Settlement: George Washington’sFrench And Indian War

TOP: Native Americans ambush British Soldiers. SECOND: Portrait of Robert Dinwiddie. BOTTOM: The line of Frenchforts in Pennsylvania in 1755 and the route taken by British Commander in Chief Edward Braddock towards FortDuquesne during the French and Indian War. Depicted are the locations of Fort Duquesne, Fort Necessity, FortCumberland, Fort Presque Isle, Fort Leboeuf and and Fort Venango. Photo: Wikimedia Commons and Getty Images.

The French had two successful permanent settlements, Acadia (settled in 1604) andQuebec (1608) in North America. Their ships regularly brought furs back to France. TheEuropean population of New France grew steadily from 3,200 in 1666, to some 70,000 by1750. However, during the same period, the English population from Massachusetts downto the Carolinas grew to more than a million.

The French believed that they could link New France to their settlements in Louisiana andalong the Mississippi, which would stop the English getting more control of North America.By the middle of the 1700s, both England and France believed they would go to war.

Fighting over West Pennsylvania

In 1747, George Washington’s two older half-brothers were interested in the fur trade andland development. They organized the Ohio Company of Virginia. The King of Englandgave them permission to get 200,000 acres near the Forks of the Ohio River, which is

By Theodore J. Crackel, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, adapted byNewsela staff on 11.02.16 Word Count 1,722

present-day Pittsburgh. This is where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers cometogether to form the Ohio River. The company agreed to settle at least 100 families andbuild a fort for their protection.

In 1749, the French began sending troops and their Native American allies to attackEnglish settlers. They claimed all the land along the Ohio River and along all the smallerrivers that emptied into it.

In 1750, the Ohio Company began making a trail from Wills Creek in Maryland, over themountains to the Monongahela River. Christopher Gist, a veteran woodsman and surveyor,was hired to identify the best land for the settlers. A trail was then widened for the wagonsof the pioneers who would make their homes there.

The French in Quebec knew the English were coming to the Forks. The governor ofQuebec ordered four forts to be built in the Ohio country. The first was Fort Presque Isle onthe south shore of Lake Erie. The second was Fort Le Boeuf at the head of French Creek.The third, where French Creek emptied into the Allegheny River, was Fort Machault. Thelast, at the Forks of the Ohio, was to be named Fort Duquesne.

Young George Washington goes to battle

Meanwhile, Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia and other colonial governors knew whatthe French were doing. In June, Dinwiddie reported this to England. By mid-November,Virginia had permission to battle the French. Dinwiddie sent a young Major GeorgeWashington to fight the French.

Washington hired a French translator, Jacob Van Braam, and Gist the surveyor, and theypurchased horses and supplies and headed west. Rain and heavy snow slowed theirprogress. When they finally reached the Forks, Washington met with Native Americansfriendly to the English. He hired Half King, an important Seneca chief. Half King joined thegroup that would meet with the French.

They followed the Allegheny River to French Creek where they found a small group ofFrench soldiers. That evening, with the help of some wine, the French soldiers opened upand told Washington of their plans. The French planned to control the Ohio country andkeep the English from settling there. On December 11, Washington reached Fort Le Boeuf,where he presented a letter from Governor Dinwiddie to the French. It told them to leave. Afew days later, Washington received a written response that they were not leaving.

Washington, Half King, Gist, Van Braam and the others left Le Boeuf on December 16.Progress was slow, so Washington and Gist left the others to get the letter to GovernorDinwiddie more quickly. Native American attacks and ice-swollen rivers nearly cost themtheir lives. They reached Wills Creek in Maryland on January 6, 1754. From there,Washington continued alone and arrived at Williamsburg, Virginia, on January 16.

Washington calls a council of war

Dinwiddie had Washington write a report of what had happened. It was published incolonial and London newspapers. The young Washington was beginning to be noticed.

Dinwiddie began sending supplies and arms to the Forks. He ordered Washington to forman army of 100 men. At first, very few volunteered. Then the governor promised land tothose who signed up. Six companies were filled and Washington was promoted tolieutenant colonel. He was now second in command under Colonel Joshua Fry.

On April 2, 1754, Washington and his men left Alexandria, Virginia. On the 19th, at WillsCreek, he received an urgent message from the Forks. The newly completed fort had beencaptured by the French. On April 23, Washington called a council of war. They decided tomove forward to the Monongahela River, where they would wait for reinforcements.

On May 24, a message from Half King warned them that the French had sent out soldiersto stop them. On May 27, Gist arrived and reported that the French were five miles away.That evening, another message from Half King said that he had located the French.Washington took 40 men and joined up with the chief. In the early morning hours, theyattacked the French camp. As many as a dozen Frenchmen were killed and 21 were takenprisoner. One English soldier was killed and three were wounded.

Washington sent reports to Colonel Fry and Governor Dinwiddie.

Soldiers can't fight a war without food

In the days that followed, Washington constructed a circular log fort, about 50 feet indiameter with a shallow trench around it. It was named Fort Necessity. On June 10, about200 men, nine small cannons and a small amount of food rations arrived from Virginia. Thatsame day, Washington sent a letter to Dinwiddie asking for more supplies.

