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British Retake Great Lakes Region
On June 24, 1763, the schooner sent out by Major Henry Gladwyn to inform British authorities of the situation at Fort Detroit finally made it back with much needed provisions, men, and ammunition, greatly strengthening the garrison’s resolve. Four weeks later, a second relief force of twenty-two ships, commanded by Captain James Dalzell with 280 men from the 55th and 80th Regiments, arrived at Fort Detroit on July 29.
The Siege of Fort Detroit
All was set in May 1763 for an Indian uprising whose geographic extent and duration would surpass anything before or after in North America. The initial targets of Pontiac, the Indian mastermind behind the scheme, were nine British outposts, starting with Fort Detroit, the centerpiece of the region. Not coincidentally, this was the fort adjacent to Pontiac’s Ottawa village, with Potawatomi and Wyandot villages just across the Detroit River.