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The French & Indian War
1754-63

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The rich lands which lay between and to the west of the French settlements of Canada and the British colonies along the east coast of North America were inevitably destined to become a battleground between the forces of these two European rivals. From 1754 to 1763, the British and French fought for this wilderness of huge potential in a conflict which, though part of the wider Seven Years War, has come to be known as the French & Indian War.

Begun in what is now western Pennsylvania with a battle involving a young Virginia officer named George Washington, this conflict waxed and waned in an arc running from that western wilderness, through the Great Lakes, over to Lakes George and Champlain, and as far north as the River and Gulf of St. Lawrence. When the fighting was finished and the Treaty of Paris signed, France had lost all her possessions in North America and Britain was mistress of the entire region extending from the entire Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River.
GoGo to short history of the French & Indian War


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Contemporary Maps


Fort Oswego
Lieut. Therbu. "Attaques Des Forts De Chouaguen en Amérique." Frankfort, ca. 1792. Engravings by Contgen. 14 x 9 1/4 (map and text). Manuscript numbers in upper right corner. Very good condition. Ref: Schwartz, fig. 53.

This very rare German map shows Fort Oswego during the French & Indian War. It is from a series of four maps showing important events in the war that were issued in Frankfort about 1792. Taken from first hand drawings, and with captions in French, these detailed maps provide wonderful documentation. Their exact source and reason of publication is not known, but their accuracy and strong engraving makes them some of the finest maps available of the events of the French & Indian war.

At the beginning of March, 1756, Lt. General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon was appointed supreme command of the French forces in America, arriving in Canada in May. Shortly after he arrived, war was declared between Great Britain and France. Montcalm's first order of business in the America was to try to establish control of the Great Lakes. The French had strong forts at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, Fort Frontenac, and at the western end, Fort Niagara. The British, however, had built a series of forts on the portage from Albany, up the Mohawk River, at the portage of Fort Stanwix, across Lake Oneida, and down the Oswego River to its mouth on Lake Ontario. In the latter location they built a fort on either side of the river, Fort Ontario on the east and Fort Oswego on the west. It was this fort that was the aim of Montcalm's plans in the late spring of 1756.

In anticipation of a French thrust at Oswego, Lt. Colonel John Bradstreet was put in charge of resupplying the troops there. The first attempt was a failure, when the French captured the supplies and slaughtered the troops carrying them. Bradstreet sent a second supply train, which was able to get through. However, this effort was to no effect for Montcalm gathered thirteen hundred regulars, seventeen hundred militia, and a large Indian force at Fort Frontenac and by the middle of August this vast army was established around the British position at Oswego. The British abandoned Fort Ontario and on August 14th a bombardment on Fort Oswego began. The British commander there, Colonel Hugh Mercer, was killed and soon his successor, Lt. Colonel John Littlehales, surrendered. This map shows this great French victory that, at least for a while, established their control of Lake Ontario. CWL On Approval



Bushy Run
Thomas Hutchins. "Plan of the Battle near Bushy-Run, Gained by Colonel Bouquet, over the Delawares, Shawnese, Mingoes, Wyandoes, Mohikons, Miamies & Ottawas; on the 5th and 6th. of August 1763." Along with diagram of British line of march and dispositions during attack. From A General Topography of North America and the West Indies. London: R. Sayer & T. Jefferys, 1768. Two plans on folio sheet: map 8 7/8 x 6 1/4 (platemark); diagram 8 1/2 x 6 3/8. Engraving by Thomas Jefferys. Very good condition. Phillips: Maps of America, p. 182.

A very rare map and diagram of the Battle of Bushy Run from Jeffery's important General Topography. The Battle of Bushy Run was a very important event in the early development of the country, today unfortunately mostly forgotten. During the French and Indian War, the British had tried to win over from the French the tribes-Delaware, Shawnees and Iroquois-located in what is today western Pennsylvania and in the upper Ohio River basin. These tribes remained mostly neutral believing that this would lead to an end to British encroachments west of the Allegheny Mountains. This belief was shattered when, following the conclusion of the French and Indian War, European colonists began to move into western Pennsylvania and beyond in a steady stream, and the British continued construction of Fort Pitt, a large brick and stone fortification.

Meanwhile, Pontiac--an Ottawa war chief--was gaining a following in the mid-west for his campaign to drive the British out of the region. On May 8, 1763, Pontiac and his Ottawas lay siege to Fort Detroit, beginning what has been called Pontiac's Rebellion. Because of the British intrusions and broken promises, the eastern tribes decided to join the rebellion, destroying Forts LeBoeuf, Venango, and Presqu' Isle and attacking Fort Pitt in June 1763. Colonel Henry Bouquet was sent, with three regiments, to march west to relieve and resupply the hard-pressed defenders of Fort Pitt. After leaving Fort Ligonier, and about 25 miles east of Fort Pitt near Bushy Run, Bouquet was attacked on August 5 by a large force of Indians, who, once they learned of Bouquet's march, had left the siege of Fort Pitt to lay an ambush. Over the two days of the battle, about 50 British died and 60 were wounded, while the Indian force-described by Bouquet as numbering about 400 but by the Indians as about a quarter of that-lost between 30 and 50. The Indians were driven from the field and Bouquet marched on to rescue Fort Pitt. This battle off in the wilds of western Pennsylvania had an important impact on the course of American history, for it ended any hope the Indians, in western Pennsylvania, had of preserving their lands; it also opened up the entire region to more and more British settlement. This was, in effect, the beginning of the flood of colonists from their original settlements on the East Coast across the Allegheny Mountains and into the mid-west. $2,800




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Magazine maps & views

By the middle of the eighteenth century, a number of monthly magazines were being published in London. These magazines informed their readers on a variety of subjects, including natural history, topography, sports, and of course current affairs. The British public was fascinated by the events of the war with France and so there was great demand for up-to-date information, especially related to the American theater of battle. The British magazines met this demand with articles and illustrations which they rushed into print as soon as the details became available to them. The following maps appeared in contemporary magazines published in London between 1758 and 1761. These are among the most current illustrations of the events of the French & Indian War which are available to us today.

Click on highlighted text to see image



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French & Indian War Reference

Schwartz
Seymour I. Schwartz. The French and Indian War. 1754-1763. The Imperial Struggle for North America. Edison, NJ, 1999. Cloth.

A reissue of Schwartz's very good history of the French & Indian war. This book uses many contemporary prints and maps. This is a highly recommended volume for anyone interested in the French & Indian war. $30.00




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