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JOHN
JENKINS DESIGNS
French and Indian War
BATTLE ON THE MONONGAHELA 1755
On 9th July 1755 amid the wilderness of North America,
Britain suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in her history.
General Braddock's army, a mixture of British regulars and American
Militia, was devastated, losing over 900 men from a force of 1,300.
General Braddock was killed and his aide, Colonel George Washington,
rescued the remnants of his army. This defeat and
subsequent chain of
events ultimately led to the start of the Seven Years' War.
BRADDOCK'S DEFEAT
General Braddock's army consisted of a mixture of
British regulars and American Militia, and set off intending to attack
the French at Fort Duquesne. The French knowing they could not
withstand British cannon fire, decided to launch a
pre-emptive strike as
Braddock's army crossed the Monongahela River. The French force
consisted of about 250 regulars and
Canadian militia, with about 640
Indian allies. The Canadian militiamen and Indians enveloped the
British and fired from the woods and ravines on the sides of the road.
After 3 hours of intense battle, Braddock was mortally wounded, and
resistance collapsed. By sunset the surviving British and American
forces were fleeing back down the road they had built. Braddock died of his wounds
during the retreat. Of the
1,460 men Braddock had led into battle, 456 were killed and 421
wounded. The officers were prime targets and suffered greatly. Out of
86 officers, 63 were killed or wounded. George Washington emerged from
the disaster as Virginia's military hero, and distinguished himself as
being calm and courageous under fire. The French force of 250 had 8 killed and
4 wounded.
Their Indian allies lost 15 killed and 12 wounded.
THE SIEGE OF QUEBEC
BATTLE OF THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM
1759
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, took place on the 13th
September 1759, and was a pivotal battle in the French and Indian
war between the British and French which went a long way in deciding
the fate of New France?
The battle was fought
on a plateau just outside and to the west of the walls of Quebec
City and was the culmination of a three month long siege of the
city. The actual battle lasted less than an hour, during which time,
tactics devised by the British commander, General James Wolfe,
proved successful in breaking the column advance of French and
Canadian troops under The Marquis de Montcalm. Both generals were
mortally wounded during the battle.
BATTLE ON SNOWSHOES, 14th March
1758
On March 14th 1758 a small battle took place
in the wilderness of North
America. The total number on both sides did not exceed
500 men. The men on the British side were primarily
native born settlers from New England led by Robert
Rogers, and on the French side native born Canadians and
their native Indian allies of New France led by the
French partisan Langy. This battle did not end in a
draw. Despite the success of an initial ambush by Rogers
and his rangers, the battle was to swing the way of the
numerically superior French force. It was to be a clear
cut victory for the French and Indians and resulted in
the almost total annihilation of the best of the newly
formed English Rangers. Only darkness was to save
Rogers and the remnants of his force.
THE RAID ON St. FRANCIS
1759
Of all the episodes embraced within Robert Roger’s chequered
career, none gained him greater fame than his 1759 raid upon the
Abenaki village of St. Francis. It could be said to be the most
incredible feat of the French and Indian War. The three pronged
attack to complete the conquest of French Canada was losing
momentum. Wolfe had reached a stalemate at Quebec. Gage was
making slow progress at Oswego on Lake Ontario, and Amherst, the
Commander in Chief was at Crown point awaiting the construction
of his fleet for his advance on Montreal. The British needed a
safe communication route to Wolfe, as well as a diversion to
draw the French forces away from the siege at Quebec.
Major Robert Rogers’ raid on the notorious Abenaki Indian town
of St. Francis, deep in French Canada, was the answer. The
American colonial New Englanders, who had long suffered at the
hands of the raiding Abenaki from St. Francis, had good reasons
to encourage this daring venture.
Where better to start the story of the Raid on St.Francis than
at “Fort Number Four”. This was the outpost which marked the
northern limit of British settlement in the fertile valley of
the Connecticut River, and whose settlers lived in fear from the
frequent raids from the Woodland Indians of the Abenaki tribe.
THE WAR OF 1812
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