Everything about Siege Of Fort Detroit totally explained
» For the action in the War of 1812, see the Siege of Detroit
The
Siege of Fort Detroit was an ultimately unsuccessful attempt by
North American Indians to capture
Fort Detroit during
Pontiac's Rebellion. The
siege was led primarily by
Pontiac, an
Ottawa war leader.
On
April 27,
1763, Pontiac spoke at a council about 10 miles (15 km) south of
Detroit. Using the teachings of
Neolin to inspire his listeners, Pontiac convinced a number of Ottawas,
Ojibwas,
Potawatomis, and
Hurons to join him in an attempt to seize Fort Detroit and drive out the British.
On
May 7, Pontiac entered the fort with about 300 men, armed with weapons hidden under blankets, determined to take the fort by surprise. However, the British commander had apparently been informed of Pontiac's plan, and the garrison of about 120 men was armed and ready. Pontiac withdrew and, two days later, laid siege to the fort. A number of British soldiers and civilians in the area outside the fort were captured or killed; one of the soldiers was ritually
cannibalized, as was the custom in some Great Lakes Indian cultures. The violence was directed only at the British:
French colonists were left alone. Eventually more than 900 Indian warriors from a half-dozen tribes joined the siege.
On
May 28, a supply convoy commanded by Lieutenant
Abraham Cuyler stopped at
Point Pelee on its way to Detroit. Unaware of the ongoing siege, Cuyler and his men made camp without taking extra security precautions. About 200 Indians attacked, killing or capturing 61 of the 96 men of Cuyler's expedition. Those who escaped made their way to
Fort Sandusky, but found it destroyed, and so they returned to
Fort Niagara. The Indians took their captives to Detroit, where they were tortured and mutilated. The bodies were then tossed into the river to float by Fort Detroit, which undermined morale in the fort.
Late in July, British reinforcements arrived at Fort Detroit and, on
July 31,
1763, about 250 men attempted to make a surprise attack on Pontiac’s encampment. Pontiac was ready and waiting, and defeated the British at the
Battle of Bloody Run. However, the situation at the fort remained a stalemate, and Pontiac’s influence among his followers began to wane. Groups of Indians began to abandon the siege, some of them making peace with the British before departing. On
October 31,
1763, finally convinced that the French in Illinois wouldn't come to his aid, Pontiac lifted the siege and removed to the
Maumee River, where he continued his efforts to rally resistance against the British.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Siege Of Fort Detroit'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://siege_of_fort_detroit.totallyexplained.com">Siege of Fort Detroit Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
