George Washington at Fort Necessity

On May 28, 1754, a group of colonial militiamen encountered 30 Frenchmen (some of them soldiers) preparing breakfast near the Ohio River in present-day Pennsylvania. When 22-year-old Lt. Col. George Washington ordered his men to open fire on the French, he started the French and Indian War--and got himself in serious trouble. Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie had ordered Washington to build forts along the Ohio River before the French could do the same. After learning that the French already were settling the river valley, Washington took it upon himself to drive them out. After the May 28 skirmish that killed 10 Frenchmen, including the group's leader, Coulon de Jumonville, Washington learned that he had attacked a diplomatic party. The French army, led by Jumonville's brother, intended to retaliate. Washington moved his troops and supervised the hasty construction of the aptly named Fort Necessity. Defending the fort would be difficult. It was built in a creek bottom, an unadvantageous location for defense. To make matters worse, forested hills surrounded the fort on three sides and the defensive perimeter was cut too close, allowing attackers to approach the fort. The fort also did not have enough supplies to withstand a siege. When the French arrived on July 3, the colonists found themselves outnumbered 700 to 293, and Washington's force suffered 100 casualties in one day of fighting. Washington surrendered the next day. The French drew up a treaty Washington thought was generous--he and his men were allowed to keep one cannon and retreat with flags flying. Because of an inexperienced translator, however, Washington's signature on the treaty also meant that he had admitted to assassinating a French diplomat. The British were outraged. Washington's mistake allowed France to justify a war in North America by arguing that his actions had demonstrated Britain's hostile intent. Ridiculed in Europe as an inept colonial and demoted to captain, Washington resigned from the militia.