The Black Boys Uprising of 1765: Traders, Troops & "Rioters" during Pontiac's War - Paperback

by Dan Guzy (Author)

For settlers trying to scratch out a livelihood along the Conococheague Creek in south-central Pennsylvania, the years during the French & Indian and Pontiac's wars were times of uncertainty and downright terror as Indians murdered, scalped and took captive their family members and neighbors. Then, as hostilities seemed to abate, came the word that unscrupulous traders were actually planning to supply ammunition and weaponry to the still-enemy Indians in violation of Pennsylvania law. Worse yet, these traders were receiving the protection of British troops, the same troops charged with safeguarding the settlers. The end result was the so-called Black Boys Rebellion, a conflict that Dan Guzy argues was not a rebellion at all but, instead, an uprising seeking to enforce civil law. In this fascinating work, largely based on primary resource material, Guzy tells the story of one of the first uprisings against British troops, years before the outbreak of Revolutionary War. In what is the most detailed account to date, Guzy corrects some mistakes made by other accounts, and describes the actions taken by the Black Boys and their opponents in context of political and military activities and other contemporary events.

Author Biography

Dan Guzy is retired from mechanical and nuclear engineering, but is still pursuing his lifelong interests in history, particularly local history. He has published several articles in historical and archeological journals, with topics ranging from fish weirs, to river navigation, to historic surveys, to the poet politician who won political rights for Jews in Maryland. His first book was Navigation on the Upper Potomac and its Tributaries, which has been published in two editions.