History of Virginia :: :: University of Virginia Library

The Question of Supremacy. — The rivalry existing between
France and England, which had caused so many
bloody wars in Europe, was transferred also to America.
Both had planted extensive colonies; and, as these grew,
their interests came into conflict. Which nation was to
rule in the New World? This question had to be decided;
and as the middle of the eighteenth century drew near,
it was evident that the settlement was not far off.

The Plan of France. — The French had secured possession
of the two great rivers of the country, the Mississippi
and the St. Lawrence. They had Canadian France
in the north and Louisianian France in the south; and
they conceived the bold idea of connecting these settlements.
So they built a line of forts which ran from
Quebec to the Great Lakes, and then down the Illinois
and the Mississippi rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. Thus
they planned to hem the English colonies in on the Atlantic,
and not to allow them to extend themselves further
toward the west.

The English Plan. — The English suddenly awoke to the
fact that they were about to lose the heart of the continent,
and decided to colonize the rich country west of the
Alleghany Mountains. For this purpose the Ohio Company
was formed; and in 1752, it received a grant of half
a million acres of land on the east bank of the upper

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Ohio — the territory now contained in West Virginia and
southwest Pennsylvania.

Protest from Virginia. — The French watched the movement
the English were making, and decided to stop it by
building a new line of forts from Lake Erie to the head of
inland navigation — the point where the Alleghany River
joins with the Monongahela to form the Ohio. In carrying
out this plan, they proposed without ceremony to possess
themselves of territory that belonged to Virginia.
When this design was suspected,

George Washington

Robert Dinwiddie, who
was then governor, resolved to
send a messenger to M. de St.
Pierre, the French commander,
who was at a fort about fifteen
miles south of Lake Erie, to
inform him that the territory
on the Ohio belonged to Virginia,
and to protest against
any invasion of it.

The Envoy Selected. — For
the discharge of this duty,
Governor Dinwiddie selected a
native Virginian, George Washington, who was destined to
fill a prominent place in the history of his country. He
was born in Westmoreland County on February 22, 1732,
and descended from a family that belonged to good English
stock. His father died when he was but ten years
old, and so he had learned at an early age to rely upon
himself. Though he had received but a common school
education, yet he had made the best use of his opportunities;
and when sixteen years old had been engaged by
Lord Fairfax to survey land he owned across the Blue

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Ridge. This led to a lifelong friendship between the two
men; and Washington doubtless derived much benefit
from his association with Fairfax, who had grown up in
the most elegant society in London. Washington in all
his actions during his boyhood and early manhood had
borne the highest reputation for judgment, administrative
ability, and integrity of moral character. He was just
twenty-one when he set out on his dangerous mission.

The Journey and the Result. — The journey was full of
perils and hardships; but finally Washington reached his
destination. M. de St. Pierre received him most courteously;
but, when he read Dinwiddie's letter, he sent back
the reply that, in all he had done, he had been acting
under the instructions of the governor of Canada, and that
he should continue to obey orders, as was the duty of a
soldier. With this unsatisfactory answer, Washington
was forced to return. His journal giving an account of
his expedition, which was published both in Virginia and
in England, first unfolded the hostile intentions of the
French. It was now seen that their encroachments could
only be stopped by an appeal to arms, which would involve
a contest with the Indians also, for they had formed an
alliance with the French.

The Opening of Hostilities. — In January, 1754, a company
of Virginia pioneers, less than fifty in number, took
possession of the forks of the Ohio River, where Pittsburg
now stands, which was the strategic point of the whole
disputed territory, and commenced building a fort. But
in April they were dispersed by the French, who completed
the stronghold, and named it Fort Duquesne, in
honor of the nobleman who was governor of Canada. In
the meantime Virginia had equipped a small force which,
under the command of Washington, was pushing on

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toward the forks of the Ohio. But, on the way, Washington
learned that the French had already secured possession
of the coveted position. He continued his march,
however, till he reached a place called Great Meadows,
about forty miles distant from Fort Duquesne, where he
met and defeated a small French force. He then halted
and built Fort Necessity. This the French besieged and
captured, but allowed Washington and his men to march
back to Virginia.

