Fort Pitt Museum Pitt, after William Pitt the Elder. As a result, in 1763 local Delawares and Shawnees took part in Pontiac's Rebellion, an effort to drive the British out of their territory. The Indians' siege of Fort Pitt began on June 22, 1763, but the fort was too strong to be taken by force. In negotiations during the siege, the commander of Fort Pitt gave two Delaware emissaries blankets that had been exposed to smallpox, in hopes of infecting the surrounding Indians and ending the siege. The effectiveness of this attempt is unclear. Outbreaks of smallpox had plagued Native Americans for years
The Forest and the Fort The Forest and the Fort The Forest and the Fort is an historical novel by the American writer Hervey Allen based upon the Siege of Fort Pitt in 1763. The book was a "New York Times" bestseller in 1943. Set in colonial Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it is the story of Salatheil Albine, who was captured by Native Americans as a child and raised by them, and who manages to get back there. In addition to the Siege of Fort Pitt, the plot involves the march to Bedford Village after the siege was raised. "The Forest and the Fort" is Book One