The Great American-Indian War: A Pontiac's Rebellion Timeline

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

Chapter Six: The Proclamation of 1763 and Royal Response to the Rebellion

Map showing the Proclamation of 1763 separating the American colonies from British controlled Indian lands.
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Even years before the French and Indian War had begun, British and American officials both in the colonies and in London discussed what they should do with the lands west of the Appalachians. For politicians in London, the land was seen as a source of future taxation and prestige for the empire. For the fur industry, the lands were seen as a gold mine not of minerals, but of an untapped resource filled to the brim with animals waiting to become expensive hats and coats. To the colonial gentry such as Virginian George Washington, the West was a place that could boost social standing and political power. And to the average farmer-immigrant of North America it was a modest future of happiness and self-sufficiency awaiting their family. All had the same goal, but at the same time their goals all conflicted. Hell, it would be these conflicting goals and agendas that had started the French and Indian War nine years earlier when Virginia's colonial government sent George Washington and his militia to across the Appalachians to gain the Ohio Valley for their colony's aristocrats before the French, or even worse, Pennsylvanian farmers could claim it. And finally, the war had been won, the French driven off the continent, and the spoils of the West was there for the taking. Unfortunately, however, none in the colonies would reap the spoils for London had other plans.

In October of 1763, Parliament had decided to address what to do with the spoils of war, and they did not seek the opinions of the colonies when they did it. First off, they prevented the expansion of Georgia southward by making Florida into a separate colony. Secondly, they angered the colonial assemblies of New York and New England by making Canada its own separate colony as well. Most importantly however, they created the Proclamation line along the Appalachian Mountains. Everything West was off limits to American settlers. All contracts created by colonial assemblies for land deeds west of the line were null and void. And although the Fur Trade was allowed, it was now required that you did it west of the Proclamation line, you must acquire a royal license to do so (an pay the fee that came along with it). With its announcement, the Proclamation of 1763 had dashed away many people's dreams and replaced them with anger, protest, and in some cases, outright violence.

British Parliament had meant well by their decision. They had hoped such a Proclamation would appease Native Americans and deescalate the crisis on the frontier. The treasury was almost broke and after nine years of war the British government couldn't afford a long war with the Native tribes. The empire needed peace and time to financially recover. It was also hoped that the British government could financially benefit from the Proclamation. The licenses for the fur trade would fill British coffers and without being able to expand westward, settlers would have to move north or south to Florida or Canada, places that needed a larger English presence.

The proclamation was not the only decision the British had made. General Jeffery Amherst was sacked and sent back to London. In his place Thomas Gage was put in command. Indian Agent Sir William Johnson was promoted as well. The two were ordered to provide the carrot and stick to the Native Americans. William Johnson would meet with the Iroquois and persuade them to fight against the other tribes. General Gage prepared two expeditions; one from Philadelphia to march West and subjugate the Ohio and another from Montreal to move into the Great Lakes. Unfortunately, however for the British, although on paper this idea was good, in practice it would fail. With defeats in Pennsylvania and Virginia, colonial militias refused to leave their homes and muster. The Iroquois were hesitant to join the war, not only because their Seneca cousins were fighting against the British, but because Pontiac would bring the full weight of the Great Lakes east with him next spring. And finally in the winter of 1763-1764 a group of Pennsylvanians known as the Paxton Boys would bring civil war to the Middle Colonies...... and the Middle Colonies would burn.

 

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

Chapter Seven: The Paxton Boys Rebellion

Drawing of the Conestoga Massacre, where the Paxton Boys brutally murdered peaceful Susquehannock Indians.
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With the Native American rebellion decimating the frontier and the defeat of British forces at Bushy Run and Fort Pitt, Pennsylvanians along the rural settlements of the Susquehanna and Juniata River valleys were both scared and outraged. This fear and anger were not something new, however. At the beginning of the French and Indian War, the colony's frontier witnessed similar levels of devastation. At the time the colonial government did nothing to help the Pennsylvanian frontiersmen. Originally the colony of Pennsylvania were run by English Quakers, who were pacifists and unwilling to support the mostly Lutheran Germans and Scot Irish Presbyterians that had settled up against the Appalachians. Eventually due to pressure from the British government the Quakers had relinquished control of the colonial legislature. But it had led to a permanent mistrust between Philadelphia and the frontier, which now was worse than ever due to ongoing events.

The Quakers (as well as Moravians) had always strived to maintain peaceful, if paternalistic relations with the Natives. They had even succeeded in persuading hundreds of Native Americans to assimilate into white culture, with several towns and farms in Eastern Pennsylvania being inhabited by mostly Susquehannock and Delaware Indians. They paid taxes, followed colonial laws, spoke English, and had even converted to Christianity. But to the frontiersmen of Pennsylvania, who had faced years of raids, death, and destruction, assimilation meant little to them. Fear and prejudice had gotten the better of them, and the settlers of central Pennsylvania wanted retribution. All Natives and their Quaker allies were guilty to many and this would culminate in the creation of a militant group known as the Paxton Boys.

