Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

Christopher G. Nuttall

This small idea sprang out of the research I was doing for ‘Pitt’s Empire’, and is a stand-alone scenario. Comments welcome. If anyone wants to continue this or expand upon it, they are very welcome. Anyone who wants to look this whole fascinating story up should look at CRUCIBLE OF WAR by FRED ANDERSON.

During the Seven Years War and afterwards, the British commanders, such as Sir Jeffery Amherst regarded the Native American population sometimes as children, sometimes as savages, sometimes as opportunists and most often some combination of the three, which would always rebound to the Indians’ discredit.

However, the Indians had their own ways and modes of behaviour and regarded themselves as free agents. When the French were winning, they stayed with the French, when the British were winning, they stayed with the British. Buying their services required the commanders to give them gifts, which were regarded by OTL Amherst as an intolerable act of greed on the part of the Indians. Amherst acted to restrict this practice and the selling of guns, gunpowder and other essentials to the Indians. This provoked resentment and rebellion, of which the most famous is Pontiac’s rebellion.

Ironically, when the British had finally beaten the Indians who were ‘rebellious’, most of their lands were earmarked for settlers. However, after Pontiac’s rebellion, most of the Indian demands were granted. This forced the British government to limit settlement and led to one of the causes of the American Revolution.

But what if the British cared more about the Indians and understood them better?

Greater British Respect for the Indians has a number of consequences:

1. Moderate Indian leaders remain in power with the boosts to their prestige by the British gifts,

2. Indian warriors who are killed in fighting in OTL survive to have children. This means that Indian populations will be bigger

3. Indians could learn useful stuff of the British, such as sanitation when it’s ‘discovered’, arms manufacturing and military tactics.

4. If Britain acts as a ‘great white father’, much as the French did before Canada fell, the tribal disputes that provided opportunities for white expansion won’t happen or will be muted. Again, this leads to a bigger Indian population.

5. The area beyond which settlement is banned will be closer to the colonies. This will provoke Americans.

This may well lead to American discontent earlier and could – I admit this is unlikely – the American Revolution might start earlier. If so, who would be the primary figures? People who might settle, while probably more honest, are not the sort of people to reshape colonies into an independent nation. I suspect that the more violent people would try to sneak past the border and hack out lives in the Indian Territory. The Indians would probably try and drive them out or kill them. I could see groups of young Americans, the ones who made up much of Washington’s army in the AR, forming small groups and waging war with the Indians. This would make a great story, but I would not want to live there.

If the American Revolution did happen on time, what differences might have been made to history? First, the Indians would be far more supportive of the British and would provide far more help. This could avert the battle of Saratoga, or allow a British victory, with all the dire consequences this could mean for American independence. Secondly, the Indians would see it as an excuse to raid American settlements, diverting scarce American men. This would really sour relations between Britain and America. I could see them demanding Canada at the peace talks to remove the Indian base from America.

If America did become independent, there would be an all-out war between them and the Indians. You could say that’s what happened, but here I could see conflicts continuing into 1800, which could mean the America will not become democratic. With undoubted British and Spanish support, the Indians could fight a long war against the advancing Americans.

If the Indians had time, could they form an independent nation? There were supposed to have been attempts in real history to do just that, in this other timeline, it might be possible. I could see some Indians travelling all the way across the continent and setting up a city and then a real nation. I’ve no idea what such a nation would look like or how it would relate to the USA.

Amherst and the Indians