Wasson (c. 1730 – c. 1790s) was an
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
chief during the
siege of Fort Detroit
The siege of Fort Detroit was an ultimately unsuccessful attempt by North American Indians to capture Fort Detroit during Pontiac's Rebellion. The siege was led primarily by Pontiac, an Ottawa chief and military leader. This rebellion would be ...
in
Pontiac's War
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 ...
.
Wasson led around 200 warriors, who joined
Pontiac's forces on May 31, 1763, remaining as part of the siege until it was abandoned in the autumn. On July 4, 1763, Wasson killed captive Captain
Donald Campbell
Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...
, in revenge for the death of his nephew.
From the following year until at least 1776, Wasson participated in a series of peace conferences, and was the primary native speaker at
John Bradstreet
Major General John Bradstreet, born Jean-Baptiste Bradstreet (21 December 1714 – 25 September 1774) was a British Army officer during King George's War, the French and Indian War, and Pontiac's War. He was born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia ...
's peace conference in September 1764. An Ojibwa chief of the same name was also involved in negotiations over land in 1790, but it is not certain whether this was the same person.
References
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
1730s births
1790s deaths
Ojibwe people
Native American leaders
Indigenous people of Pontiac's War
People of pre-statehood Michigan
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