at a particular moment, had he put forth his hand, he must have touched me. Still I remained undiscovered; a circumstance to which the dark color of my clothes, and the want of light in the room, which had no window, and in the corner in which J was, must have contributed. In a word, . after taking several turns in the room, during which they told 'M. Langlade how many they had killed, and how many ‘scalps they had taken, they returned down stairs, and I, with sensations not to be expressed, heard the door, which was the barrier between me and my fate, locked for the second time. “There was a feather-bed on the floor; and on_ this, exhausted as I was by the agitation of my mind, I threw myself down and fell asleep. In this state I remained till the dusk of the evening, when I was awakened by the second THE LIFE OF PONTIAC. epening of the door. The person that now entered was M — Langlade’s wife, who was much surprised at finding me, but advised me not to be uneasy, observing that the Indians had killed most of the English, but that she hoped I might myself escape. ae a oe _ PON.S'C INFLAMES THE WESTERN TRIBES. spirit and very letter of his demands were complied with, Th Tie advised them to send deputies to Sir Wiliam Johnson who would make treaties with them. This the Indians did, expressing, at the same time, the best of 'satisfaction witn Bouquet’s course. This was one of the greatest victories : gained without the shedding of a drop blood. ’The troops now returned to Fort Pitt, where the recovered: captives were restored to their homes, and the provincial’ disbanded, after receiving a handsome jou piiinent from their beloved leader. The Pennsylvania Assembly, at its next ses- sion, passed a vote of thanks to Colonel Bouquet, referring to his services in the warmest terms. The Virginia Assembly worthy of promotion. His services, however, had been already recognized. He was appointed to the rank of Briga- dier, and given command of the southern department. Here he won the love and respect of all by his many virtues, his - nobleness of heart, and universal kindness. Three years later he was attacked with fever, and died at Pensacola; and’ many an eye was moistened and many a heart was saddened when the mournful tidings was received, for he was “a gallant soldier and a generous man.” CHAPTHR Tx; THE GONSPIRATOR FOILED—HE BURIES THE HATCHET—HIS SUBSEQUENT LIFE AND DEATH—SUMMARY OF HIS CHARACTER, DrsmerteD by his own people—refused assistance by the _French—forced to fly by the approach of the hated English— where was Pontiac? Amid all this ruin, the proud chief rose like an untamed lion, with the fires of his ambition still burn- ing and still urging him on to new schemes and deeds. - From the river Maumee, Pontiac, followed by several hundred of his warriors, went westward, in the fall of 1764, into the country of the Kickapoos, Piankishaws and the _. gave way to the natural kindness of his heart. He extended. the hand of fellowship, and told them they were now brethren, did the same; and both recommended him to the king as) — 04 - PE LIFE UF PONTIAC. Miamis. Everywhere he stirred up the tribes by his resistless eloquence; he was kindling a conflagration more extensive— more disastrous in its consequences than any that yet had swept along the frontier. As soon as he saw the fire burning, he journeyed on to the Mississippi, where he met the Ilinois in council, and compelled them to enlist under his standard. ! From here he proceeded to Fort Chartres, one of the principal = Wrench forts, and, after making a speech to the commandant, i , demanded arms, ammunition and troops. He was refused as ~ kindly as the commandant could do it; but, enraged ana hi still determined, Pontiac had a wampum-belt of extraordinary : i he size constructed, which he placed in the hands of a chosen <2 HE few, with instructions to journey down the Mississippi and = « x Hee display it to the different tribes along the shores. These were = = | to be urged to prevent any English passing up stream. The ~ embassy were then to proceed to New Orleans, and demand ~ assistance of the Governor. ec The growing spirit of hostility among the different indigiag i was greatly increased by two occurrences that became known about this time. In the previous spring, Major Loftus com- — i menced ascending the Mississippi with four hundred regulars, ; ie intending to take possession of Fort Chartres. When about = two hundred and fifty miles above New Orleans, he was fired ihe into by some concealed Indians, and a number of his men ; were slain. In the greatest terror, he retreated to New i ‘ + Orleans, whence he made his way to Pensarola. : es : A short time later, Captain Pitman arrived at New Orleans ~ ang with the intention of ascending to the Illinois; but the reports : ‘ of danger, and the solicitations of friends finally induced him NF to abandon his designs. if * These répulses gave the Indians great confidence, and fee Pontiac’s embassy found their work an easy task among P them. They were greeted with yells of delight, and were ~ t only too: ready to. engage in the bloody work. ‘Arriving at oe New Orleans, they found the place in a great tumult. The — : inhabitants lad learned, but a few weeks before, that France had ceded their town to Spain. A more detested proceeding could not have been inflicted by their Goyernment; and the people were waiting in the momentary expectation of the» _ hated change of masters. = Raa y tp - ae ee git . we ¢ : * x ee ‘ CROGHAN’S EXPEDITION. : 95 D’ Abbadie, the Governor, although on the very brink of — the grave, received the embassy in his council-house, and listened attentively to their message. He replied in a feeble _and trembling voice, endeavoring to soothe their passions, and the council, according to established custom, adjourned until the next day. D’Abbadie died that night, and Aubry, his successor, received the envoys the next morning. After con- ‘doling with their white brother upon their misfortune, a la Miami chief addressed a most cutting speech to the Governor, = accusing his people of lying, and being whipped into submis- sion by the English. He added that they were independent of the French, and only demanded the powder and arms they : had used in their service. Aubry, making a few presents, endeavored to conciliate them; but, when the embassy turned s their faces again up the Mississippi, a deeper hatred than eyer rankled in their hearts. : General Gage, the Commander-in-Chief, was now convinced