The Paxton Boys were founded by Presbyterian minister John "Fighting Parson" Elder. Elder and many of his followers were settled along the east bank of the Dauphin River in the community known as Paxtang. Originally his group was created as a militia meant to defend his community from Native American attack. However, with refugees heading East after the fall of Fort Pitt and Philadelphia either unwilling or unable to provide extra troops or supplies, his group decided to take matters into their own hands to force action by confronting the Quakers and their peaceful Native American friends.

On December 14th, 1763 the Paxton Boys attacked the Susquehannock town of Conestoga. They were looking for the Susquehannock leader Tenseedagua (Will Sock) under unsubstantiated claims of him being a spy for the attacking Indian tribes. Will Sock and 14 others of his tribe had been away at the time of the attack, but six Susquehannock were killed and the town was burned. Sock and the survivors took refuge in the town of Lancaster at the local poor/workhouse. Two weeks later however, John Elder and his men arrived in Lancaster, broke into the house, and killed the remaining Susquehannock.

After the Conestoga Massacre, the remaining Quakers, Indians, and Moravians in the countryside fled to the city of Philadelphia for protection. In February of 1763, with winter coming to a close and knowing that Indian raids would pick up again in the spring, the Paxton Boys decided to take one more action to force Philadelphia to address their concerns. Led by John Elder and given additional support from refugees after the fall of Fort Pitt, 500 armed men marched on the city of Philadelphia. Although their actions had gained support in the countryside, the Paxton Boys had hardened Philadelphia's opinion of them. John Penn, governor of the colony declared the Paxton Boys as outlaws and ordered local citizen, businessman, scientist, and celebrity Benjamin Franklin to organize a militia to defend the city. In response Franklin raised 6 companies of infantry, 1 company of artillery, and 2 companies of cavalry.

The two sides would meet outside of Philadelphia in the town of Germantown on February 7th, 1764. Not wanting to engage in a major battle and now fully realizing the consequences of his actions, John Elder decided to engage in negotiation at first and it looked like the situation could have been deescalated. What happened next however is not entirely clear. There are multiple accounts, numerous witnesses telling completely different stories as to who shot first. All that is known is that during negotiations a gun shot went off, followed by second, and within a moment everyone started shooting each other on the main street of Germantown. Benjamin Franklin was one of the first to die, receiving several musket balls to the chest.

Although strong in size, the citizen militia of Philadelphia lacked the experience in fighting that the frontiersmen and Paxton Boys had. With their leader dead and chaos taking over, the Philadelphia militia routed, taken several dozen killed and several dozen captured. John Elder and his men chose not to chase the Philadelphians and decided to order his men home. He did immediately send several riders to New York to report his account of events to General Thomas Gage, hoping to change the minds of the British and force the colony of Pennsylvania to give into his demands. Upon routing, chaos broke out in the city of Philadelphia. The death of Franklin and fears of the Paxton Boys led to riots throughout the city. Once called the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia citizens began tracking down Indians hiding in the town. Vandalism and theft overnight became rampant, gun fights broke out on the streets, and then a fire started. Within hours the entire city of Philadelphia was in flames and by morning most of it was a complete pile of ash.

Although the colony of Pennsylvania on paper still existed, in reality it was no more. The destruction of Philadelphia drove all the leadership out of the colony, and the frontier was under the control of outlaw militias. It was anarchy.

 

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

Chapter Eight: The Cherokee Join the War

Drawing of Cherokee warriors preparing an ambush against South Carolina colonists.
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Although South Carolina officials managed to avoid war with Cherokee Tribe in 1758, since then relations with the tribe had only gotten worse. The partial gunpowder embargo had built much resentment among the Cherokee towards the British. When South Carolina officials received news of the Indian rebellion in the North, they quickly turned the partial embargo into a full embargo, further angering the Cherokee. Moderate chiefs in the Cherokee tribe quickly lost influence among their people and militant chiefs such as Standing Turkey began to assert control of Cherokee foreign policy. As news of the success of the tribes of the Ohio and Great Lakes spread southward, the Cherokee finally became emboldened enough to face the British and in March of 1764, they joined the war.

Although under Governor Lyttleton the colony of South Carolina had been prepared for war, Governor Lyttleton had been promoted to Royal Governor of Jamaica in 1760. His successor, Governor Thomas Boone was the personification of arrogance and incompetence, both of which would cause South Carolina to be completely unprepared for a war with the Cherokee. Upon arrival in 1761, Boone almost immediately alienated all goodwill and support from the colonial assembly by dissolving the assembly over an argument about assemblyman Christopher Gadsden's election. He further angered the assembly by refusing to accept their authority on electoral matters, claiming his appointment by the king is the only authority the colony needed.

