The Anniversary of the French and Indian War

The Seven Years War (1754-1763) was an international conflict. Contention in North America is known as the French and Indian War. By the time the war was over, Britain had established herself as the superpower of the 18th century. British colonists, like their French counterparts, played a critical role in complementing the forces of their respective mother countries. Many of the s0ldiers and officers of America's revolutionary army learned the arts of war in the conflict. Among them was a very young and physically imposing George Washington. The war’s aftermath -- the search for money to pay for the war --motivated British taxation and Indian policies toward her colonies. The fact -- that she had relied on colonials to assist her in armed struggle -- combined with colonial taxation to pay for the victory -- created a reason and context for colonial discontent. The formal military skills acquired by the colonists emboldened them to forcibly rebel. New York State was an important theater and Fort Niagara was an important French and then British (it passed to the British 25 July 1759) outpost on what was then the frontier. See Robert L. Emerson, "Gateway to Empire: The French and Indian War in Western New York and the Significance of Fort Niagara," Western New York Heritage 8, no. 2 (Summer 2005): 27-35, 46. Emerson is the executive director of Old Fort Niagara. Also, it is important to appreciate the critical importance of Britain’s alliance with the Iroquois Confederacy, see “Clash of Empires” at http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2005-05/clash.html. Yet for all its profound importance, I recall only passing attention to the war in my own education -- although having spent a summer as a child in upstate New York near Lake George with my grandparents, I have always had some interest in it. The anniversary of the war will be punctuated by various publications – and we’ll have additional posts. A very useful bibliographic essay by Matthew J Wayman has already appeared in Choice (December 2004): 595-605. Sections cover: General and Comprehensive Works; Indian Traders and Agents in the North; Indian Affairs in the South; Pontiac’s Rebellion; Diplomatic Histories; Soldiers. Officers, and Colonial Officials; The Colonies; Military Campaigns; and Legacies. In his introduction the author writes: “One could say that the ultimate legacy of the Seven Years’ War was the War for American Independence . . . “

Among the Web sites one might visit is “French and Indian War Commemoration” at: http://www.frenchandindianwar250.org/. Information on historic sites, historical commentary, images and press releases, and a calendar of related events are provided. See also “Beyond the Last of the Mohicans: Resources for the French and Indian War” at http://www.historypoint.org/columns2.asp?column_id=368&column_type=hpfeature. For background on Fort Niagara, visit http://www.oldfortniagara.org/history.htm.

Among the fictional treatments of the topic is, of course, The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. Those who have not read the book may well have seen the movie, search http://www.imdb.com/. One might also read Kenneth Roberts’ Northwest Passage. Roberts’ novel was also made into a movie, search http://www.imdb.com/. Wilderness Empire: A Narrative (Little, Brown, 1969) by Allan W. Eckert, based on both primary and secondary sources, is fast-paced and engaging – E195.E25. Robert Rogers of Roger’s Rangers is the subject of White Devil: A True Story of War, Savagery, and Vengeance in Colonial America (Da Capo Press, Inc., 2005). Rogers’ search-and-destroy raid on the Abenaki village of St. Francis was British retaliation for the massacre at Fort William Henry -- http://www.mohicanpress.com/mo08009.html --of the defeated and departing British by France’s Indian allies.

Please feel free to suggest other titles. There are many, and there are sure to more as we move through the commemorative period.