Pierre-Philippe Potier

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Chapter 1 of A Chronicle of the Pontiac War THE TIMES AND THE MEN there was rejoicing throughout the thirteen colonies in the month of september seventeen sixty when news arrived of the capitulation of montreal bonfires flamed forth and prayers were offered up in the churches and meeting-houses in gratitude for deliverance from a foe that for over a hundred years had harried and had caused the indians to harry the frontier settlements the french armies were defeated by land the french fleets were beaten at sea the troops of the enemy had been removed from north america and so powerless was france on the ocean that even if success should crown her arms on the european continent where the seven years war was still raging it would be impossible for her to transport a new force to america the principal french forts in america were occupied by british troops louisbourg had been razed to the ground the british flag waved over quebec montreal and niagara and was soon to be raised on all the lesser forts in the territory known as canada the mississippi valley from the illinois river southward alone remained to france vincennes on the wabish and fort chartres on the mississippi were the only posts in the hinterland occupied by french troops these posts were under the government of louisiana but even these the american colonies were prepared to claim basing the right on their sea-to-sea charters the british in america had found the strip of land between the alganys and the atlantic far too narrow for a rapidly increasing population but their advance westward had been barred by the french now praise the lord the french were out of the way and american traders and settlers could exploit the profitable fur fields and the rich agricultural lands of the region beyond the mountains true the indians were there but these were not regarded as formidable foes there was no longer any occasion to consider the indians so thought the colonists and the british officers in america the red men had been a force to be reckoned with only because the french had supplied them with the sinews of war but they might now be treated like other denizens of the forest the bears the wolves and the wildcats for this mistaken policy the british colonies were to pay a heavy price the french and the indians save for one exception had been on terms of amity from the beginning the reason for this was that the french had treated the indians with studied kindness the one exception was the iroquois league or six nations champlain in the first years of his residence at quebec had joined the agonquins and hurons in an attack on them which they never forgot and in spite of the noble efforts of the french missionaries and a lavish bestowal of gifts the iroquois thorn remained in the side of new france but with the other Indian tribes the French worked hand in hand, with the cross and the priest ever in advance of the trader's pack.

French missionaries were the first white men to settle in the populous Huron country near Lake Simcoe.

A missionary was the first European to catch a glimpse of Georgian Bay, and a missionary was possibly the first of the French race to launch his canoe on the lordly Mississippi.

as a father the priest watched over his wilderness flock while the french traders fraternized with the red men and often mated with dusky beauties many french traders according to sir william johnson a good authority of whom we shall learn more later were gentlemen in manners character and dress and they treated the natives kindly at the great centres of trade montreal three rivers and quebec the chiefs were royally received with roll of the drum and salute of guns the governor himself the big mountain as they called him would extend to them a welcoming hand and take part in their feasting and councils at the inland trading posts the indians were given goods for their winter hunts on credit and loaded with presents by the officials to such an extent did the custom of giving presents prevail that it became a heavy tax on the treasury of france insignificant however compared with the alternative of keeping in hinterland an armed force the indians too had fought side by side with the french in many notable engagements they had aided montcalm and had assisted in such triumphs as the defeat of braddock they were not only friends of the french they were sword companions the british colonists could not of course entertain friendly feelings towards the tribes which sided with their enemies and often devastated their homes and murdered their people but it must be admitted that from the first the british in america were far behind the french in christian-like conduct towards the native races the colonial traders generally despised the indians and treated them as of a commercial value only as gatherers of pelts and held their lives in little more esteem than the lives of the animals that yielded the pelts the missionary zeal of england compared with that of new france was exceedingly mild rum was a leading article of trade the indians were often cheated out of their furs in some instances they were slain and their packs stolen sir william johnson described the british traders as men of no zeal or capacity men who even sacrificed the credit of the nation to the basest purposes there were exceptions of course in such men as alexander henry and johnson himself who besides being a wise official and a successful military commander was one of the leading traders no sooner was new france vanquished than the british began building new forts and blockhouses in the hinterland footnote by the hinterland is meant of course the regions beyond the zone of settlement roughly all west of montreal and the alleghanies footnote since the french were no longer to be reckoned with why were these forts needed evidently the indians thought to keep the red children in subjection and to deprive them of their hunting grounds the gardens they saw in cultivation about the forts were to them the forerunners of general settlement the french had been content with trade the british appropriated lands for farming and the coming of the white settler meant the disappearance of game indian chiefs saw in these forts and cultivated strips of land a desire to exterminate the red man and steal his territory and they were not far wrong Outside influences as well were at work among the Indians.

