Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
The diary of the British commander in Wisconsin during Pontiac's war in 1763.
Lieut. James Gorrell's journal. Commencing at Detroit, September 8th, 1761, and ending at Montreal, August 13th, 1763
After the British defeated the French in 1760, they took possession of French forts throughout Canada. Lt. James Gorrell was sent out to Green Bay in 1761 with a small garrison of British soldiers to occupy Fort La Baye. This is his journal of that assignment, the earliest English account of Wisconsin. Two years later Pontiac successfully organized the western tribes to resist the British, captured Fort Mackinaw in a brilliant sneak attack, and laid siege to Detroit. Surrounded by Indian opponents, Gorrell was forced to evacuate all the way back to Montreal, and Green Bay saw no more British soldiers until the War of 1812.
| Related Topics: |
Explorers, Traders, and Settlers Colonialism Transforms Indian Life |
| Creator: | Gorrell, James |
| Pub Data: | Annual report and collections of the State Historical Society, of Wisconsin, for the year 1854 (Madison: 1855), vol. 1: 24-48 |
| Citation: | Gorrell, James. "Lieut. James Gorrell's journal. Commencing at Detroit, September 8th, 1761, and ending at Montreal, August 13th, 1763." Wisconsin Historical Collections, vol. 1 (Madison, 1855): 24-48. Online facsimile at: http://wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=20; Visited on: 4/24/2024 |
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