Jehu Hay was a Pennsylvania native who joined the 60th American Regiment during the Seven Years’ War and was serving as a lieutenant at Detroit during the siege of 1763. The following extract from his journal is one of four surviving accounts of the events of that summer. Founded by the French in 1701, Detroit occupied a strategic choke point between Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Its native population included members of all three Anishinabeg nations, as well as communities of Wyandots (a remnant Huron band), Sauks, Foxes, and Miamis.
Detroit, May 1, 1763.
The 1st of May Pondiac, the most considerable Man in the Ottawa Nation, came here with about 50 of his men, & told the Commandant [Major Henry Gladwyn] that in a few Days when the rest of his Nation came in he intended to come and make him a formal Visit, as is the Custom with all the Nations once a Year. The 7th he came with all the Ottawa and Part of several other Nations, but we saw from their Behavior & from Reports that they were not well intentioned, upon which the Commandant took such Precautions that when they enter’d the Fort (tho they were by the nearest acc[oun]ts about 300 and armed with Knives, Tomahawks, & a great many with Guns cut short and hid under their Blankets) they were so much surpriz’d to see our Dispositions that they wou’d scarcely site down to Council; however in about half an Hour after they saw that we were prepared for the worst, they sat down & made several Speaches which were answer’d as calmly as if we did not suspect them at all, and after receiving some Tobacco & Bread & some other Presents they went away to their Camp.
This Morning a Party sent by him for that Purpose took Capt. Robinson & Sir Robert Davers in a Barge near the Mouth of Lake Huron, which Capt. Robinson went to sound. They with Part of the Boat’s Crew were put to Death, the rest they took Prisoners as we were afterwards informed. The 8th Pondiac return’d with a Pipe of Peace in order to ask Commandant leave to come next Day with his whole Nation to bury all bad Reports, but they Commandant wou’d not give him leave but told him if he had any thing to say he might come with the rest of the Chiefs and he would hear them.
However instead of coming the 9th in the after Noon he struck his Camp and cross’d the River within ½ a Mile of the Fort, but being inform’d by the Interpreter that he would not be permitted to come in, he embark’d again & he commenc’d Hostilitites by killing the King’s Cattle that were on an Island about 3 Miles from the Fort, with the People that took care of them, and a poor English Family that had just built a little House there, as also another English Family that liv’d just behind the Fort. He also cut of[f] the Communication from the Fort to the Inhabitants on each Side so that we cou’d not get the least Thing brought into the Fort. He told the Inhabitants that the first of them that shou’d bring us any Provisions or any thing that cou’d be of any Service to us, they wou’d put that Family to Death. They also surrounded the Fort & fired a vast Number of Shots at it and the Vessels which were anchor’d so as to flank the Fort both above and below. The Garrison lay upon the Arms all Night, not being above 120 Men, Merchants, Sick & Officers.
Source: “Diary of the Siege of Detroit,” in Diary of the Siege of Detroit in the War with Pontiac, ed. Franklin B. Hough (Albany, NY: J. Munsell, 1860), 1–4.
Evaluating the Evidence