Colonial Germ Warfare by Harold B. Gill Jr. The humanizing of
War! You might as well talk of the humanizing of Hell...As if
war could be civilized! If I'm in command when war breaks out I
shall issue my order—"The essence of war is violence. Moderation
in war is imbecility. Hit first, hit hard, and hit everywhere!"
—Sir Reginald Bacon, The Life of Lord Fisher of Kilverstone,
Admiral of the Fleet British Captain Simeon Ecuyer, portrayed by
Ken Treese, second from right, offered blankets infected with
smallpox to the Indians besieging Fort Pitt. From left,
interpreters Christopher Jones, Ted Boscana, Treese, and Patrick
Andrews. During Pontiac's uprising in 1763, the Indians besieged
Fort Pitt. They burned nearby houses, forcing the inhabitants to
take refuge in the well-protected fort. The British officer in
charge, Captain Simeon Ecuyer, reported to Colonel Henry Bouquet
in Philadelphia that he feared the crowded conditions would
result in disease. Smallpox had already broken out. On June 24,
1763, William Tr