Myth and Misinformation

It has been said that an ancestor of Rev F O Morris was responsible for "inventing genocide". This is not true. It concerns discussions regarding the possibility of distributing smallpox infected blankets among Native Americans in the 18th century.

It is often very uncomfortable to face up to the reality of history. It is also sometimes difficult to get to the truth among all the conspiracy theories and deliberate fabrications. In this case there is only one relevant, documented event that can be substantiated. In 1763, Fort Pitt was besieged by Native Americans. During this period smallpox was a real problem on all sides and there was an outbreak at Fort Pitt. Following failed peace talks, the fort's commander, 22-year-old Captain Simeon Ecuyer, considered supplying Native Americans with infected blankets. His fellow officer, Captain William Trent, perhaps independently, gave the Native Americans "two blankets and a handkerchief" from the fort's infirmary.

Ecuyer had previously told his superior, Colonel Henry Bouquet, about the outbreak of smallpox at the fort. Bouquet subsequently relayed this information to Major General Sir Jeffery Amherst, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in North America from 1758 to 1763. Bouquet and Amherst had discussions about the possibility of using smallpox against the Native Americans prior to and independently of the actions of Ecuyer and Trent though it is unlikely that those plans were ever formalised or implemented.

Before these events, in May 1760, shortly after the Battle of Sainte-Foy and some years after Braddock's Defeat, Roger Morris, F O Morris' grandfather, was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel of the 47th Regiment of Foot. Morris participated in General Jeffrey Amherst's assault and capture of Montreal on 8 September 1760, a battle which brought French rule to an end in North America. This was a major and significant event in world history. Morris and Amherst were comrades on the battlefield and that relationship would have continued in civilian life.

Because of that close association, Roger Morris named his first son, born in 1763, Amherst Morris and Jeffery Amherst became his godfather. His second son, Henry Gage Morris, was F O Morris' father. General Thomas Gage succeeded Amherst and was Commander-in-Chief from 1763 to 1773 and again from 1774 to 1775. Although I can find no confirmation, it is likely that Thomas Gage was Henry's godfather. Roger Morris was, at various times, Aide-de-Camp to Amherst, Gage and previously to Major-General Edward Braddock, Commander-in-Chief from 1754 until his death in battle the following year. George Washington was also an Aide-de-Camp to Braddock.

A significant number Roger Morris' descendants, including members of F O Morris' family, include the forenames Amherst or Gage. It is the use of the name Amherst that may have led to speculation about a family link with Jeffrey Amherst and the smallpox conspiracy. There is no direct relationship between the Morris and Amherst families. Roger Morris had no connection with the smallpox conspiracy and there is no such evidence in any of the relevant original documents or research papers that I have seen. To state or imply that F O Morris, through his ancestors, was linked to the invention of genocide is wholly unjustified.