Soon after, a company from South Carolina of about 100 men under Captain James Mckayarrived. This was good and bad. Although Mckay had brought a small herd of cattle, hismen began eating the fort's short supply of food.

On June 15, Washington marched his regiment toward the Monongahela river nearly 30miles away. He left Mckay and his men at Fort Necessity because Mckay refused to takeorders from Washington. On the 27th, they had reached Gist and the trading post he setup, near present-day Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Washington sent one group ahead hopingto find corn. Later that same day, he received reliable information that the French at FortDuquesne had been reinforced by about 1,000 men. With that news, he pulled back onJune 28. He sent a message to Captain Mckay ordering him and his company to comeforward.

The officers, including Mckay, quickly met. They agreed that they should not attack thislarge army, but should withdraw to Fort Necessity. They were desperately short of rationsand had been without meat or bread for several days. They loaded what ammunition and

other materials they could on the available horses and began the march back. Somearrived late the next day, but those dragging the nine cannons did not reach FortNecessity until July 1.

Like shooting fish in a barrel

Washington put his men to work, improving the fort. Late on the morning of July 3, a forceof about 600 French and their 100 Native American allies appeared. Washington gatheredup his men to meet them. The French took up positions in the woods, so then Washingtonmoved his men back into the fort. The French and Native Americans, firing from behindtrees and fallen timbers, killed many. Rain fell throughout the day and into the night,flooding the marshy ground and the trenches, making it almost impossible to keep theirweapons and gunpowder dry.

As night approached, Captain Louis de Villiers, commander of the French force, called fora truce to discuss an end to the fighting. With his men exhausted and starving, Washingtonsurrendered. Near midnight, terms were agreed upon.

On July 4, the English left Fort Necessity and began the march for Wills Creek and on toVirginia. The French stayed only long enough to burn Fort Necessity, then retraced theirsteps to Fort Duquesne, burning Gist’s trading post as they went.

Washington and Mckay made their formal report to Dinwiddie on July 19, 1754, and it wassent on to London. Later in the year, Dinwiddie wanted to try again, but the other colonieswere not interested. However, back in England, it was reported that "the volley fired by ayoung Virginian in the backwoods of America set the world on fire.” So in mid-January1755, Major General Edward Braddock and two Irish regiments set sail for North Americato displace the French in the Ohio country.

The British get Canada

When Braddock arrived, Washington volunteered to serve. In July 1755, the English wereambushed as they approached Fort Duquesne and General Braddock was killed.However, Washington was instrumental in saving the regiments, and his bravery wascelebrated at home and abroad.

The English did not give up and, in 1757, sent Brigadier General John Forbes to NorthAmerica to capture Fort Duquesne. Forbes spent months clearing a road, and when headvanced his troops on November 25, 1758, the outnumbered French burned their fortand retreated. Forbes rebuilt the fort where the three rivers meet, renaming it Fort Pitt, andthe surrounding area he called Pittsburgh. The event ultimately won Canada for the Englishand ended French ambitions in that part of North America.

Forbes recognized that Washington, who had returned to command the Virginia regimentin 1756, could be of useful service to him. Forbes made good use of the young coloneland Washington learned invaluable lessons on how an army should be organized,supplied and fought in North America.

In February 1763, the Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years’ War and the French gaveCanada to the English. In October, the king restricted settlement west of the AlleghenyMountains, and the next year adopted a hugely unpopular policy of taxing the Americancolonies to help pay for the English war debt. These taxes from the French and Indian Warcaused unrest in the colonies that would eventually lead to the American Revolution, but italso marked Washington's rise as a soldier and hero who would soon lead a new nation tovictory.

Theodore J. Crackel spent 21 years in the U.S. Army. He was also a professor and editor-in-chief of the "Papers of George Washington" at the University of Virginia.

Quiz

1 Which section highlights the idea that the French and Indian War created the conditions for theAmerican Revolution?

(A) "Washington calls a council of war"

(B) "Soldiers can't fight a war without food"

(C) "Like shooting fish in a barrel"

(D) "The British get Canada"

2 Which piece of evidence BEST provides the underlying cause of the French and Indian War?

(A) The French had two successful permanent settlements, Acadia (settled in1604) and Quebec (1608) in North America. Their ships regularly broughtfurs back to France. The European population of New France grew steadilyfrom 3,200 in 1666, to some 70,000 by 1750.

(B) The French believed that they could link New France to their settlements inLouisiana and along the Mississippi, which would stop the English gettingmore control of North America.

(C) In 1747, George Washington’s two older half-brothers were interested in thefur trade and land development. They organized the Ohio Company ofVirginia. The King of England gave them permission to get 200,000 acresnear the Forks of the Ohio River, which is present-day Pittsburgh.

(D) They followed the Allegheny River to French Creek where they found a smallgroup of French soldiers. That evening, with the help of some wine, theFrench soldiers opened up and told Washington of their plans.

3 Why does the author include the section "Fighting over West Pennsylvania"?

(A) to detail actions on both sides that set the stage for war

(B) to highlight the strategic importance of the Ohio River

(C) to focus on Washington's early career in the fur trade

(D) to show the strategic value of Quebec for the French

4 Which of the following selections BEST develops the idea that the French and Indian Warhelped to build Washington's reputation?