As a result, from 1761 to 1764 the colony of South Carolina's assembly refused to work with the Boone administration. They did not even meet to create a budget for the colony or create taxes to fund the Governor's staff. Due to this gridlock the colony of was severely underfunded. Frontier forts were not maintained, a milita was not at the ready to deal with threats, and although news of Cherokee preparations began reaching Charleston, the Governor did nothing to address the issue. To make matters worse, there were almost no British regulars in the Southern colonies, due to the fighting happening in the North.

In March of 1764, the majority of the Cherokee Chiefs at a war council agreed to go to war. 800 Cherokee warriors under Standing Turkey advanced upon South Carolina, while another 800 Cherokees would raid into North Carolina. Although low on gunpowder, the Cherokee early on in the fight would have the advantage in numbers and hoped through raiding could acquire more gunpowder. On March 10th, Fort Ninety Six, a small walled trading post with a garrison of about two dozen militia would fall. On the same day, Fort Loudon in North Carolina would fall as well. Fort Dobbs in North Carolina would be besieged later in the month but would hold out. Fort Prince George fell on March 20th.

The fall of 3 out of 4 of the main forts in the Western Carolinas opened up both colonies to severe raids. South Carolina in particular would face attacks on all of its frontier communities from Standing Turkey's men. In Charleston, a mob formed outside of the Governor's mansion after colonial assemblymen gave speeches on the streets of the city blaming the governor for these events. Fearing for his life and wanting to get back to London to prevent being blamed, Governor Boone would resign and set sail on March 28th. Native South Carolinian William Bull II would be named acting governor and he would quickly organize a militia with the help of the assembly to face the Cherokee threat.

By April 10th, a 1,000 man militia had been assembled outside of Camden. Having found what they believed was Standing Turkey's army, Bull would give chase to the Indian force outside of Granby, fighting a several day running battle as his men pressed Standing Turkey's forces westward. Unbeknownst to Bull however, Standing Turkey was deceiving Bull. He only had 200 men with him and was merely keeping the South Carolinians occupied. His other 600 men had split up into 12 groups of 50 and went separate ways into central South Carolina. On April 16th, Standing Turkey's main forced retreated into the woods near the burnt ruins of Ninety-Six after finally being caught up to and routed by Bull's army. Bull thought he had driven the Indians out of Carolina. As a matter of fact it turns out his men had even managed to shoot and kill Standing Turkey before he could get away. However, news would soon reach him from the east. Dozens of plantations in central South Carolina were being attacked..... and slaves were being armed.

 

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

Author's Note:

1) Thank you all so much for taking a interest in my timeline. This is something I have been interested in for a couple years now, and it's nice to finally have the time, energy, and courage to write this out.

2) All feedback and questions is greatly appreciated, even if it's in the form of criticism. The more people reply, the more excited I get. Discussions are just as fun as the actual writing.

3) I know it is slightly hard to believe that the Native Americans could get this lucky up to this point, but the truth is the British and American colonies were in a really shitty position in the early 1760s. I've only put in 3 pods and a lot of the stuff that I have written that comes off as unbelievable actually happened in otl. That being said from this point on it's mostly going to be butterflies instead of otl.

4) I will post my sources that I have been using to write this in the next few days.

5) Should I put more detail into my posts? I feel like I'm not going into detail enough in each chapter. But at the same time, I don't want them to get too long that they are a drag to read and take forever to type. Also, at the same time I feel like if I don't go into more detail, my posts and butterflies come off as less believable.

 

[Mayukh]

Dozens of plantations in central South Carolina were being attacked..... and slaves were being armed.

It is based of OTLs what?

 

[GuildedAgeNostalgia]

It is based of OTLs what?

The idea of a Native American slave revolt is a butterfly that I am cautiously pursuing, as is postponement of the Anglo-Cherokee War until 1764. However, the utter incompetence of Governor Thomas Boone was something that happened in otl as well as Chief Standing Turkey being a pretty smart war leader in otl.

 

[Fratsup]

It's nice having a native American timeline. Keep up the good work.

 

[twovultures]

The idea of a Native American slave revolt is a butterfly that I am cautiously perusing, as is postponement of the Anglo-Cherokee War until 1764. However, the utter incompetence of Governor Thomas Boone was something that happened in otl as well as Chief Standing Turkey being a pretty smart war leader in otl.

