Pontiac's War
The war began at Fort Detroit under the leadership of Pontiac. It quickly spread throughout the region. Eight British forts were taken; others, including Fort Detroit and Fort Pitt, were unsuccessfully besieged. Francis Parkman's The Conspiracy of Pontiac portrayed these attacks as a coordinated operation planned by Pontiac. Parkman's interpretation remains well known. Other historians have since argued that there is no clear evidence that the attacks were part of a master plan or overall "conspiracy". The most common view among scholars today is that, rather than being planned in advance, the uprising spread as word of Pontiac's actions at Detroit traveled throughout the pays d'en haut, inspiring already discontented Native Americans to join the revolt. The attacks on British forts did not happen at the same time: most Ohio Native Americans did not enter the war until nearly a month after the beginning of Pontiac's siege at Detroit.