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French and Indian War
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Battle of the Wilderness
British General Edward Braddock is mortally wounded and his force of British regulars and provincial troops is defeated at the Battle of the Wilderness, also known as the Battle of the Monongahela. -
Shirley Abandons
Massachusetts Governor and acting General William Shirley and a force of 2,500 recently recruited colonists reach Fort Oswego, on the southeastern end of Lake Ontario. They planned to attack Fort Niagara at the western end of the lake, but poor leadership and mass desertions force Shirley to abandon the campaign. -
Washington Surrenders
A French force of 700 attacks George Washington and his 400 troops at Fort Necessity in retaliation for the massacre of the French at the Great Meadows. Washington is forced to surrender and leave the Ohio Valley. Also when war starts! -
Indians Abandon British
the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the northern colonies, defeats the British at the Battle of Lake George. But British resistance prevents his advancing further to Crown Point at the southern tip of Lake Champlain, as planned. Instead, he William Johnson,builds Fort William Henry at the southern tip of Lake George. The Mohawks abandon their alliance with the British after this battle; the other nations within the Iroquois League adopt an informal position of neutrality. -
Indians Abandon British
British at the Battle of Lake George. But British resistance prevents his advancing further to Crown Point at the southern tip of Lake Champlain, as planned. Instead, he builds Fort William Johnson, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the northern colonies, defeats the William Henry at the southern tip of Lake George. The Mohawks abandon their alliance with the British after this battle; the other nations within the Iroquois League adopt an informal position of neutrality. -
Britain and France War
Britain and France officially declare war against one another. According to the terms arranged in existing treaties of alliance, Prussia immediately enters the war on the side of Britain. Austria, Sweden, and Russia are allied with France. This European conflict will be labeled the Seven Years' War. -
British Commit
William Pitt is named British secretary of state. He will commit the British government to the allocation of whatever resources are necessary to defeat the French in America and on the European continent. He will authorize the raising of 23,000 provincial troops in North America in 1758, and will end squabbling over taxation by guaranteeing the colonial assemblies that Parliament will cover all expenses. -
Fort William Henry
French General Montcalm forces the surrender of the British garrison at Fort William Henry after a six-day siege. Despite being guaranteed safe passage by Montcalm, British troops and civilians are attacked as they abandon the fort by France's Indian allies. More than 150 are killed and 500 are taken captive to be held for ransom. -
British Big Defeat
The British suffer a humiliating and costly defeat at Fort Carrillon, despite outnumbering French forces by four to one. The British suffer almost 2,000 casualties. -
Fort Frontenac
The British capture Fort Frontenac on Lake Ontario, further disrupting French supply lines to its interior posts. -
Treaty of Easton
The Treaty of Easton is signed between the British and several Indian nations, including the Iroquois League and the Ohio Indians. In return for peace, the British promise to renegotiate the Walking Purchase of 1737, through which the Iroquois gave away Delaware lands in western Pennsylvania to the British colony. They also promise to build a trading post at the Forks of the Ohio River and to prohibit white settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. -
Fort Niagara
British forces under General John Prideaux capture Fort Niagara, completely severing contact between French garrisons in eastern Canada and their posts south of Lake Erie. -
French Surrender
Governor-General Vaudreuil of New France surrenders Montreal, the last French stronghold in North America, without firing a shot when a British army of 17,500 British regulars, American provincial troops, and Indians converge on the city from three directions. -
French Indian War Ends
The Treaty of Paris is ratified, ending the French and Indian War. Signed on 3 November 1762, the treaty's ratification has been delayed by critics, including William Pitt, who believe its terms are too lenient. In the treaty, France surrenders all of its former North American territories east of the Mississippi River to Britain, except New Orleans. Canada is also ceded to Great Britain. Spain, a late entrant into the war as an ally of France, surrenders Florida to Britain. As compensation, Brit
