A Native American victory during Pontiac's War that repelled a British surprise attack and prolonged the siege of Fort Detroit in 1763.
Key Facts
- Date
- July 31, 1763
- British force size
- ~250 troops
- British killed
- 20 soldiers
- British wounded
- 41 soldiers
- British commander killed
- Captain James Dalyell
- Bounty on Pontiac (post-battle)
- £200 offered by General Amherst
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Pontiac's prolonged siege of Fort Detroit placed British forces under pressure. To break the siege, the British command dispatched approximately 250 troops under Captain James Dalyell to launch a surprise night attack on Pontiac's nearby encampment, hoping to scatter the besieging Native American forces.
On July 31, 1763, Pontiac—reportedly forewarned by French settlers—ambushed the British column at Parent's Creek, roughly 2 miles east of Fort Detroit. The ambush resulted in 20 British soldiers killed and 41 wounded, including the death of the attacking force's commander, Captain James Dalyell. The creek earned the name 'Bloody Run' for its reddened waters.
The British retreated to Fort Detroit with their wounded, failing to break the siege. General Jeffery Amherst, upon learning of Dalyell's death, offered a £200 bounty for Pontiac's killing. Pontiac's failure to destroy the British force entirely, however, left him unable to decisively end British resistance at the fort.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Captain James Dalyell, Robert Rogers.
Side B
1 belligerent
Pontiac.