North America was an enormous, beautiful place full of endless opportunities. Great Britain and Frace each wanted a piece of the action. The British controlled their thirteen colonies and were looking to expand West. The Frech occupied our modern-day Canada and were looking to expand south. Inevitably, they both collided at the point they intersected, the Ohio River Valley. It is an important trading area with access to the Mississippi River.
The French and Indian War marked the debut of George Washington, who was 21 years old at the time. He was a lieutenant colonel for the militia in the British colony of Virginia. In 1754, George Washington's superiors ordered him to protect a British fort near what was is now Pittsburg. On the way, Washington encountered a French Military unit. Both sides fought in the First Battle of the French and Indian War, the Jumonville Glen battle.
Years of fighting ravaged. Both sides eventually went to ally themselves with local natives. The French were familiar with many tribes. At first, the French were winning: they had better supplies and more troops than the British Army. And drove them back toward the thirteen colonies, but the tide turned in 1757. British Secretary of State, William Pitt, took control of the war effort. Dreaming of a vast British Empire, he made it his mission to defeat the French in North America. He poured in generous funds to beef up Military resources on the ground. The War ended with the French defeat at the Battle of Quebec. And the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The British gained control of Canada and all land east of the Mississippi River.
