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Washington's mission: In 1753 the imperial nations of France, Great Britain, and the Native Americans all claimed control of the Ohio Valley, the area encompassing present-day western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. Acting on orders from Governor Dinwiddie, twenty-one-year-old George Washington embarked upon a dangerous expedition north from Williamsburg to deliver a diplomatic message to the French ordering them to evactuate the region. Already the French had erected threee forts to reinforce their claim to the area: Fort Presque Isle (current day Erie, Pa), Fort LeBoeuf (Waterford, Pa), and Fort Machault/Venango (Franklin, Pa). During his journey to the French forts in the winter of 1753-54, young Washington encountered many hazards. Not only were there "excessive rains and vast quality of snow", Washington was almost shot by an Indian guide near current day Harmony, Pa, and nearly drowned in the icy waters of the Allegheny River near present-day Pittsburgh, Pa. When Washington returned to Williamsburg in January 1754, he reported to the governor that the French intended to remain entrenched in the Ohio Valley. This marked the beggining of the military struggle known globally as the Seven Year War and locally as the French and Indian War. |
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Major George Washington |
Commander Saint-Pierre |
