Chapter 2: The Ohio Front
“The friend of my enemy is friend.”
Children of the Plains of Abraham
While France did manage to send some supplies and regular troops to New France, it was not enough. Not only did the British navy make sending large amounts of supplies difficult but the French war plan placed more importance upon the European theatre. It was clear to the Duke of Lévis and the Marquis of Vaudreuil that they could not maintain the
status quo. They had to knock the British off balance and focus their attention away from Québec. The two men formulated a plan, the Duke of Lévis would maintain the French regulars and most of the militia and continue to fortify and defend their position. While the Marquis of Vaundreuil would take the rest of the militia and the allied Amerindian warriors secretly into the occupied Ohio County and attempt to convince the Amerindians there that attacking British supply lines were in their best interest. The goal of this plan was not to gain victory in the American theatre but to force a perpetual stalemate until the European theatre ended.
Once in the Ohio Country, the Marquis of Vaundreuil met with an Odawa chief named Pontiac[a] who was already attempting to rally men to fight against the British. Pontiac was not overly enthusiastic about working with Europeans, but the French had always been the lesser of two evils. The alternative was uncontested British control in the region, Pontiac and the Marquis of Vaundreuil easily reached an agreement to work together. There was, however, one issue. The Marquis of Vaundreuil promised French aid and supplies to those who helped them, the catch was that to get the aid the participating tribes had to work together as an organized force. The Marquis of Vaudreuil knew that this condition would be contentious and difficult as it was not how the Amerindians were used to conducting warfare. But he also knew that a disorganized force had little chance of succeeding any goal against the British.
Luckily, the Amerindian tribes did not want financial support, France did not have the monetary resources to give them. Manufactured goods, weapons, and a promise of protection was enough for most. At first, most tribes would not agree to follow a central organization, but eventually most came to follow Pontiac as war chief with the Marquis of Vaudreuil working as an adviser and liaison to the French. It would be the small initial successes that Pontiac’s warriors would have in their raids that would draw more tribes under his leadership. Communication between the tribes was difficult and led to several problems with organizing battles and ambushes.
The raids did little physical damage to the British force; however, they would be considered a success. Attacks on the supply routes meant that British forces had to maintain almost constant access to the navy when operating in New France. And because many raids were conducted behind the front line the British colonials demanded more protection. Shortly after Pontiac and the Marquis of Vaundreuil began their raids on British behind the lines, Major General Baron of Amherst decided that the British were no longer going to negotiate with “Indian Terms
”. The periodic gifts that the Amerindians saw as integral to treaties ceased, even those given to the Iroquois. Maj. Gen Amherst also made use of a plan intended to attack the Amerindian population through use of disease. Under his orders blankets were taken from a small pox hospital and were traded to Delaware and Shawnee villages. As a result, a small pox epidemic broke out in those two tribes decimating their population.
While the Iroquois were officially allied with the British, many Seneca fought separately for the French. These Seneca did not join Pontiac’s forces as they were already fighting the British and it was feared that if members of one of the Iroquois nations did join it would keep other tribes from joining. The Marquis of Vaudreuil would work on a separate deal with these Seneca; war chief Cornplanter[c] would lead any warriors from the Iroquois against the British coordinating with Pontiac indirectly through the Marquis of Vaudreuil and his aids. Meanwhile, Cornplanter’s uncle, Guyasuta[d], would travel between the different Iroquois nations recruiting more warriors for their cause. The six nations would officially stay allied to the British despite Guyasuta’s attempts to sway them, most fear retribution from the British if they did change sides. But there were many individuals from each nation willing to join. Many felt that when the Baron of Amherst ceased the gifts, he ended the alliance, yet he still expected the Iroquois to still supply warriors to the war. They were also insulted by the British’s apparent lack of being able to distinguish between members of the Iroquois and other Amerindians.
The Marquis of Vaudreuil, Pontiac, and Cornplanter’s actions did succeed in placing Québec out of reach, but it did not ensure that New France was safe. British forces still traveled in the occupied zones, and there was still the threat of the British navy. The Duke of Lévis tried to focus his efforts on defense but he could not avoid all engagements so he tried to spread the British thin making them fight everywhere from Newfoundland to Ohio. When the French did engage the British in skirmishes it was usually a loss.
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Footnotes
a. Obwandiyag
b. Meaning that they would treat the Amerindian tribes as Europeans countries when negotiating, more so than they already did (i.e. no more gift-giving, treaty renewals, etc.)
c. gaiänt’wakê, John Abeel III
d. kayahsotaˀ
)