Throughout the 18th century North American lands were primarily controlled by France, England and Spain. The Spanish king ruled upon Florida, France possessed both central and northern territories and the UK`s authority extended to the East. These countries knew that they would not be able to find a consensus concerning those areas peacefully and that someday the situation would definitely lead to war. The Seven Years' War was meant to show which metropolis would have the control over North America. Each side relied on the power and the might of their colonists as well as for the help from Indian tribes.
The fighting began with the territorial dispute. The French were the first Europeans to explore the land in the Ohio, around the Great Lakes and near the Mississippi rivers. France used to send traders and hunters to these areas and founded lots of trading centers. Britain, in turn, also claimed to own these lands. In June 1747 the Governor-General of New France, Pierre-Joseph sent Céloron on a military expedition into this area. His task was to approve the French rights to the territory, eliminate the British influence and show the real might of France to the Indians. As soon as the east coast was completely occupied, the colonists started to conquer west lands, thereby destroying the local Indians hunting zones. In general, Indian tribes were be able to repel the European settlers, but they were separated by the constant internal conflicts. On the outbreak of the Anglo-French war the indigenous population was divided into two camps for those who supported the British and those who supported the French. “The Ohio River Valley Indians strived to maintain their land, lifestyle and control of their future” (Relive: French and Indian War History; 2016). Of course, they wanted to organize trade with the Europeans but were against their settlements. It is also believed that a great number of tribes “tended to favor the French who enjoyed a reputation for conducting business more fairly than the British” (Background of the French and Indian War; 2016).
The French troops chose a special way of leading the warfare, which was quite uncommon for the English generals. They prefer to hide in the woods among the dense trees, dressed in camouflage suits rather than fight in the open air on the broad fields. Despite the fact that the English troops were much bigger in number the French ones with the Indians, the UK still managed to win the Battle of Fort Duquesne.
A lot of fighting took place in the vicinity of the lakes George and Champlain as both of them were rather convenient for transporting troops and equipment. Thus, they appeared to be vital strategic points so the side gaining control over them had a lot of chances for the overall success. The French military bases were situated in some cities of Quebec and Montreal, while the English ones were settled along the Hudson River. That area became the main platform of fighting.
France decided to send Pierre-Paul de La Marina Malget with a group of 2,000 marines and Indians to protect the royal lands in the Ohio Valley from the British in the spring of 1753. Following the route mapped by Celoron four years earlier, he also built and strengthened the existing forts. The first was built in Pennsylvania to protect the headwaters of LeBoeuf Creek. Moving to the South he expelled or captured British residents. Virginia`s Governor Robert Dinwiddie was a major investor in the Ohio Company, which would lose money if the French succeeded. The first serious event of that war happened in 1754. Major George Washington, who was then only 21 years old was sent to the French to negotiate the border demarcation. It is no wonder that the French refused to leave. Washington at the head of the Virginia colonial militia moved to the French fort near the modern city of Pittsburgh, when he stumbled on the French squad. In the shootout one of the French officers was killed and Washington backed down with his party having hastily built forts for the defense in case of the inevitable enemy`s attacks. Meanwhile the representatives of most British colonies met in Albany to discuss the situation in the northwestern border, and plan their next steps.
After the death of Braddock, William Shirley began to command the troops in North America. At a meeting in Albany in December 1755 he reported his plans for next year to take Duquesne, Crown Point and Niagara, proposed to attack the Fort Frontenac on the north shore of Lake Ontario, make an expedition into the wilderness of Maine and down the Shade River to attack Quebec. However, the men did not receive support neither from William Johnson, nor Hardy so the governor's plan did not meet the approval. Later Shirley was deposed and in January 1756 Lord Laudaun, was appointed for his place. None of them did not have a tenth of the experience, which was the officers sent them against France.
After Britain won the battle near the Lake George at the end of 1755 the intensity of the confrontation only increased. France sent one of its best generals Marques de Montkema to command troops in America who later attacked several British forts in 1757. The command of the British forces surrendered on the condition of a just and humane treatment for its soldiers. However, the French reneged and more than 1,000 soldiers from the UK and colonists were killed in captivity.
In 1758 British forces attacked Fort Carillon, which was under the command of General Montkema. Despite the small number of troops the French managed to repel the attack with the help of the strong protective fortifications. At that time the British retreated, but they decided to repeat the attempt led by General Jeffrey Amhurst following year and eventually succeed.
The Franco-Indian War was officially completed in 1763 with the defeat of the French troops at Quebec and the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The lands from the east coast to the Mississippi River appeared to be under the British control. The Indians still had the control over the most western lands with the exception of some of the Spanish colonies in New Mexico and Texas.
At the end of the Seven Years' War Britain was in great debts, which were to be covered by the new taxes on the certain categories of goods such as stamped paper and tea. The beginning of 1765 was marked with the new protest movement of colonists. According to Pamela Kline (2016), “the parliament decided to pass the Stamp Act, which appeared to be a terrible failure angering citizens on both sides of the Atlantic and beginning the rift between Britain and its colonists”.
The British victory in this war had a huge impact on the British Empire as it presumed new expansions of British territorial claims in the New World. According to Fred Anderson, “the events between 1755 and 1763 destroyed the French Empire in North America, overturned the balance of power on two continents, undermined the ability of Indian nations to determine their destinies and lit the "long fuse" of the American Revolution”(2006; p.42). Beginning on the eve of the Seven Years' War and, to a large extent, prompting it the French and Indian War ended with the defeat of France. As a result this country lost all its colonial possessions called New France in America. In addition, the United Kingdom took control over Florida, which used to belong to Spain. The history of this conflict in particular the siege of Quebec and the heroic death of Major-General James Wolfe became the subject for a number of ballads, pictures and other art materials that show how the event struck the imagination of the British public for a long time even after the death of General Wolfe in 1759.
References
Relive: French and Indian War History (2016). Retrieved from http://www.warforempire.org/relive/the_history.aspx
Background of the French and Indian War (2016). Retrieved from
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h608.htmll
Kline, P. (2016) The French and Indian War (or Seven Years War). Retrieved from
http://www.revolutionary-war.net/french-and-indian-war.html
Anderson F. (2006) The war that made America: a short history of the French and Indian War. Viking
