Show will make washington ft tb f i 1 afe i first 61 6 1 battlefield a park i alot ci a JL delisl patriotic society preserves historic scene washington deep in the forests of laurel ridge a mountain of southwestern pennsylvania a young virginia lieu lieutenant tenant colonel and his troops find and a young french ensign and his patrol exchanged the first volley in a war that changed the map of the world to almost as great an e extent as the shots fired at Saraj evo beryla in 1914 the virginia lieutenant colonel was george washington alii ana tile the frenchman coulon do de jumonville the latter was killed in this tile the first engagement ga of the french and indian war known abroad later as the seven years war recently title to four and a half acres of land where the battle took place was obtained by a pennsylvania patriotic organization which will pre serve the ground and grave as a historic monument begin fort duquesne in a communication to the national Na tlona geographic society dr william jospph aph showalter describes this earliest i of all military campaigns and the first conflict at arms between the french and the english for the possession of the mississippi valley only ten weeks after first scouting trip into the ohio valley region during the winter of he was again headed for the district between the present cities of cumberland and pittsburgh doctor showalter writes the french had 0 occupied the forks of the ohio and were engaged in building a tort fort fort duquesne there in the identical spot he had observed several months before washington undertook undertook to build a road from what Is now mount braddock south of connellsville to browns ville on the monongahela and to i widen the trail between cumberland and mount braddock he also explored the cheny for about thirty miles in the finding a waterway open down the river to the forks of the ohio but the Chlo pyle falls turned him back he then concentrated his men at the great meadows to erect a fort there col joshua fry the commander of the regiment having died of a fall from his horse on may 31 washington assumed command things happened on tills this trip the indians who wanted to be loyal were alarmed at al the weakness of the english and at the strength of the french jumonville leading a small party of french troops was wag discovered trying to ambush the virginia soldiers washington leads attack with the support of the seneca indian chief halt half king washington attacked this force on top of laurel L ure I 1 ridge to the west of 0 the great meadows here jumonville was killed the r french afterward asserted he was carrying a message to the virginia troops and not acting in a military capacity which claim washington with unusual vigor denounced there followed now war councils in indian dan powwows wampum exchanges and finally news of the approach of a strong french force it seemed wise to retreat to the great meadows and occupy fort Necess necessity liy supplies failed to arrive and when the french opened fire it was plain that surrender was inevitable the defense lasted until about eight in the ev evening enang the attack having ing begun hn an hour before noon then a parley was held and washington was given his choice of surrendering as a prisoner of war or marching 1 out with flags flying and drums drum beating but leaving his artillery to be do destroyed st As one stands by the old brick tavern near farmington on the old N national a tri trail all east of laurel ridge and looks down by the creek where the reconstructed log stockade port fort necessity now stands it Is easy to imagine what his capitulation to the french on that th third rd day of july 1754 cost him ile he returned to williamsburg dis heartened but the house of burgesses passed a resolution of which he wr wrote 0 te nothing could give me and the officers under my command greater satisfaction than to receive tile the thanks of the house of burges so particular and public a manner for our behavior in the late unsuccessful engagements gage ments with the french the scene of the jumonville engagement ga can easily be reached today by U S route 40 the old ol 01 d national trail about five fire miles antles east of union town pa on the summit of laurel ridge a side road leads north from U S 40 to the battlefield which is marked by several tablets and monuments reconstructed fort necessity stands a few miles farther east on n U S route 40 an old mansion standing near the rebuilt log stockade has been converted into a museum of revolutionary relics |