mouth of the Monongahela, as well as to assist in the prosecution of the work. "As I have called the assembly to meet on the fourteenth of February," wrote Dinwiddie towards the last of January, 1754, "I hope they will enable me to raise four hundred men more to go out early in the spring; and I shall write to the neighboring provinces to assist us, which, if they do with a spirit, these forces, with the conjunction of our friendly Indians, I hope will make a good appearance on the Ohio, and be able to defeat the designs of the French." Captain Trent speedily raised what force he could and marched to the westward, reaching the mouth of Redstone creek, where, for a brief time, he was detained in building a store-house for the Ohio company; then moving with what men he had of his own company and with such as he could there obtain and on the way, to the site of the present city of Pittsburgh (which he reached on the seventeenth of February), he began the erection of a fort with his command, as the Ohio company had not made a commencement in that direction. The work continued on uninterruptedly until the seventeenth of April. This was the beginning of war-like operations on part of Virginia, in the Ohio valley.

Meanwhile Dinwiddie's assembly had voted ten thousand pounds for the emergency, and two independent companies, maintained by the king in New York, and one in South Carolina, had received orders from England to march to the scene of action. The governor (Dinwiddie) was now busy in raising more troops to form a Virginia regiment, of which Joshua Fry was made colonel and Washington lieu

tenant-colonel. Fry was at Alexandria with half this so-called regiment, when Washington, with two companies, was ordered to march to the Ohio to assist Captain Trent. On his way up the Potomac, he was joined by a few men, so that, upon arriving at Wills creek, his whole force numbered about one hundred and fifty.

Let us now see what was going on to the northward-at Presquisle and upon the waters of French creek. At the firstmentioned fort, Pierre Claude Pecaudy de Contrecœur, the successor of Saint-Pierre, had landed with a strong force of regulars and Canadians. With over five hundred men he left the new fort at Venango (just then completed and named Machault), and dropped down the Alleghany in canoes and bateaux to the mouth of that river, where a small number of men were toiling at their fort, in "the forks of Ohio," under the command of Ensign Edward Ward, Captain Trent having gone to Wills creek.

This was on the seventeenth of April, and the ensign was, as soon as Contrecœur had landed and planted his cannon, summoned to surrender. Of course, resistance was out of the question, and he complied with the demand; he was allowed to depart with his men. Ward retraced his steps up the Monongahela and over the mountains to Wills creek, reporting his mishap to Washington, while Contrecœur demolished the incipient stockade and began a large fort, which was subsequently named Fort Duquesne. The first success in this covert war was at Pickawillany; the second, at "the forks of Ohio," now Pittsburgh: both on the side of the French.

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Colonel Washington, at Wills creek, held a council of war on the twenty-third of April as to the proper course to be pursued. It was determined that an advance should be make to Redstone creek; that a fortification should there be erected; and that in going there a road should be cleared broad enough to pass with all the artillery and baggage. Word was sent to the Half King, who was with Ensign Ward at the surrender, to meet the advancing troops. The Great Meadows, in what is now Fayette county, Pennsylvania, were reached on the twenty-fourth of May, and here entrenchments were thrown up, for it was evident there had been a forward movement of French troops from Fort Duquesne. The latter force consisted of one officer, three cadets, one volunteer, one English interpreter and twenty-eight men," under command of an ensign, Coulon de Jumonville, who had been sent to make what discoveries he could, Contrecœur having learned of the advance of Washington. On the morning of the twenty-eighth the French camp was at tacked by Washington at the head of thirty-three of his men, assisted by the Half King and a few warriors. The French commander and nine others were killed, and twenty-two captured. Jumonville had been provided with a written summons to be delivered to any English he might find, requiring them to withdraw from the domain of the king of France; but this summons, it seems, was only to be shown if the bearer was threatened by a superior force. The force attacking was greater than his, but the summons was not read, nor was it, so far as seen by Washington, attempted to be read by

Jumonville when the firing began. The war was now an open one; thenceforth, there was no pretense of peace, at least, none in America.

