Today in History, July 4, 1754:
During the French and Indian Wars, a young colonial member of the British Army abandons “Fort Necessity” after surrendering it to the French the day before.
The officer, 22-year-old Lt. George Washington had also commanded British forces in the first battle of the war on the American continent weeks before. The French and Indian Wars were only part of a global conflict between England and France, the Seven Years War.
His experience here would serve Washington well in our War for Independence. The conflict would also contribute to the American Revolution. The war was very expensive for the Crown, and had to be paid for to save the English economy. The colonialists considered themselves as English subjects; they fought alongside the regulars fighting the French and the Indians, many paying with their lives. After the war the government felt the colonists owed them for their “rescue.” The colonists however, felt the Crown owed them for saving British territory.
The ill feelings between the “homeland” and the colonies would only continue to multiply.
Mark Loves History! 