Siege of Fort Pitt (jun 22, 1763 – aug 10, 1763)
Description:
An infamous battle of Pontiac's Rebellion. Delaware Native American warriors had surrounded Fort Pitt, demanding that they receive the land that had been stolen from them. The colonists refused, claiming that it was now their home. In response, the Delaware laid siege to the fort. Commander-in-Chief, North America Jeffery Amherst was infuriated by this turn of events, who had previously not thought of the Native Americans to be any threat. He sent a large force to defend the fort, but were intercepted by more Native American warriors and defeated. Running out of options and becoming ever angrier, Amherst demanded the colonists use any means necessary to "Extirpate this Execrable Race," including the intentional infection of smallpox. Though the concept of germs had not been developed yet, they understood that people could become infected by the same disease if they came into contact with something a previous victim had touched. Thus, on June 24 the colonists 'gifted' the Delaware with two blankets received from a smallpox hospital. They had the desired effect; the disease quickly spread not only throughout the Delaware, but to nearby Shawnee villages as well. Despite the fact that Native American populations was fairly spread out over the continent, smallpox was infectious enough to have a large impact. Historians suspect this intentional infection occurred more frequently, but were not documented because of the seriousness of the act.
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