Book II.

CHAPTER XV.

French war in 1755. Reasons of it. Colonel Washington's expedition. Convention at Albany. Expeditions against Nova-Scotia, fort du Quesne, Crown Point and Niagara. Exertions of the Northern colonies, especially of Connec ticut. Success in Nova-Scotia. Defeat of general Braddock. General Johnson defeats Baron Dieskau and takes him prisoner.

SUCH was the restless spirit, intrigue and deceit of the

ments.

French court and nation, that the colonies had but short intervals of peace, while their great enemy had any settlements in this country. Even in these intervals, how fair soever they spake, they were constantly encroaching on their territories, giving new occasions, and making preparations for war. Though the whole country of Acadia, or Nova-Scotia, had been expressly ceded to Great- French Britain, by the twelfth article of the treaty of Utrecht, and encroachthat cession had been confirmed by all subsequent treaties, yet the French renewed their claim to a considerable part of that country, and in several places were erecting fortifications and placing garrisons. While the colonists were vigorously pursuing the arts of peace, and exerting themselves, by industry, economy and the extension of their settlements, to recover themselves from the losses and impoverishment which they had sustained in the former war, the French were encroaching no less on their northern and western, than on their eastern frontiers. They were attempting to compass them with a line of posts and fortifications, in such a manner, as would enable them, with their Indian allies, to harass and alarm the country, on their frontiers, for an extent of a thousand miles or more. the same time, it would establish an easy and constant communication between their settlements in Canada, and on the Mississippi, and command the trade of all the western Indians. At the northward, they had encroached far on the English, by their settlements and fortifications at Crown Point, and they were advancing to Ticonderoga. At the westward, they were not only attempting to complete a line of forts from the head of the St. Lawrence to the Mississippi, but were encroaching far on Virginia.

At

1749

While under the auspices of peace, agriculture and com- Reasons of merce flourished in the colonies, the Indian trade drew the war. many of the wandering traders, from Virginia, far into the

BOOK II. inland country beyond the great mountains. Here they found themselves in a very pleasing climate, fruitful, and 1751. watered with many navigable rivers. It was conceived

that these advantages, in conjunction with the Indian trade, would amply compensate for its distance from the sea. A settlement was therefore immediately contemplated on the Ohio. A number of noblemen, merchants and planters, of Westminster, London and Virginia, named the Ohio company, obtained a charter grant of six hundred thousand acres, on and near the Ohio river. In pursuance of the terms of their patent, the lands were surveyed, about two years after the grant, and settlements were soon made.

The governor of Canada had early intelligence of the transactions of the company, and was alarmed with the apprehension, that they were prosecuting a plan, which would effectually deprive the French of the advantages which they derived from their trade with the Twightwees, and, what was much worse, would cut off the communication between Canada and Louisiana. The French claimed all the country from the Mississippi, as far in upon Virgina, as the Alleghany mountains. This claim was founded on the pretence, that they were the first discoverers of the river. To secure their claims and préserve the communication between their two colonies, Canada and Louisiania, they had not only erected a fort on the south side of lake Erie, but one about fifteen miles south of that, on a branch of the Ohio; and another at the conflux of the Ohio and the Wabash. Nothing could be more directly calculated to dash the favorite plan of France than the settlement of the Ohio company.

The governor of Canada therefore wrote to the governors of New-York and Pennsylvania, complaining, that the English traders had encroached on the French, by trading with the Indians, and threatening, if they should not desist, that he would seize them wherever they should be found.

The Indian trade had been managed principally by the Pennsylvanians; but the Ohio company were now about to divert it to a different channel. They contemplated the opening of a road to Will's creek, and the conducting of it, by the Potomac, directly to Virginia. The Pennsylvanians, under the influence of selfishness, gave information, from time to time, both to the French and Indians, of the transactions and designs of the Ohio company. The governor of Canada, therefore, put his menaces into execution. The French and Indians seized the British traders among the Twightwees, and carried them to their fort

on the south side of lake Erie.

The Twightwees resent- Book II. ing the injury done to the British traders, who were their allies, made reprisals on the French, and sent several of 1754. their traders to Pennsylvania. The French nevertheless continued their claims, and strengthened their fortifications.

The Indians, at the same time, jealous that settlements were about to be made on their lands without purchase, and without their consent, threatened the settlers. These claims and threatenings of the French and Indians, struck at the very existence of the Ohio company. Complaints therefore were made to lieutenant governor Dinwiddie, of Virginia, and the province began to interest itself warmly in the affair. The Indians were in some measure satisfied, by a pretended message from the king. Major Washington was dispatched to M. St. Pierre, commandant on the Ohio, to demand the reasons of his hostile conduct, and at the same time to insist on the withdrawal of his troops. A party of Virginians were also sent forward to erect a fort at the confluence of the Ohio and Monongahela.

The French commander denied the charge of hostility, and, so far from withdrawing his troops, he made an absolute claim of the country, as the property of the French king, and declared that, agreeable to his instructions, he would seize and send prisoner to Canada, every Englishman who should attempt to trade on the Ohio, or any of its branches.

The Vir

from the

Ohio.

