The French and Indian War In our earlier discussions, we mentioned little about the Indians. However, we’ll come to see that the British and the French both had Indian allies. Yet, more Indians fought with the French than the British. Question: Which side do you think named the war? Why?

North America 1750 -Focus in on the red striped lands. Question: Who do you think claimed these lands? British and French This area that was disputed was a wilderness known as the Ohio River Valley. It wasn’t settled by either the French or the British, so Indians were able to live in this area and trade with both the French and the British.

Leave! The Royal Governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, sends a letter to the French telling them to evacuate the Ohio River Valley, specifically Fort Duquesne. When the French refuse, he orders George Washington to remove them. Most of the Indians side with the French because they have a good trading relationship with them. Also, they are suspicious of the British as being after their land, which was true!

Mistakes Diplomat Fort Necessity George Washington’s troops ambush a group of Frenchman, killing their leader Sieur de Jumonville. Only after defeating the small party does he realize that the group was on a diplomatic (peace making) mission. In retaliation, a group of French soldiers and their Indian allies attack George Washington after he has only had time to build a small fort in the middle of a field (bad location), Fort Necessity. His fort was so poorly built and in such a bad spot, that the only Indian allies he had abandoned him rather than face certain defeat. The French quickly defeat George Washington and his troops and force him to sign a treaty. Little did George Washington know that his actions would set the world ablaze in a war that will spread to the reaches of the Earth.

War Begins! 1,500 British troops are sent on a mission to take Fort Duquesne. George Washington returns under British General Braddock. Very close to the same spot Washington ambushed Jumonville, they are crushed by French and Indian forces and forced to retreat. This loss resulted in many British lives lost, including General Braddock’s. An all out war between the British troops and their colonial allies against the French and their Indian allies has now begun.

More British Losses 1756-1757 Fort Oswego Fort William Henry In August of 1756, the French commander Montcalm, attacked the British Fort of Oswego. With 3,000 men and 120 cannons, the French bombarded and took the fort, killing the British commander and taking 1,700 British troops as captives. The following August, Montcalm decides to again attack a British Fort, this time Fort William Henry. With 8,000 troops, many of which were Indians, and French Canadians, the French laid siege to the fort and the British soldiers along with the British colonists were forced to surrender. After their defeated at Fort William Henry, the British soldiers and colonists were ordered to leave under safe passage. However, the Indians, allies of the French, felt that they should be rewarded for fighting along side the victors, so they took captives, killed, and plundered the British as they left the fort. http://frenchandindianwar.info/forthenry.htm

The Tide Turns for the British 1758 Louisbourg Captured Fort Duqesne Finally Taken Louisbourg was a fortress city that guarded the mouth of the St. Lawrence River as it emptied into the ocean. The British needed to be able to control this river in order to strike deeper into the heart of New France. The British were able to successfully land on the beaches south of the fortress. Because the fortress was so well protected, the British had to dig trenches and move their cannons up through them to get close enough to the city to be able to fire upon its defenses. For an entire month, the British army surrounded the city, dug trenches, and fired upon it. After realizing there was no way to get supplies or reinforcements from outside of the city, the French were forced to surrender. Fort Duquesne, the French fort that was the center of the Ohio River Valley dispute between the French and the British which started the war, was finally taken in 1758 by the British after the attempts of George Washington and General Braddock had failed. During the failed attempts by Washington and Braddock, Indians had played a major role in allying with the French and defeating the British. However, this time the Indians refused to come to the aid of the French. The French only had 300 soldiers in the fort. Therefore, instead of staying and fighting, the French blew up their own fort and withdrew before the British were even within five miles of it. http://frenchandindianwar.info

Road to British Victory-1759 Bombardment of Quebec Climb up the cliffs Battle of the Plains of Abraham - 1759 In Quebec the French General, Marquis de Montcalm, had kept his forces inside the city rather than go out and face the superior numbers of the British army. In an effort to draw Montcalm out, the British General, James Wolfe, allows his men to burn and ravage the French Canadian settlement around Quebec city. After months of this as well as bombarding the capital city, Quebec, with ships cannons from the river, the British find a way up a steep cliff to surprise and attack the fortified French stronghold. The battle is fought European style in a field outside of the city. Within thirty minutes the British achieve a decisive victory and are able to shortly afterwards take Quebec. However, both Wolfe and Montcalm are killed during the battle. This victory for the British nearly marked the end for the French forces in North America.

Montreal Falls - 1760 After the Plains of Abraham, the French forces retreat to Montreal. There, British forces converge on the city in such great numbers that the French surrender without a battle. This defeat meant that French-Canada had been completely lost by the French.

Huge Land Gains At the signing of the treaty of Paris is 1763, the French gave over all of their land holdings in Canada as well as all of the land between the Mississippi River and the Alleghany Mountains (Ohio River Valley) to Great Britain.