"The Thirteen Colonies moved toward an outright breach with the British in the 1770s...Soon both were competing to recruit Aboriginal allies. Throughout the American Revolutionary War, Aboriginal military power in the Great Lakes area became a major consideration for British military leaders in the northern theatre. The major diplomatic efforts were directed at the League of Six Nations Iroquois, which had largely remained neutral in European conflicts since 1701. Although the League attempted to maintain its neutral stance, it was dragged into the conflict...Warriors from both the Iroquois League and the Seven Nations of Canada were instrumental in holding up a rebel offensive against a weakly defended Canada in the autumn of 1775. The delay forced the Americans to prolong their campaign over the winter and ultimately to face defeat at the gates of Quebec City.
For the next five years, Britain’s Aboriginal allies... participated in a series of campaigns and raids against the border settlements of New York and Pennsylvania. Little quarter was given on either side... Britain’s Aboriginal allies won two of their most notable successes – Sandusky and Blue Licks – .... Aboriginal peoples also suffered fearsome losses. The homelands of the Iroquois League were devastated by an American punitive campaign in 1779..."
… [Aboriginal People] look upon our conduct to them as treacherous and cruel: they told me they never could believe that our King could pretend to cede to America what was not his own to give …
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