In October 1764, Colonel Henry Bouquet moved his army west from Fort Pitt to subdue the last of Pontiac’s rebellious allies and reestablish British authority around the Great Lakes. Bouquet led his 1,500-man force through a dense wilderness that no European army had ever penetrated. Dismayed at the size of Bouquet’s force, the Shawnee hastily pleaded for a peace conference. Finally, in the spring of 1765, British officials reached an accord with tribes in the Illinois Country, the final holdouts of Pontiac’s conspiracy. These agreements, coupled with the Royal Proclamation of 1763, achieved a sort of peace, but it was a temporary fix at best.

In August 1763, England’s Board of Trade replaced General Jeffery Amherst as commander-in-chief of North America with General Thomas Gage, who hoped to crush Pontiac’s rebellion the following summer. However, Sir William Johnson, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, reminded them of the exorbitant cost in men and material required to forcefully subdue the tribes. They reluctantly gave permission to Sir William to first try and buy the peace with presents, and many proud warriors accepted Johnson’s generous terms. But the remorseless Delaware and Shawnee scorned his offers, and Gage ordered Colonel John Bradstreet to proceed to Fort Detroit via Lake Erie, destroying all villages he encountered.

In June 1763, Pontiac’s Rebellion moved east towards the remaining British outposts along the frontier and the settlements just beyond. On June 22, Delaware Chief Turtle’s Heart appeared at the gates of Fort Pitt, the keystone of the region, expressing great friendship and concern for the Brits and begging them to leave before it was too late. Captain Ecuyer, the commander, aware of Pontiac’s Rebellion, declined the offer and the Delaware warriors commenced their siege.