Shingas Shingas ( fl . 1740 – 1763 ) , was a leader of the Delaware ( Lenape ) people in the Ohio Country and a noted American Indian warrior on the western frontier during the French and Indian War . Dubbed " Shingas the Terrible " by Anglo - Americans during the war , Shingas led devastating raids against white settlements . The colonial governments of both Pennsylvania and Virginia responded by offering rewards to anyone who would kill him . Background . Shingas , a member of the Delaware Turkey clan ( or phratry ) , was a nephew of Sasoonan ( also known as Allumapees ) , a leader who was regarded by Pennsylvania authorities as the Delaware " king . " This title had no traditional meaning for the Delawares , who lived in autonomous villages . However , since British colonial governments preferred to deal with a single leader rather than numerous village elders , Sasoonan emerged as the Delaware " king . " Pennsylvania officials found Sasoonan useful because he could be induced ( with the help of gifts and abundantly free liquor ) to sign away Indian lands . Sasoonan died in 1747 , and Shingas ' s brother Pisquetomen was designated as Sasoonan ' s successor . However , Pisquetomen , who was intelligent , strong - willed , and spoke English , was not easily manipulated , and so Pennsylvania officials refused to recognize him as " king . " As a result , Pisquetomen and his brothers Shingas and Tamaqua abandoned Pennsylvania , leading their people over the Allegheny Mountains and settling at Kittanning on the Allegheny River . French and Indian War . Even on the other side of the mountains , the western Delawares were still caught between three powerful empires : the British colonies , New France , and the Six Nations of the Iroquois . The Iroquois at this time claimed sovereignty over the Delawares , a dubious claim that British officials recognized in order to strengthen ties with the Iroquois — usually at the expense of the Delawares . In an attempt to assert control over the western Delawares , a local Iroquois leader Tanacharison ( the " Half - King " ) , dubbed Shingas the " king " of the Delawares in an important treaty conference at Logstown in May 1752 . British officials approved this " coronation , " but would come to regret it , as Shingas proved just as difficult to control as his brother . The great struggle between Great Britain and France for control of the interior of the North American continent ( the " French and Indian War " ) began near Shingas ' s village close to the forks of the Ohio River . Like most Delawares , Shingas and his villagers stayed neutral in the early stages of the conflict , declining to assist George Washington at Fort Necessity in 1754 and the Braddock Expedition in 1755 . The Delawares had no desire to be French subjects either , but when France asserted dominance in the region after Braddock ' s defeat , the Delawares reluctantly aligned themselves with the French . Shingas took part in the brutal backcountry war with the British colonies , leading raids deep into the Pennsylvania and Virginia settlements . Although he was an implacable foe in battle , he was never known to treat a prisoner with cruelty . The colonies were unable to mount an effective resistance to the hit - and - run tactics of the Indians , though the destruction of Shingas ' s base of operations in the Kittanning Expedition in 1756 surprised the Delawares and compelled them to move further west , settling in what is present - day Ohio . A peace faction led by Shingas ' s brother Tamaqua soon gained ascendancy . Though the brothers apparently always worked in harmony , Tamaqua , known to the whites as " the Beaver " or " King Beaver , " would eventually eclipse his brothers in fame and influence . In 1758 , Pisquetomen was dispatched to the east to help negotiate the Treaty of Easton , which effectively ended the war for the Delawares , and enabled British General John Forbes to capture Fort Duquesne without interference from local Indians . Fearing retribution because of his actions in the war , Shingas kept a low profile . Final years . The British built Fort Pitt on the ruins of Fort Duquesne , to the consternation of the local Delawares , contributing to the outbreak of Pontiac ' s Rebellion in 1763 . Fort Pitt was besieged by the Delawares ; Shingas may have participated in the fighting at this time . He and Tamaqua unsuccessfully tried to convince the British at Fort Pitt to withdraw , but the fort was relieved by an expedition led by Henry Bouquet . Shingas and Tamaqua , who advised accommodation with the British , began to lose influence to more militant Delaware leaders influenced by Neolin , the " Delaware Prophet " . Shingas disappears from the historical record around 1764 ; some have speculated that he may have contracted smallpox from blankets distributed to the Delawares from Fort Pitt during the war , but there is no clear evidence that he ( or anyone else for that matter ) died as a result of the incident .