Vanished Worlds, Enduring People

William Smith. An Historical Account of the Expedition against the Ohio Indians Under the Command of Henry Bouquet. London: T. Jefferies, 1766. [view first image] | [view second image]

Colonel Henry Bouquet (1719-1765) defended Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania during the first year of Ottawa leader Pontiac’s uprising in 1763. In April of that year, Pontiac and his allies had coordinated successful attacks on several British forts, terrifying soldiers and settlers alike. They did not succeed in taking Fort Pitt. In 1764, the British mounted a successful campaign, under Bouquet’s leadership, against the Delawares (Lenni Lenape), Shawnees, and Senecas still holding out in Ohio. Smith served with Bouquet during his campaign.

The first illustration, after the work of noted artist Benjamin West, shows Bouquet and tribal representatives meeting to draw up the terms of disengagement. The belts of wampum in the delegate’s hand were customary parts of important occasions such as this one.