Colonel Henry Bouquet, a Swiss-born officer who served in the Royal American Regiment during the Seven Years’ War, led the second prong of the British offensive in the summer of 1764. His expedition, which included more than 1,100 British regulars and colonial militia, encamped on the Tuscarawas River and threatened a string of nearby Ohio Indian villages. In response, a group of Delaware, Shawnee, and western Iroquois visited his camp to accept peace terms. One of the major points of disagreement concerned Pennsylvania and Virginia colonists who were taken as captives during the Seven Years’ War. It was standard practice for Native Americans to adopt war captives into their communities; for the British, it was essential to reunite captives with their natal families. As part of the peace agreement of 1764, the Ohio Indians reluctantly delivered their captives to Bouquet’s troops.

Two years later, William Smith published an account of Bouquet’s campaign. It included these two images, which were engraved by the famous Anglo-American painter Benjamin West.

Benjamin West, “The Indians Giving a Talk to Colonel Bouquet” 1766

Benjamin West, “The Indians Delivering Up the English Captives to Colonel Bouquet,” 1766

Evaluating the Evidence