James Grant, a Scotsman in the British Army, carried this basket-hilted backsword as an officer in the 77th Regiment of Foot. In the 1763 conflict known as Pontiac’s Rebellion, Grant’s regiment battled Native Americans from the Great Lakes region who were fighting for their own independence and against the continued colonization of their homelands. The rebellion lasted two years, until the British agreed to respect their alliances between Native Americans to govern themselves.