A Native-inspired slave revolt is an interesting idea. According to Cozzen's A Brutal Reckoning, the Cherokee IOTL captured enslaved Africans from raids and kept them enslaved (ironically, resulting in the initially anti-colonialist Chickamauga faction having a stake in the plantation economy and so becoming pro-American). However, given the powder embargo, I think it is plausible that Cherokee warriors might decide that they don't have the force of arms to keep captured slaves under control, so in the interest of winning the war, they let them go to do their own thing (revolt) or recruit them as fighters.

Given that an enslaved African named Onesimus apparently introduced variolation to the US, I wonder if the Cherokee might get that knowledge ITTL. It's worth looking into if you're looking for butterflies to give Natives an edge!

 

[Geekhis Khan]

Ha! Take that, my ancestors...err...waitaminute......

In all seriousness, great start. Very curious to see where this all goes.

 

[Xenophonte]

I'm very surprised that this giant buterfly trigger wouldn't have had attracted more attention!...

Benjamin Franklin was one of the first to die, receiving several musket balls to the chest.

Cause,imo, even disregarding the effects and consequences from the cascading serie of events, the killinsed of Ben Franklin, a figure known and respected across the Colonies, and specifically the way in that it happened, would be likely to cause an uproar and a demand for that the responsibles been punished.

As a matter of fact it turns out his men had even managed to shoot and kill Standing Turkey before he could get away.

I'd assume that, even if this would be probable to provide to the Colonials a short respite, that once that the the Cherokees would mange to elect/chose a new war chief/leader, that the Native incursions would resume increased...

However, news would soon reach him from the east. Dozens of plantations in central South Carolina were being attacked..... and slaves were being armed.

This, would indeed let to the whole Southern Colonies but mainly to the Planters elite utter terrified and if this would spread to a full blown slave revolt... I think probable that it would increase tenfold the already strong pressures to both Carolinas colonial authorities to recruit and assemble strong enough militias forces and help calls to the British military command in N. America, for deal with the dual menace of the ongoing war with the Natives and possibly with the Slaves rebellion...
Also, I think that if so and a full rebellion would start and spread alongside to the ongoing war, it besides to possibly make the situation even more grimmer for both the London and the Colonial governments, it perhaps could end involving to the Florida Black Seminoles/Maroons...

 

[TheLoneAmigo]

This is an incredible TL and I'm watching with deep interest.

 

[generalurist]

Dang a civil war in the colonies is not what I expected- then I look at the Paxton Boys wikipedia article and discover that nearly happened OTL. Between that and the incompetence in South Carolina, parts of the colonies look like rotten edifices just waiting to be knocked down.

It's fascinating, the disconnect between a governing elite (all the way up to the King) that are paternalistic and looking to make concessions in hopes of piece, and the frontiersmen themselves who see fighting already going on and are dead certain it's an existential struggle. So long as this disconnect is there the British resistance will be badly hampered. One wonders how long until all the whites finally get on the same page.

5) Should I put more detail into my posts? I feel like I'm not going into detail enough in each chapter. But at the same time, I don't want them to get too long that they are a drag to read and take forever to type. Also, at the same time I feel like if I don't go into more detail, my posts and butterflies come off as less believable.

I'd say the current level of detail and update length is pretty good. It gives the reader a good idea of what's going on without getting too caught up in the nitty gritty. That said for particularly important or unlikely military engagements or political events going into a little more detail to explain just how the curveball happens is a good idea.

 

[Sarufiyyun]

This is all so awesome! I look forward to more!

 

[Aluma]

Awesome timeline, cant wait to see moar

 

[King of the Uzbeks]

Benjamin Franklin was one of the first to die, receiving several musket balls to the chest.

oh

 

[BELFAST]

slaves being armed?
By the Indians or by the slave owners?
I suspect by the slave owners.

 

[Mayukh]

slaves being armed?
By the Indians or by the slave owners?
I suspect by the slave owners.

However, news would soon reach him from the east. Dozens of plantations in central South Carolina were being attacked..... and slaves were being armed.

I dont think the Slave owners would willingly attack themselves...
Also there's this...

His other 600 men had split up into 12 groups of 50 and went separate ways into central South Carolina.

What are they doing there and not fighting at the major battle at Granby if not arming the slaves?

 

[PGSBHurricane]

The Cherokee are unfortunately overlooked in the context of the Seven Years' War, so it's nice to see them get the spotlight here.

 

[Sarufiyyun]

Any chance that something might happen in British Florida? As early as the late 1600s, the Spanish encouraged African escapees to settle in their lands in exchange for protecting Spanish interests in St. Augustine. Some refused military service and lived in the wilderness. Any chance that these Floridan Maroons would help the slave revolts and the Cherokee?

 

[generalurist]

One question: Where would the natives find the weapons with which to arm the slaves? Modern arms would be in quite short supply even for their own forces I'd expect.