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North America

Timberlake Expedition:

On March 3rd, the Timberlake expedition was organized by Colonel Adam Stephen and Thomas Sumter, its purpose was to visit the Cheorkee to verify the end of hostiliess after the Anglo-Cherokee war had come to a head the prior fall. After months of visitation with the Cherokee, admist rumors of war with other tribes to their north, the expedition returned to Virginia along with several Cherokee, arriving in Williamsburg on July 2nd. Cherokee leader Ostenaco expressed interest in visiting the King of England, and it was eventually decided that the party would make the further journey all the way to London, despite concern over the still active war, and arrived in London in mid-August.

The Cherokee were immensely popular in London, and although they were unable to meet with King George II due to his poor health, they did meet personally with the Prince, whereupon their translator described their plight between the colonial settlers and the natives.

Quebecois Deportations:

The acting Governor of Quebec, General John Mordaunt, instated after the recent death of James Murray, like most English at the time, held no love for the French, and in particular more hatred than most after the recent battles to take New France. Several Quebecois, whom he and his picked men had deemed rebellious, were already put in stockades, suffering ill health over the winter, and some few not making it to spring. He pestered Amherst, who was busy planning for the Caribbean campaigns, for ships to deport what he described as the worst of the French, just as had been done to the Acadians in the prior years.

Finally relenting, Amherst allocated several transport ships, though not nearly as many as Mordaunt had hoped, to service the task of deporting only a small part of the Quebecois population back to France (as deportation to the Colonies and Britain had been disallowed). This combined with what merchant ships from the colonies as could be commandeered for this purpose resulting in over 4,000 Quebecois being deported in 1762 alone, beginning in Mid April as soon as the thawing ice allowed it.

Upon receipt of the refugees, and word arriving in Versailles in mid June, the French government issued a protest, though with the war did not expect much to occur in response. Never-the-less the diplomatic missive was received in London in August, and declared it would be taken into consideration.

Colonial Militia Act:

This act was an order from Parliament for the raising and training of nearly 4,000 Colonial troops into the more properly trained Militias that would serve to bolster the already stretched forces of the British army in the Caribbean campaigns of 1762. This was another reason Amherst was loathe to allow many transports to Mordaunt for deportations as they were in need for taking these forces south against French and Spanish holdings.

After the recent Anglo-Cherokee war, and amid renewed stirring of native unrest in the Ohio Valley and eastern borders, many of the colonials were voicing their dissent over the conscription ordered without their consent. They equally lamented the weakness in defending their homes from native attack this might cause.

The supplemental militia forces were drafted and training in the spring and sailed off on British transports at the first of the summer destined for French and Spanish held islands in Caribbean.

Native American Responses:

Amherst had happily implemented Parliaments order to cut down on expenses by terminating all gift policies with the Native Americans, even though that was not explicitly mentioned. Sir William Johnson, the superintendent of Indian affairs had warned what outcome this might result in, but was ignored. Amherst felt further justified by his actions after the Anglo-Cherokee war had finally come to a close. A significant factor contributing in its end was the lack of gunpowder and ammunition being traded to them by the restriction that had been put in place.

Despite rumors of discontent among the western tribes during the last year, Amherst was required to focus on providing for the Caribbean campaigns.

The Natives of the Great Lakes and Ohio River valley first considered the reduction of gifts by the British an insult in comparison to prior dealing and then the outright termination of those gifts the prior year an intolerable offense.

Pontiac, a Chief of the Ottawa, and Guyasuta a leader of the Seneca and Mingo tribes advocated preparing for war, and had been sending war belts to several of the tribes in the area. When the French seemed disinclined to offer much help after their defeat, and the gifts were terminated, renewed war seemed an inevitable conclusion.

The Illinois and Ohio Rebellion:

In late summer of 1762, several tribes in the Great Lakes, Illinois and Ohio country rose in rebellion against the British and settlers in the area. Among them were the Ottawa, Ojibwa, Potawatoni, Huron, Miami, Wea, Kickapoo, Mascoulten, Piankashaw, Delaware, Shawnee, Wyandot, Mingo, and Senaca. The Iroquois tribes (apart from the Senaca) maintained their alliance with the British.


The first British fort to fall was Ft. Detroit on July 20th, generally marked as the beginning of the outbreak. Over the rest of the summer and fall, raids would defeat and burn down Ft. Michilimakinac, Ft. St. Joseph, Ft. Miami, Ft. Ouiatenon, Ft. Sandusky, Ft, Presque Isle, Ft. Le Boeuf, and Ft. Venango. Ft. Niagra, Ft. Pitt and Ft. Ligonier would also be attacked but succeeding in repulsing the assaults.

The Native tribes killed numerous British soldiers and settlers including women and children, but left French colonists alone in the hopes that the French soldiers would come to their aid once more. Settlements in western Pennsylvania, the Susquehanna River in New York, and the Greenbrier and Jackson River settlements in western Virginia also faced numerous raids.

The Battle of Standing Stone Creek

A 500 strong British and Pennsylvania militia counter-attack met an unknown number of Native forces of the Lenape, Shawnee and Mingo tribes near Standing Stone Creek northeast of Ft. Bedford, on September 8th.

Battle Results:
British and Militia forces: ~40 casualties
Native Forces: ~74 dead and wounded.

Decisive British and Militia victory

With reinforcements from Ft. Bedford the British and Militia force marched onward to relieve Ft. Lingonier while other British reinforcement’s forces converged toward Ft. Pitt, forcing the Natives to abandon their sieges of the forts.

While during the fall, the British and Colonial forces would lessen the raids with increased patrols before the lull of winter, a concerted effort to counter-attack the Native Forces would not be brought about until the following year.

London would hear word of the Native Rebellion by early November. The Native Rebellion, possibly combined with the words of the Timberlake expedition, resulting in the issuance of the Royal Proclamation of December 1762, wherein further expansion on the part of colonial settlers west the Appalachian Mountains was to be suspended until further notice. This proclamation would be further expounded upon after the end of the current war established final determination of territorial changes. The colonials would not widely hear of the Proclamation until the spring of 1763, adding it to their growing list of grievances.