England sends General Braddock to Virginia. — The affair
at Great Meadows caused the English government to take
vigorous action. Early in 1755, one thousand of the king's
regular troops were sent over, first to capture Fort Duquesne
and after this other French forts toward the Great Lakes.
These were under the command of General Edward Braddock,
who was a brave man; but he made the fatal mistake
of supposing that war could be carried on with success in an
American wilderness on the same plan as upon the plains
of Europe. Warnings were repeatedly given him that he
had to fight, not only the French, but also the Indians,
whose peculiar method of warfare, added to the wild character
of the country, gave them an advantage over regular
troops, and made them an enemy to be feared. To Benjamin
Franklin, who spoke to him of the danger he would
have to guard against from this source, he replied impatiently,
"These savages may be indeed a formidable
enemy to raw American militia, but upon the king's
regular and disciplined troops, sir, it is impossible to make
any impression."

Braddock's Defeat. — Some time was consumed in preparations;
but finally the army, reinforced by about one
thousand colonial soldiers, began to move toward Fort
Duquesne, Braddock confident that an easy victory was

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before him. In July the army crossed the Monongahela
River, at a point about ten miles from the fort, where it
was attacked by a force of Canadians and Indians, and
literally cut to pieces. Half the English fell, killed or
wounded, and the remainder fled panic-stricken toward
Virginia. General Braddock received a mortal wound,
from the effects of which he died. Washington, who had
accompanied the expedition as a member of Braddock's
staff, put himself at the head of the colonial troops, and
covered the retreat of the regulars as far as was possible.
Thus the campaign that was to accomplish so much ended
in dire disaster.

Predatory Inroads on the Frontier. — The whole western
frontier of Virginia was now unprotected. The Indians in
the country toward the Ohio, encouraged by the success
that attended their arms in the contest with Braddock,
began boldly to attack the frontier, and even advanced as
far as the neighborhood of Winchester, their line of march
being always marked by murders and outrages of the most
blood-curdling kind.

Virginia Defends her Frontiers. — The House of Burgesses
raised and equipped additional forces which were
put under the command of Washington, who was so much
distressed by the conditions confronting him that, while
at Winchester, he wrote Governor Fauquier a letter in
which he said: "The supplicating tears of the women
and moving petitions of the men melt me into such deadly
sorrow that I solemnly declare, if I know my own mind, I
could offer myself a willing sacrifice to the butchering
enemy, provided that would contribute to the people's
ease." He exerted himself to the utmost to stop the
atrocities of the savages, building a fort at Winchester and
others along the border, to which the distressed inhabitants

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could fly for refuge; and he met with a wonderful degree
of success in his efforts, when the limited supply of men
and means at his command are taken into consideration.

End of the War. — For some time, in the struggle that
was going on, success seemed about to rest with the
French; but in 1758, the English began to prosecute the
war more vigorously. During this year another expedition,
under the command of General John Forbes, was
sent against Fort Duquesne. His army numbered about
six thousand, sixteen hundred of whom were Virginians
under Washington. This time the Virginians led the advance.
On the approach of the army, the French blew
up the fort and retreated. This event brought the worst of
the border troubles to an end, though the Indians continued
to commit occasional outrages for some time. The following
year, the English captured Quebec, which virtually
decided the contest. A few years later France yielded her
possessions east of the Mississippi River to England.

QUESTIONS

1. Give an account of the rivalry existing between France and
England.
2. What was now the question to be decided?
3. Give the plan adopted by France.
4. The English plan
5. How did the French decide to stop the English?
6. What message did the governor of Virginia send the French
commander?
7. Who was George Washington, when and where born?
8. What led to a lifelong friendship between Washington and Lord
Fairfax?
9. What is said of his character?
10. Give an account of his journey, and of its result.
11. Tell of the opening of hostilities
12. What happened at Great Meadows?

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13. Whom did the English send to capture Fort Duquesne, and what
fatal mistake did he make?
14. On being warned by Benjamin Franklin, what was his reply?
15. Tell of Braddock's defeat.
16. Who then took the head of the colonial troops?
17. Encouraged by this victory, what did the Indians do?
18. What was the letter Washington wrote to Governor Fauquier?
19. In what way did he try to stop the atrocities of the savages?
20. In what year did Fort Duquesne fall into the hands of the English?
21. How did the war end?