Following Pontiac’s attack on Fort Detroit, word quickly spread to Indian villages across the region and other tribes followed suit. On May 16, Wyandot warriors approached Fort Sandusky, on the south shore of Lake Erie, and asked to smoke a peace pipe with the commandant, Ensign Paully. Unaware of the rebellion and on friendly terms with the Wyandots, Paully opened the gates and the warriors massacred the fifteen-man garrison. Similar stories began to unfold throughout the region.

Pontiac, an Ottawa war chief, launched his rebellion in May 1763 when he attacked Fort Detroit and its 120-man garrison commanded by Major Henry Gladwyn. The uprising would be the longest and most widespread ever in North America. Pontiac’s initial targets were nine British outposts, including Fort Detroit, the centerpiece of the region. These forts were more than 100 miles apart, rendering them incapable of supporting one another, a fact not lost on Pontiac.