In the dense wilderness of Chestnut Ridge in the Allegheny Mountains, on the 5th and 6th days of August, 1763, displaced Native Americans waged a fierce battle to preserve their way of life. The events of these days would become known as the Battle of Bushy Run, the pivotal battle of the Indian uprising that became known as Pontiac’s War.
Biological Warfare at Fort Pitt
Perhaps for fear of defeat, The Delaware, Mingo, Shawnee and Wyandot had initially declined to participate in Pontiac’s Rebellion. But emboldened by the successful siege laid upon the British Fort Detroit by Ottawa Chief Pontiac and his followers, these indigenous peoples attacked Forts LeBoeuf, Venango, and Presque Isle in Western Pennsylvania. In June of 1763, they began a siege of Fort Pitt. It was during this siege that the first known attempt at biological warfare took place on North American soil. William Trent, Commander of the Pittsburgh Militia wrote in his journal; “we gave them two Blankets and a Handkerchief out of the Small Pox Hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect.”
General Jeffrey Amherst and Colonel Henry Bouquet
With British troops and local settlers trapped in Fort Pitt, General Jeffery Amherst ordered three regiments to break the siege. About 500 British Soldiers, commanded by Colonel Henry Bouquet, left Carlisle, PA on July 18, 1763. At about 1 PM, on August 5, 1763, while in route to Fort Pitt, the British column came under attack. A fierce battle, with heavy casualties on both sides, raged until dark. At nightfall, using sacks of flour intended for the besieged at Fort Pitt, Bouquet’s men built a small fortification for the wounded. Bouquet then wrote the following to General Amherst; “we were attacked on every Side, and the Savages exerted themselves with uncommon Resolution, they were constantly repulsed with Loss. We also suffered Considerably, Capt. Lieut Graham, and Lieut James Mcintosh are killed.”
When the battle resumed the following morning, Bouquet faked a retreat. Two British companies withdrew over Edge Hill and back around the bottom of its base. The Indians advanced and were attacked on their flank. The surviving Native Americans fled in defeat. The British suffered about 50 dead and 60 wounded. Native casualties are unknown but have been estimated at 30 to 60 lost.
Bouquet pressed on to Fort Pitt after the fight only to find that the siege had been abandoned the day before the Battle of Bushy Run. Some historians have speculated that the same Indians who were laying the siege upon Fort Pitt broke off to intercept Bouquet at Bushy Run. Although possible, this would have required a one day, twenty five mile hike.
With Fort Pitt relieved, and although other battles would ensue, momentum turned to favor the British. While Pontiac's War did not officially close until 1766, armed conflict effectively ended in a stalemate in 1764. This stalemate though, was essentially a victory for the British because it preserved colonial domination of the region.
Previous articles: Mary Jemison - White Woman of the Genesee and Dunmore's War
SOURCES
The Struggle for a Continent, Francis Parkman, Pelham Edgar, 1907, Little, Brown, and Co., NY, NY.
The Journal of William Trent, August 5, 1763,The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Col. Henry Bouquet and His Campaigns of 1763 and 1764, Cyrus Cort, 1883, Steinman & Hensel, Westmoreland Co., PA.
Letter from Col. Henry Bouquet to General Jeffery Amherst, August 5, 1763, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
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