"A Most Troublesome Situation"

Book excerpt: "At the conclusion of the French Indian War, the triumphant British took possession of a vast area west of the Appalachians in the Great Lakes region. It was not only replete with a lucrative fur trade and almost infinite colonization possibilities, but also hostile Indians harboring lingering loyalties to their former French allies. It was not long before overly-strict British regulation of the fur trade, coupled with a perceived arrogance, further fueled Indian resentment of colonial expansion into their territories. Pontiac's Uprising, or Pontiac's Conspiracy, of 1763, named after the Ottawa chief generally recognized as one of its main catalysts, was the violent, sometimes horrifying tribal reaction in 1763 against two short years of controversial British military rule. This important new book looks at the Pontiac Uprising through the eyes of the British military, yet treats both sides fairly and honestly.