A “Most Troublesome Situation”: The British Military and the Pontiac Indian Uprising of 1763-1764

At the conclusion of the French and Indian War, the triumphant British took possession of a vast area west of the Appalachians in the Great Lakes region that was replete not only with a lucrative fur trade and endless possibilities for colonization but also hostile Indians with lingering loyalties to their former French allies. British strict regulation of the fur trade and perceived arrogance further fueled their resentment, which exploded in 1763 in the violent, sometimes horrifying tribal reaction known as Pontiac’s Uprising.

A “Most Troublesome Situation” focuses on the British military and their response to the Indian uprising inspired by Ottawa Chief Pontiac. Extensive research into the manuscript records of Major General Jeffrey Amherst and Major General Thomas Gage in conjunction with many published sources provide the scholarly underpinnings of this study. The words of British officers and soldiers caught up in battle, as well as those of French habitants and some of the Indians themselves, transport us back into the dramatic episode. Artwork by historical artists Robert Griffing and Gary Zaboly and the use of rare period portraits, prints, and maps further bring this account to vivid life.

“The lessons learned during Pontiac’s War, fought across the vast wilderness of the Great Lakes and the Ohio Country, would influence British policies and tactics in the West for the rest of the eighteenth century. Tim Todish and Todd Harburn present a straightforward narrative account of these soldiers’ activities in the field against an elusive and resilient opponent.” – Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Curator of Maps, William L. Clements Library