Before the Virginians had completed their designed fortifications on the Ohio, the French came upon them, from Vinango, in great force. They had an army of a thous- ginians and men, and eighteen pieces of cannon, and drove them driven from the country. They then erected a regular fort on the very ground where the Virginians had begun their fortifications. They gave it the name of Fort du Quesne. MerIn these ravages, the French destroyed all the English tra- chants ders but two, and plundered them of skins and other prop- killed and erty to the amount of twenty thousand pounds.* This for- plundertress very much commanded the entrance of the whole ed. country on the Ohio and the Mississippi. These measures gave a general alarm to the colonies, and also to GreatBritain.

It was easily foreseen, that if the French should unite Canada with their settlements at the mouth of the Mississippi, by possession of that vast country which lies between them, that the colonies would not only sustain the loss of a great part of their country, and all share in the Indian * Rider's Hist. vol. xl. p. 71.

Book II. trade; but that, in time of war, their frontiers must, to a very great extent, be exposed to continual alarm and dan1754. ger. The defence of such a frontier, of more than a thousand miles, would be in a great degree impracticable, as well as ruinously expensive. On the contrary, could the designs of France on Nova-Scotia and the Ohio be defeated, it would entirely disunite their colonies, and as the entrance into the one is, in the winter season, shut up by frost, and the entrance into the other is difficult, it would make them of much less value. It was also foreseen that the fortune of these colonies would immediately and very greatly affect the West-Indies. As both nations had a clear comprehension of these points, they were equally deter mined to maintain their respective claims.

Colonel

ton's ex

The British ministry were no sooner apprised of these claims and outrages of the French, than they instructed the Virginians, by force of arms, to resist their encroachments. Orders were given also that several independent companies, in America, should assist the Virginians. Major Washington was advanced to the rank of colonel, and apWashing- pointed to command the troops, from Virginia, destined to pedition. remove the encroachments of the French on the Ohio. On the first notice, captain James Mackay marched with his independent company, from South-Carolina, to the assistance of the Virginians. Two companies were ordered from New-York on the same service. Colonel Washington, without waiting for the companies from New-York, determined to advance with the Virginians and Mackay's May 28, company, consisting of about four hundred men. In May, he fell in with a party from fort du Quesne, under the command of one Jamonville, whom he totally defeated. De Villier, who commanded at fort du Quesne, incensed at this defeat, marched against him with a body of nine hundred men, besides Indians. The colonel had thrown up some imperfect works, which were, with propriety, termed fort Necessity; hoping to defend himself in his post, till he should be reinforced by the companies expected from New-York. In these works he made so brave and obstinate a defence, that De Villier, finding he had desperate men to combat, offered him an honorable capitulation. This he accepted, and retreated with his party to Virginia.

defeats Jamonville.

Is afterwards overpow

ered and capitulates.

Recom

from the

Lords of

The same year, instructions had been sent from the Lords mendation of trade and plantations, recommending a meeting of commissioners from the several colonies, to concert a plan of trade and union and defence against the common enemy and in his majesty's name to effect a league of friendship between the colonies and the Indians bordering upon them. The colo

plantatious.

nies, generally, manifested a cheerful compliance with the Book II. recommendation. But as, in former wars, some colonies had done much, and others scarcely any thing, to the great 1754, injury of the common cause, it was now earnestly wished, that each colony might be obliged to do its equal proportion. It was also desired, that the five nations of Indians, who had been under particular governors or provinces, and had, too often, been influenced to measures subservient to individuals, or to particular colonies, rather than to such as were beneficial to the general interest, might be under some general direction, and contribute to the safety and welfare of the colonies collectively.

The General Court of Massachusetts presented their desires to governor Shirley, that he would "pray his ma- April 10, jesty, that the affairs relative to the six nations, and their allies, might be put under such general direction, as his majesty should judge proper: that the several governments may be obliged to bear their proportion of defending his majesty's territories against the encroachments of the French, and the ravages and incursions of the Indians."

Agreeably to the recommendation of the lords of trade and plantations, a convention, in the summer, of the governors and principal gentlemen of the several colonies, met at Albany. The commissioners from Connecticut, were the honourable William Pitkin, Roger Wolcott, and Elisha Williams, Esq'rs. It was the unanimous opinion, that an union of the colonies was absolutely necessary for the common defence. The convention proposed this plan:-"That a grand council should be formed, of mem- Plan of unbers chosen by the assemblies, and sent from all the colo- ion proponies; which council, with a governor general, to be ap- convensed by the pointed by the crown, should be empowered to make gen- tion, June eral laws, to raise money, in all the colonies, for the de- 14th. fence of the whole." It was the general opinion, that, could such an establishment be effected, the colonies would be competent to their own defence, against the combined force of the French and Indians. Some of the colonies, in former wars, had defended themselves against them, unassisted by Great-Britain, or their sister colonies. Their united force, therefore, they judged would certainly be sufficient.

commis

The commissioners from Connecticut were wholly op- Opposed posed to the plan. They imagined that it was dangerous by the to the liberties of the colonies, and that such a government sioners would not act with that dispatch and energy which might from Conbe reasonably expected by his majesty. It was also ima- necticut. * See the articles of agreement, in the Appendix, No. 1.