King George’s War

I’m sure you all have heard of the “War of Jenkins’ Ear” (1739-41). This merged into the War of Austrian Succession (1740-41). In North America, this was known as King George’s War. The French failed in their attempt to take Port Royal in Jamaica. The Massachusetts colonist, assisted by the British Navy captured Louisburg in Nova Scotia, an ice free port with a major French fortification. The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) returned Louisburg to France. The colonist felt sold out by this action.

The French and Indian War

The last and by far the most important of the series of wars (King William's War, Queen Anne's War, and King George’s War) in North America is simply called the French and Indian War. The main impetuses for this conflict was rivalry between the French and British colonist for land west of the Allegany mountains and south of the great lakes (e.g., Ohio and Western Pennsylvania). In 1753, a young Lieutenant Washington lead a small military force into the Ohio territory which resulted in armed conflict with the French. This was the opening of the French and Indian War.

In 1755, General Braddock led an expedition against Fort Duquesne located in the Ohio territory. This was a fiasco. Of the 1,459 British regulars and colonial militia, 977 were killed or wounded, including 63 of the 89 officers; including Braddock.

(As a side note, I live within a mile of Braddock Road, which runs from Alexandria, VA out to the frontier of the 1700’s. General Braddock’s march west and later retreat is said to have gone this way.)

Hostilities in North America soon became part of a larger European conflict, the “Seven Years War (1756-63).

Lt. Washington’s earlier action resulted in his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in the Virginia militia. He was an aide to Braddock. After the debacle, he was appointed commander in chief of the Virginia militia, and in 1758, he commanded one of the three brigades in the expedition headed by Gen. Forbes that took an abandoned Fort Duquesne.

Hostilities quickly spread from the Atlantic coast to Ohio territory. Major actions took place in upstate New York and the Atlantic seaboard. This war came to a climax with General Wolfe’s capture of Quebec where both he and his counterpart, General Montcalm, were killed. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ceded French control of Canada to the British.

The French and Indian war set the stage for the American Revolution. From the British perspective, it was a costly war and the sentiment was to pay off the debt by increasing taxes on the colonist, which the colonist resented. During the war, the colonist fought side-by-side with British regulars. This did two things. One, it provided trained militias. Two, it diminished, in the eyes of the colonists, the worldview of the invincibility of British forces.

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See The Beagle Log, 6 February - French and Indian War Part 1 for the earlier part of the story

Hi Don!

Even in those days events had a worldwide impact didn't they? Very interesting, thank you!

:cheers: Gillian

Hi Don
no ive never heard of the war of jenkins ear but it made very interesting reading. will look forward to hearing part two.
Colette :

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Colette.

Hi Don

It's good to read your posts on the Wars.
I've been reading about Acadia in Kathy Reich new book, so it good to have some more info on the subject.

Jean