Washington now erected a frail fort at the Great Meadows (it was afterward named Fort Necessity), and sent for reinforcements to Colonel Fry at Wills creek. These were ordered forward, but the death of Fry put Washington in command of the regiment, which now numbered three hundred men. Besides these, there were a few Indians present under the Half King, and soon an independent company from South Carolina reached the fort, so, also, a company of regulars under Captain Mackay. From the Great Meadows to Gist's, on the road to the mouth of Redstone, it was thirteen miles. Washington now resolved that, as there was no French force in his vicinity, to move on toward the latter place. Gist's was reached on the twenty-ninth of June; but, once there, and Washington learned that a strong French force was advancing toward him. from Fort Duquesne; he thereupon retraced his steps to the Great Meadows.

When word reached Montreal of the death of Jumonville, his brother, Coulon de Villiers, was dispatched to Fort Duquesne with a body of Indians, arriving there on the twenty-sixth of June, when he found. that five hundred Frenchmen and a few Ohio Indians were just ready to march against the English at the Great Meadows. De Villiers took the command (it was an increased force; it included his savages) and moved up the Monongahela in canoes, to the mouth of Redstone creek. On the third of July he sat down before Fort Necessity. Washington, having offered

battle outside the fort, which was declined, withdrew his men inside the fortification. There were swivels mounted on the ramparts of the fort, but they did little execution. The fight lasted nine hours, when Washington was summoned to surrender. He could hold out no longer. Articles were signed about midnight. The English were allowed to retire, carrying with them all that belonged to them except the artillery, allowing them "one swivel-gun." They were to be protected from insult that might be offered by either French or Indians. The prisoners taken when Jumonville was killed were to be set free, two officers remaining as hostages for their safe return to Fort Duquesne. Not less than twelve Virginians had been killed and forty-three wounded. The casualties among the regulars were not reported. Villiers returned his loss at twenty in all. The march of Washington back to Wills creek, a distance of fifty-two miles, with his sick and wounded, two of the latter being killed and scalped by the savages, began on the morning of the fourth of July, and was effected without further loss. DeVilliers, the French commander, after demolishing Fort Necessity, commenced his return march to Fort Duquesne, destroying all the houses at Gist's and "round about," also the store-house at the mouth of Redstone, and such incipient settlements as could be found down the Monongahela, until the mouth of that river was reached, which was on the seventh of July. It was a short but very successful expedition for DeVilliers. Besides, there was now a general alienation on part of the Ohio Indians from English interests. The Ohio valley was,

in fact, in keeping of the French. Did they hold possession without effort for any length of time? and, in the end, did they retain it? We shall see.

The lords of trade and plantations had already directed the several provincial governors to urge on their assemblies the propriety of sending to Albany commissioners to make a joint treaty with the wavering tribes of Indians; especially was this important with the Six Nations. The four New England colonies, also New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, acceded to the plan. The result was, the Iroquois were soothed but not satisfied. The commissioners, led by Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, in view of the apparent necessity of some sort of union between the provinces to resist the encroachments of the French, brought forward a project for it, which was rejected by the crown because it gave too much power to the colonies; by the colonies, because it gave too much power to the crown. However, England prepared in earnest for war, deciding to send over two regiments, each of five hundred men, Major-General Edward Braddock being appointed to the chief command. France, to meet this activity on part of the English, got ready to send to Canada six battalions, numbering in all three thousand men. But, before describing operations on a large scale, induced by these preparations, let us see what was being done by the provinces to recover the lost ground and to wipe out the disgrace of Washington's defeat at the Great Meadows.

The news of the success of DeVilliers reached Annapolis, Maryland, on the eighteenth of July, the day after the meet

ing of the assembly, creating great surprise and alarm. A week after, six thousand pounds were appropriated "for his Majesty's use towards the defence of the colony of Virginia, attacked by the French and Indians, and for the relief and support of the wives and children of the Indian allies that put themselves under the protection of this government." Governor Horatio Sharpe immediately notified Dinwiddie, who received the announcement with great satisfaction. A commisA commission was issued by the former to Captain Thomas Cresap, who had "behaved himself on all occasions as a good servant to the government," to raise a company of riflemen to serve beyond the Alleghany mountains. In August Sharpe gave orders that two additional companies should be raised. Governor Hamilton, on receiving the news of the Great Meadows' disaster, convened the Pennsylvania assembly. But unpleasant altercations followed, and "their labors were nugatory." Hamilton's successor, Robert Hunter Morris, succeeded no better with a new assembly in December. Dinwiddie met with better success. The burgesses voted him, finally, twenty thousand pounds. New York, however, was stubborn to an offensive degree at first; but the defeat of Washington brought the assembly to its senses and five thousand pounds were voted.

