The Relief of Fort Pitt in 1763 at the Battle of Bushy Run

Michael Streich

In the summer of 1763, Colonel Henry Bouquet, a Swiss soldier in the service of King George III of England, commanded a small army tasked with reinforcing and resupplying Fort Pitt in Northwest Pennsylvania. After spending two days at Fort Ligonier, Bouquet marched toward Fort Pitt, encountering Native American resistance just before reaching Turtle Creek, a perfect spot for an Indian ambush. The ensuing battle of Bushy Run, lasting two days, demonstrated a new strategy that ultimately saved Bouquet’s army and may have been, according to one historian, “the forerunner of the thin red line famous in England’s later wars.”

 

Colonel Bouquet’s Orders

 

By early 1763 the Ottawa War Chief Pontiac was besieging Detroit, recently turned over to the British following the French defeat in the Seven Years’ War. All along the frontier forts transferred to English control were attacked and destroyed. Pontiac had succeeded in lighting a fire among the tribes of the Northeast resulting in attacks on frontier settlements as the deaths of thousands, including English fur traders that had flocked to the region, increased.

 

Although the fortifications at Fort Pitt had been greatly improved, the garrison was depleted and supplies were low. Bouquet’s orders, given by Sir Jeffrey Amherst, commander of all British forces in North America, were to march a relief column and relieve the Indian siege of Fort Pitt. His force numbered less than 500 men but included a contingent of Highlanders under the command of Major John Campbell.

 

Encounter at Bushy Run

 

The battle of Bushy Run was fought August 5^th and 6^th. Bouquet marched from Fort Ligonier to Fort Pitt, arriving at Turtle Creek late in the day. To encamp at Turtle Creek invited disaster: the terrain was perfect for an ambush. As the column neared the creek, shots were fired at Bouquet’s advanced guard. The first phase of the battle began. Bouquet ordered his men to occupy a hill at Bushy Run and form a circle.

 

The Indian attack was an all-out assault. Bouquet’s men suffered severe losses. Lack of water further exacerbated the problems Bouquet had to deal with but Turtle Creek was at least a mile from the hastily made entrenchments. As evening approached, Bouquet weighed his options. Attempting to break out of the encirclement would result in a rout and the possibility of whole scale massacre. The only recourse was to devise a strategy to lure the over-confident Indians into a trap.

 

The Birth of the Thin Red Line

 

When dawn approached, the Indians resumed their deadly attack, showering the defenders with shot. At a given signal, two companies of light infantry positioned at the south perimeter of the hill fell back, as if in retreat. The Indians, sensing their opportunity, rushed forward, relying on the expectation that panic would cause a general rout such as had happened in so many prior battles with white men.

 

As the Indians rushed into the circle, however, Major Campbell’s Highlanders, previously hidden, rushed forward with fixed bayonets and dispatched the attackers. The surprised Indians turned in retreat, fired upon by two companies of grenadiers that had been hidden and kept in reserve.

 

Over sixty Indians were killed, including a Delaware chief and his son. Bouquet lost eight officers and one hundred fifteen soldiers, nearly a quarter of his force. But the “feigned retreat” had been successful. The Indians had fallen victim to their own principles. According to historian Dale Every, “It was a basic principle of Indian military thinking that an attack should be pushed only when there appeared a clear promise of demoralizing the defense.”

 

Bouquet’s “thin red line,” used with maximum effect, saved his command. Bouquet’s ingenuity would result in a promotion to Brigadier General. His success at Bushy Run not only weakened Indian morale, but may have saved Fort Pitt from capitulation.

 

References:

 

Allan W. Eckert, The Conquerors (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1970)

David Eggenberger, An Encyclopedia of Battles (NY: Dover Publications, 1985)

Dale Van Every, Forth to the Wilderness: The First American Frontier 1754-1774 (New American Library, 1961)

[Copyright owned by Michael Streich; reprints subject to written permission; first published in Suite101]