Biological Warfare in Colonial America

In Colonial America, there were many accounts of interactions with the Native Indian tribes. It may be surprising to some that these experiences varied widely. In both of these recorded stories though, there is an underlying theme of freedom, either from the perspective of the Indians or the settlers. In this paper, I will discuss the documents "Biological Warfare in Eighteenth-Century North America: Beyond Jeffery Amherst," by Elizabeth Fen, and an excerpt from William Wood's New England's prospect: A True, Lively, and Experimental Description of That Part of America, commonly called New England. I will discuss the similarities and differences of these two documents, as well as how freedom is a theme throughout both encounters.

I want to first look at what, "Biological Warfare in Eighteenth-Century North America: Beyond Jeffery Amherst," is saying. When biological warfare is mentioned, our minds jump to modern day depictions in where we manufacture disease and disperse it across entire cities in a matter of minutes. However, bio-warfare is something that has been used during wartime since long before we had that type of technology. In fact, some of the earliest accounts of "Germ Warfare" trace back to the early 1700's during Queen Anne's War (Fen, qtd. in Brown, 79). The account Fen writes about begins in 1763 in Fort Pitt, and is known as the "smallpox blanket" incident (Brown, Shannon, 75). The smallpox blanket incident refers to an event that really marks the start of biological warfare in Colonial America. The incident starts with two Indian dignitaries visiting Fort Pitt to ask the British commanders to abandon the post. When the British refused to leave the post, the Indians relented, and asked for some comforts for their journey home. Among other things, the British post gave the dignitaries two blankets and a handkerchief from the small pox hospital on base. They did this hoping that the smallpox disease would infect and wreak havoc on the Indian "savages" (Fen, qtd. in Brown, 76). This was the first documented case of biological warfare in the new world, and set the tone for similar attacks, which continued on into the revolutionary war.

In contrast to the first read, William Wood's New England's prospect: A True, Lively, and Experimental Description of That Part of America, commonly called New England describes a peaceful and mutually beneficial relationship with the Indians. Wood describes Indians teaching them how to plant Indian corn, what seasons are best for growing, how far apart to dig the holes, how to prune and dress the crops, and so much more (Wood). He goes on to describe them as "of a kind and affable disposition." Without the help of the Indians, it is safe to say that the New England settlers would have had encountered far more hardship (Wood). It is hard to believe that one encounter with an Indian tribe could be so docile and cooperative, while another encounter is so volatile, violent, and hostile.

It appears then, that these two documents really have nothing in common with each other than the fact that they both involve Indians. The encounters are in such stark contrast with each other, it's hard to believe that they were only a little more than 100 years apart. In one encounter, "Indians had escalated the hostilities, burning nearby houses and attempting to lure Ecuyer into an engagement beyond the walls of the well-protected post, where traders and colonists, interlopers on Indian lands, had taken refuge (Fen, qtd. in Brown, 75)." Yet, just 100 years prior, "Many ways hath their advice and endeavor been advantageous unto us, they