The Battle of Devil's Hole, also known as the Devil's Hole Massacre, was fought near

Niagara Gorge Niagara Gorge is an long canyon carved by the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the base of Niagara Falls and ends downriver at the ed ...

in present-day

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

state on September 14, 1763, between a detachment of the British 80th Regiment of Light Armed Foot and about 300

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

warriors during

Pontiac's Rebellion Pontiac's War (also known as Pontiac's Conspiracy or Pontiac's Rebellion) was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of Native Americans dissatisfied with British rule in the Great Lakes region following the French and Indian War (1754–176 ...

(1763–1766). The Seneca warriors killed 81 British soldiers and wounded 8 before the British managed to retreat.

Background

As early as 1757, Seneca in the

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

area had complained to the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

about losing control of the long portage along an area of the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

, which French traders were trying to improve for wagons."History"
Historic Lewiston, New York website, accessed 2 Nov 2010 They resented the Europeans trying to take over their traditional territory and displace them from their work. After the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

, the British took over this area near the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. John Stedman improved the former portage trail so that it could accommodate oxen and wagons, and hired teams and escorts to carry goods through. Formerly up to 300 Seneca men had worked as porters on what they thought of as their portage.Bob Kostoff, "Review: Devil's Hole Massacre Topic of Fresh, Interesting Study"
''Niagara Falls Reporter'', 18 Jan 2005, accessed 2 Nov 2010 Discontent rose among many Native American tribes in the Great Lakes area, who wanted to expel the colonists in the region before more encroached on their lands. In

, beginning in 1763, several tribes in the Great Lakes and Northwest area cooperated in establishing a pan-tribal confederation to counter British control of the region. In the New York colony, Sir William Johnson, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, had long advocated fair treatment of Native Americans but was only partially successful. He wrote, "Our people in general are ill calculated to maintain friendship with the Indians. They despise those in peace whom they fear to meet in war."

Battle

On September 14, 1763, a large Seneca band of an estimated 300–500 warriors ambushed a wagon train and its armed escort en route from

Fort Schlosser Fort Schlosser was a fortification built in Western New York in the United States around 1760 by British Colonial forces, in order to guard the upper entrance to the portage around Niagara Falls, north of Porter-Barton Dock or Schlosser's Land ...

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

as it passed through ''Devil's Hole'', an area known for its difficult terrain. One part of the trail was in a heavily wooded area with a deep ravine on either side; there the Seneca warriors attacked the wagon train. The escort party and teamsters, led by Porter Master John Stedman, were caught completely by surprise; animals broke into a stampede or were driven into the ravine along with their wagons and drivers. The Seneca moved in to fight at close quarters, making musket fire useless, and only three of the party of 24 (including Stedman) managed to escape to Fort Schlosser for help. Camped nearby at Lewiston was a detachment of the British British 80th Regiment of Light Armed Foot from Fort Gray. Two

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

of the 80th commanded by George Campbell and William Fraser heard the news of the ambush and rushed off to rescue the wagon train.Brumwell, Stephen. ''Redcoats: The British Soldier and War in the Americas, 1755–1763'', New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. From a brush-covered hill commanding the trail, Seneca warriors attacked the soldiers about one mile from the wagon train. Once the British companies began to retreat, the Seneca moved to cut them off from the fort and killed "more than 80 soldiers." The soldiers suffered a loss of 81 dead and 8 wounded before withdrawing (some sources claim the entire rescue party was killed). The Anglo-Americans called it "The Devil's Hole Massacre". The warrior Dekanandi later told

Sir William Johnson Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet of New York ( – 11 July 1774), was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Ireland. As a young man, Johnson moved to the Province of New York to manage an estate purchased by his uncle, Royal Na ...

that 309 warriors attacked the British and their only loss was one man wounded.

Aftermath

Reinforcements from Fort Schlosser under the command of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

John Wilkins arrived shortly after the second battle, but soon withdrew to the fort, fearing another attack. When they returned several days later, they found the soldiers had been ritually scalped or their bodies thrown into the ravine. Shortly after the battle, Johnson was told that the attack had been planned by a Seneca

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

known as

Farmer's Brother Honayawas or Farmer's Brother (c. 1730 – 1814) was a Seneca Chief, active member of the Six Nations, elected War Chief, translator, and noted orator who fought and negotiated with both the United States and British before, during, and after the A ...

, who led a large band that supported

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality **Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

. The consensus among historians is that the battle was related to the larger rebellion. Because of the successful Seneca attacks, the British reinforced their position in Niagara, when the Seneca had hoped to drive them away. Eventually Sir William Johnson forced the Seneca to cede land in this area: a strip one mile wide on each side of the

from

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

, called the Mile Reserve, as well as the islands upriver of

. This cut them off from traditional control of the river and portage, which had been a transportation route as well as a source of food and water. The Seneca long contended to regain control of the river banks. White settlers mostly stayed out of the area until after the conclusion of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. Its settlement forced most of the Iroquois as British allies to Canada.

References

External links

"History of the Canadian Indians – the Pontiac Rebellion"
Marianopolis University
Historic Lewiston, New York
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devil's Hole, Battle of Conflicts in 1763 1763 in the Thirteen Colonies Battles of Pontiac's War Battles involving the Iroquois Massacres by Native Americans Massacres in the Thirteen Colonies Battles involving Great Britain Battles in New York (state) Massacres in 1763 1763 murders in North America Battles won by indigenous peoples of the Americas

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References

Further reading

External links