Hello and welcome to a history of the United States. Episode 125, Pontiacs War Part 2. In our last episode,

we continued to look at Indian dissatisfaction with the British, moving from the relatively

minor agitation in the Wyoming Valley, as Knesset Farmut farmers moved in to the events in the Great Lakes

and the Ohio. A religious movement which stated that the Indians had fallen off the true path

had grown and birthed a sense of pan-Indianism. The disappearance of New France, Amherst's restrictive trade

policies and continual migration had created a powder keg, finally ignited in May 1763 by an Ottawa

chief named Pontiac. Within two months, the British had lost every

settlement west of Detroit, while the Indians were launching raids deep into Pennsylvania and Virginia.

It took months for the British to realise what was happening, but Amherst had resolved to call together

the provincials to launch a counter-attack in 1764. This moment, at the end of June 1763, is where

we left things at the end of last episode. Amherst's plans necessitated the survival of the three

key British forts, Pittsburgh, Niagara and Detroit. This was all well and good in theory,

but much harder to do in practice. All three settlements struggled from

attacks, lack of food, and general weariness. As more men died in each raid, that left ever fewer

to conduct the defence of the settlements. The British had some success on the diplomatic front, making inroads

with the Iroquois to pull the Seneca's out of the fight, as well as helping in raids against

the Delawares and Chornees. Though Indian Commissioner Sir William Johnson was aware that this would be

meaningless unless Amherst restored the practice of gift giving. Johnson was equally aware that

Amherst would never do this, and so a campaign to undermine the commander-in-chief developed. He wrote extensively to the

Board of Trade and sent his deputy Krogan to London to handle things in person. Johnson's efforts were

quite unnecessary. When reports reached London that, after all the effort that had gone

into securing the American colonies from the French, Amherst had lost the continent to Native

...