After the affair at the Great Meadows, what troops could be collected at the mouth of Wills creek were put to work upon a fortification, which was finished in November, and named Fort Cumberland. Meanwhile, because of an order from the king "settling the rank of the officers of

his Majesty's forces when serving with the provincials in North America," Colonel Washington resigned his commission, and the Maryland governor, Horatio Sharpe, was appointed "commander-in-chief of all the forces that are or may be raised to defend the frontiers of Virginia and the neighboring colonies, and to repel the unjustifiable invasion and encroachments of the French on the River Ohio." Sharpe visited Fort Cumberland and carried on with vigor preparations for a spring campaign; but his appointment was only a measure of temporary expediency. Before the ending of winter he was superseded by General Braddock.

The transports bringing the two English regiments to America arrived safely at Hampton and were ordered up to Alexandria, where a camp was to be formed. General Braddock had preceded his men in the ship Centurion. in the ship Centurion. At Alexandria, the provincial governors met the general at his request. It was decided to attack the French at four points. The two British regiments were to advance on Fort Duquesne. Two provincial regiments just raised and taken into the king's pay were to reduce Niagara. Crown Point was to be seized by provincials from New England, New York and New Jersey. Beauséjour was to be captured and Acadia subjected by another body of New England men. Braddock was to lead the Fort Duquesne expedition. Such were the formidable projects against a power that was outwardly at peace with Great Britain. And we may here premise that the expedition planned against Niagara was a failure; that there was a barren victory at Lake George, and that three forts were cap

tured in Acadia. But what of the expedition against Fort Duquesne? The story has often been told.

The march from Alexandria to Fort Cumberland occupied twenty-seven days. At this post at least two thousand effective men were assembled.* Here Washington joined the expedition as one of Braddock's aids. There were about six hundred baggage horses, besides those of the artillery. On the last day of May, five hundred men were sent forward to open the road and store provisions at Little Meadows. It was the tenth of June before the army was well on its march, and Little Meadows was not reached until the eighteenth-only thirty miles from Fort Cumberland. The army was here separated into two divisions; the advance, consisting of something over twelve hundred men, moved on, with Braddock in immediate command; while the rear division was put under the orders of Colonel Thomas Dunbar, to follow as best he could. Braddock reached the confluence of the Youghiogheny with the Monongahela on the eighth of July, only twelve miles from Fort Duquesne, which was garrisoned by a few companies of regular troops; with them were a considerable number of Canadians; also eight hundred Indian warriors had their wigwams surrounding the post. They were Caughnewagas, Abenakis, Hurons, Pottawattamies, Chippewas, Shawanese, Mingoes and Ottawas. Under Contrecœur were three other captains: Beaujeu, Dumas and Ligneris.

Just below the mouth of Turtle creek * About twenty-two hundred, including regulars, provincials and sailors, made up the entire force.

the Monongahela was forded the second time by the force under Braddock, when a clearing and a deserted house was reached; it was the cabin formerly occupied by the trader, Fraser. It was about eight miles thence to Fort Duquesne. A detachment of three hundred and fifty men, closely attended by a working party of two hundred and fifty, now advanced cautiously along a path but twelve feet wide, the main body following, when of a sudden there was a heavy and quick fire in front.

The French had notice of the coming of the English, and six hundred and thirtyseven savages went forth to ambuscade them. With the Indians were thirty-six French officers and cadets, seventy-two regular soldiers and a hundred and forty-six Canadians. This motley force was under under the command of Beaujeu, Dumas and Ligneris, ranking in the order named, and it was this force that now attacked, on the ninth of July, Braddock's advance. Soon the battle became general. The English were defeated. Of eighty-six officers, sixty-three were killed or disabled,

while out of while out of thirteen hundred and seventy-three non-commissioned officers and privates, only four hundred and fifty-nine came off the battle-field unharmed. "The loss of the French was slight, but fell chiefly on the officers, three of whom were killed and four wounded. Of the regular soldiers, all but four escaped untouched. The Canadians suffered still less in proportion to their numbers, only five of them being hurt. The Indians, who won the victory, bore the principal loss. Of those from