What was the cause of the french and indian war

In the end, the mission was anything but a success. It was clear that the Native Americans were not solely devoted to the French any longer. The British colonies beat them there. In the spring of , Virginia troops reached the confluence and began constructing a fortification. However, a larger Canadian force arrived and the Virginians abandoned the site. Subsequently, the French built Fort Duquesne. Arriving in the Ohio Country a month after the French occupied the Forks were over men under the command of 22 year old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington of Virginia.

They encamped 50 miles to the east of the Forks in an open field known as Great Meadows. Dispatched from Fort Duquesne and heading in their direction was a small French party led by Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville with orders to obtain intelligence on the British force and if possible, demand them to leave.

Washington responded to the news of the French movement and led a force of his own to intercept them. These were the first shots fired during the French and Indian War and would have global ramifications. The skirmish left Jumonville and nine of his men dead, as well as twenty-one others wounded. A survivor made his way back to Fort Duquesne and reported to his superiors what had happened.

Washington returned to Great Meadows and constructed a crude palisade named Fort Necessity. After receiving the news of the loss of the Ohio River Valley, London reacted. The following year, British regular regiments were on their way across the Atlantic. The British were now poised to outmaneuver the French and capture territories in New York, Nova Scotia, and the Ohio River Valley before a formal declaration of war could be made between both countries.

France considered it a part of New France and Britain considered it a part of Virginia. In addition to having a number of valuable resources there, such as very profitable fur-trading industry with the local Native American tribes, the land itself was also crucial to both sides if they wanted to expand their empires in North America, according to the book Bushy Run Battlefield: Pennsylvania Trail of History Guide:. The French recognized the strategic importance of the valley as a link in their far-flung empire, which stretched from New France, in Canada, to Louisiana, along the Mississippi River.

The Ohio River itself was also an essential transport corridor for goods produced in the region and whoever controlled the river, controlled the trade industry there, as author Fred Anderson explained in an article for the History News Network:. A series of events happened that led to the start of the French and Indian war. The first major event was when Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie sent year-old Major George Washington to deliver a message to Fort LeBoeuf, which was located at what is now modern day Waterford, Pennsylvania, that the fort was on British land and the French should immediately leave the Ohio River Valley.

Washington arrived at the fort on December 11, , in the middle of a raging snowstorm, and delivered the ultimatum to the commander of the fort, Captain Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre. After the British failed to persuade the French to leave the area, the conflict came to a head in April of when Washington was sent with soldiers from the Virginia Regiment to reinforce the British Fort Prince George near what is now modern day Pittsburgh.

Before Washington reached the fort though it had already been overtaken by French forces who renamed it Fort Duquesne. Washington decided to move his troops to the nearby fortified storehouse at Red Stone Creek and wait for reinforcements before attempting to take Fort Duquesne back from the French. While marching to Red Stone Creek, Washington and his troops camped at a place called Great Meadows, at what is now Farmington, Pennsylvania, and decided to build a small way station there complete with a storehouse.

To prevent this, on May 28, Washington and his men, with some help from their Indian allies, the Iroquois, located and ambushed Jumonville and his scouting party at their camp. Washington had a complicated relationship with Native Americans. Throughout his life, he negotiated with and served alongside native peoples, fought against others, and sought their land for his own prosperity.

The journal provides a first-hand glimpse of frontier diplomacy, the beginnings of the French and Indian War, as well as early indications of Washington's well-documented physical vigor and leadership. Learn more about the Battle of Monongahela - the battle where Gen. Edward Braddock's forces were defeated and Washington served as aide-de-camp. Learn more about Braddock's March and the Battle of the Monongahela in our interview with the author of Braddock's Defeat.

Historians Fred Anderson and Brett Rushforth describe George Washington's early encounters with Native Americans and his developing views and policies towards these indigenous people later in his presidency. This action-packed film is a vivid illustration of defining moments that made George Washington an indispensable leader. Own your own copy of Maj. George Washington's journal - the document that made him famous on both sides of the Atlantic. The Marquis de Duquesne oversees the development of a series of French forts built in the Ohio at key strategic locations.

Dinwiddie selects Washington as his emissary to the French forts. Washington leaves Williamsburg October 31, Washington hired Christopher Gist, an experienced frontier surveyor, as a guide on his first expedition to the Ohio Country.

Pierre says he will forward the letter to Duquesne. Washington and Gist embark on a dramatic journey back to Williamsburg. Washington is promoted from major to Lt.

Colonel and placed second in command. He is authorized to raise men. His mission is to drive the French out of the Ohio Valley. The Indians kill the wounded including Jumonville. The surviving French claim to be on a diplomatic mission. At 11 a. By 8 pm the French offer terms. Washington and the other officers decide to surrender.

Edward Braddock and a large force of British regulars set out from Alexandria, Virginia for the long march to Fort Duquesne.