Fort Necessity and the Start of
The French and Indian War

If you’d like an on-site taste of Western Pennsylvani’s colonial history, be sure to visit the Fort Necessity National Battlefield, near Farmington, Pennsylvania in Fayette County about 70 miles east of Pittsburgh. Here, you can recreate the start of the French and Indian War, known in Europe as the Seven Years War. This 900-acre park was established by an act of Congress in 1932, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the winter of 1753 to 1754, George Washington, then a British officer, was dispatched to the area by Robert Dinwiddie, Governor of Virginia. Washington’s mission was to prompt the French to leave. The French had built forts here, and refused to depart. Washington then returned to Virginia to inform Governor Robert Dinwiddie of their refusal. Dinwiddie then gathered a force to travel to the Ohio River and construct a fort. Washington, a 22-year-old, lieutenant colonel in the Virginia Regiment, was charged with gathering men and supplies and building a road to the Forks of the Ohio for British troops and materiel to move into the region. After completing the roadway, Washington and his party came upon the area known as the great meadows, set up camp, and set out to locate and engage French soldiers encamped nearby.

On the morning of May 28, 1754, Washington and his small party of 40 colonials, aided by Tanacharisson of the Senecas, confronted a detachment of French troops led by Joseph Coulon de Villiers, Sieur de Jumonville. In this engagement, known as the Battle of Jumonville Glen, or the Jumonville Affair, Washington’s soldiers killed 10 of the French soldiers and captured 21. The wounded Sieur de Jumonville was among them.

Historians tell us that as Jumonville tried to explain to Washington about the French presence there, Tanacharisson broke into the conversation and asked Jumonville if he were English. Jumonville replied that he was French. To which, Tanacharisson responded in French “Vous n’êtes pas mort encore mon père!”, in English, “You are not dead yet my father!” and killed Jumonville with a hatchet blow to the head. Tanachrrisson’s act was a sign of repudiation of the French presence.

Tanacharisson’s fluency in French reflected the relationship he and other American Indians had formed over time with French soldiers, traders, priests, and explorers. The French did business with the American Indians, engaged in missionary work among them, and behaved in diplomatic ways that resulted in an accommodation with the Indians. All of which enabled them to pre-empt the occupation by the British. It is likely that Tanacharisson referred to Jumonville as “my father” in light of the fatherly role the French had played in relation to the American Indians as they traded with them and presented them with gifts.

Tanacharisson was referred to as the “Half King“ by the British. A Catawba Indian by birth, he was raised as a Seneca, and lived with other Senecas near the Forks of the Ohio. The Iroquois Confederacy of modern central New York held dominion over this region, but over time, other Indians settled in the area. The Senecas appointed representatives like Tanacharisson — thus his name of the “Half King” – to help exercise their influence over the region.

After the Battle of Jumonville Glen, Washington returned to the great meadows, near present-day Farmington, Pennsylvania in Fayette County, where his troops erected Fort Necessity as a defense measure against the French. To call this construction a fort may be to overstate the reality. The fortification comprised a crude palisade fence, constructed over five days of oak wood stakes seven to eight feet high, complemented with earthworks around its outside perimeter. A log cabin stood at
its center.

On July 3, 1754, Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers, the brother of Jumonville, retaliated and with 600 French troops and 100 Indians, attacked the fort. Washington’s detachment of 293 colonials and 100 regular British troops was outnumbered. But they held out until the end of the day. Steady rain had dampened powder supplies, ammunition had run low, and many of his men were either sick, wounded, or dead. Washington then negotiated a surrender, the only one in his military career. The Battle of Great Meadows had come to an end, leaving the French in command of the Ohio country – but only for a time.

On July 4, 1754, Washington and what was left of his small army marched away from Fort Necessity and headed back to FortCumberland. DeVilliers and his troups then occupied Fort Necessity and burned it to
the ground.

Today, the Fort Necessity Battlefield includes the fort and battlefield, and an historic tavern from the early days of the National Road, the first highway built with federal funds. The road closely parallels the military road that George Washington and General Braddock opened in 1754 and 1755. The grave of General Braddock is also located at the Fort Necessity Battlefield. He was shot through the right arm and lung and died during the Battle of Monongahela, when he and his troops were routed and overrun by French forces. George Washington and another officer carried him off the field of battle. Before he died on July 13, 1755, Braddock reportedly left to Washington the ceremonial sash worn with his battle uniform.

It is said that in 1804, road workers chanced upon what were thought to be the remains of General Braddock burried in a roadway less than two miles from the Great Meadows. His remains were exhumed and buried in a new grave, and a monument was erected over his grave site in 1913.

You can start to recapture the history of this period at the Visitor Center of the Fort Necessity National Battlefield. Get complete schedule of activities and view the 20-minute movie, “Road of Necessity,” that introduces you to the park. During the summer months, the park offers talks, tours, and demonstrations of historic weapons. From the Visitor Center, it’s a short walk to the Great Meadow and Fort Necessity. You can then visit Jumonville Glen and Braddock’s grave. The entire tour may take about three hours.

You may also want to stop at the Mount Washington Tavern operated as a stage stop from 1828 to 1855. The tavern is now a museum focusing on life along the National Road. In the spring, summer and fall, tours of the Tavern are available when staffing permits.

To find out more about Fort Necessity go to http://www.nps.gov/state/PA.mg