Soon after the French armies departed, the inhabitants along the St. Lawrence had learned to welcome the change of government.

They were left to cultivate their farms in peace.

The weakly manned forts containing the white man's provisions, ammunition, and trader's supplies were an attractive lure to these savages.

Chapter 1 of A Chronicle of the Pontiac War.

THE TIMES AND THE MEN there was rejoicing throughout the thirteen colonies in the month of september seventeen sixty when news arrived of the capitulation of montreal bonfires flamed forth and prayers were offered up in the churches and meeting-houses in gratitude for deliverance from a foe that for over a hundred years had harried and had caused the indians to harry the frontier settlements the french armies were defeated by land the french fleets were beaten at sea the troops of the enemy had been removed from north america and so powerless was france on the ocean that even if success should crown her arms on the european continent where the seven years war was still raging it would be impossible for her to transport a new force to america the principal french forts in america were occupied by british troops louisbourg had been razed to the ground the british flag waved over quebec montreal and niagara and was soon to be raised on all the lesser forts in the territory known as canada the mississippi valley from the illinois river southward alone remained to france vincennes on the wabish and fort chartres on the mississippi were the only posts in the hinterland occupied by french troops these posts were under the government of louisiana but even these the american colonies were prepared to claim basing the right on their sea-to-sea charters the british in america had found the strip of land between the alganys and the atlantic far too narrow for a rapidly increasing population but their advance westward had been barred by the french now praise the lord the french were out of the way and american traders and settlers could exploit the profitable fur fields and the rich agricultural lands of the region beyond the mountains true the indians were there but these were not regarded as formidable foes there was no longer any occasion to consider the indians so thought the colonists and the british officers in america the red men had been a force to be reckoned with only because the french had supplied them with the sinews of war but they might now be treated like other denizens of the forest the bears the wolves and the wildcats for this mistaken policy the british colonies were to pay a heavy price the french and the indians save for one exception had been on terms of amity from the beginning the reason for this was that the french had treated the indians with studied kindness the one exception was the iroquois league or six nations champlain in the first years of his residence at quebec had joined the agonquins and hurons in an attack on them which they never forgot and in spite of the noble efforts of the french missionaries and a lavish bestowal of gifts the iroquois thorn remained in the side of new france but with the other Indian tribes the French worked hand in hand, with the cross and the priest ever in advance of the trader's pack.

French missionaries were the first white men to settle in the populous Huron country near Lake Simcoe.

A missionary was the first European to catch a glimpse of Georgian Bay, and a missionary was possibly the first of the French race to launch his canoe on the lordly Mississippi.

as a father the priest watched over his wilderness flock while the french traders fraternized with the red men and often mated with dusky beauties many french traders according to sir william johnson a good authority of whom we shall learn more later were gentlemen in manners character and dress and they treated the natives kindly at the great centres of trade montreal three rivers and quebec the chiefs were royally received with roll of the drum and salute of guns the governor himself the big mountain as they called him would extend to them a welcoming hand and take part in their feasting and councils at the inland trading posts the indians were given goods for their winter hunts on credit and loaded with presents by the officials to such an extent did the custom of giving presents prevail that it became a heavy tax on the treasury of france insignificant however compared with the alternative of keeping in hinterland an armed force the indians too had fought side by side with the french in many notable engagements they had aided montcalm and had assisted in such triumphs as the defeat of braddock they were not only friends of the french they were sword companions the british colonists could not of course entertain friendly feelings towards the tribes which sided with their enemies and often devastated their homes and murdered their people but it must be admitted that from the first the british in america were far behind the french in christian-like conduct towards the native races the colonial traders generally despised the indians and treated them as of a commercial value only as gatherers of pelts and held their lives in little more esteem than the lives of the animals that yielded the pelts The missionary zeal of England, compared with that of New France, was exceedingly mild.

Rum was a leading article of trade.

The Indians were often cheated out of their furs.

The weakly manned forts containing the white man's provisions, ammunition, and trader's supplies were an attractive lure to these savages.