he French and Indian War was a period in our history that is largely overlooked today. Interestingly, it is a period of British history and French history, as well as American, since the war was fought by the French and the subjects of New France (Canada) against Britain and her colonial subjects.

The F&I was an extension of a much larger conflict in Europe, known as the Seven Years' War. In Europe, the other major players were the Germans and the Spanish. In North America, the war closely involved the American Indians fighting for both the British and the French, much more so for the French.

Officially, the war took place in 1756-1763. But critical events in North America, including the first real battle in 1754 led by a fresh young commander named George Washington, took place years before war was declared. Also, the war ended in North America in 1761, two years before it ended in Europe. Click here a summery of the "Prelude to the French and Indian War" from the perspective of the Virginia frontier. 

The focus of the war in America was land ownership of the North American continent and the lucrative business in trade of its natural resources. While the land, of course, was seen by the natives as belonging to them, the British had their sights set on grabbing up as much and as possible for their own use and on pushing out the natives in any way possible. The French were more forgiving towards the natives, and some people speculate that the Native population would have fared better had France won the F&I War over Britain.

The following is a map of North America in 1754 just at the start of the French and Indian War showing the basic boundaries of territory held by the French, British, and Spanish, as well as contested and unclaimed territory.

Most of the battles took place in the Hudson River/Champlain Valley corridor, and, secondarily, the Connecticut River valley. For hundreds of years, Indians and then European explorers traveled north from the mouth of the Hudson River to a place near the south end of Lake George, where they carried there canoes and small boats a few miles overland and resumed their journeys on Lake George.  At the north end of Lake George was another portage to the south end of Lake Champlain.  From the north end of Lake Champlain, another series of portages and river routes emptied into Hudson Bay in Canada.  Many Indian tribes lived along this region, and both the French and British military built fortifications up and down the waterways.  

One of the F&I's best-known events is the French capture of Fort William Henry in 1757 and the subsequent “massacre” of British prisoners by the Indians; if it weren't for James Fenimore Cooper's Last of the Mohicans, this event might have been largely forgotten, but he and eventually Hollywood have highlighted and immortalized it. One name that has made this scene real for me is that of John Bush, a powderhorn carver for some of Rogers' Rangers. John disappeared during the massacre and was never seen or heard from since, except in a note of a fellow passenger on a French prisoner ship.

Click here for my favorite timeline of the war, with a great list of links for more information.

So What Was the Outcome of the French and Indian War

Unofficially, the French and Indian War ended in September, 1760, when Gov. Vaudreuil, in Montreal, signed articles of capitulation, delivered to Gen. Amherst, by which Canada and all its dependencies passed to the British Crown.  British ships were to carry to France any French officers and such men as wanted to return. As Francis Parkman put it, "Half the continent had changed hands at the scratch of a pen."  In Continental Europe, however, the larger scope of the Seven Years War (of which the F&I was but a part) continued until the Peace of Paris was signed on February, 1763.

One of the most important outcomes of this War for America is that America had, at the end, men who were aremed and who knew how to fight in armies, and men who were experienced at leading armies.  Common citizens learned to fight with discipline, and many colonists became great leaders of their those years. In the following decade of chasing the Natives westward, white colonists felt more than ever that this country was THEIR country. And England, meanwhile, was struggling with a huge dept that it passed on to its colonial holdings. Thus, when the colonists in 1775 were frustrated with taxation and were barred from using arms, they knew how to take up those arms and experienced men stepped in to lead them -- on BOTH sides for the issue (Rebels and Loyalists). There is no denying that if there had never been a French and Indian War, there would never have been a Revolutionary War.  Or, if the British had lost the war, we would be French and Natives would very likely have been less stomped upon, as the French policies were more tolerant to Natives than the British.

This war is realistically known by many as the First World War, as it encompassed a vast territory from Europe to its many new holdings across the globe. The outcome of this war was also significant for setting in place events that resulted in the War of Independence (the American Revolution). But I'm not here to speculate on "what might have been"; I'm simply here to help bring back to life a very, very interesting part of American history. And to tell you about re-enacting. 

Other Places for Information on the F&I War

The web offers many, many great resources for more on the French and Indian War. Here are a few of my favourites:

• Historical Sites
• Historical Maps
  • Map of Lake George approx. 1756
  • Map of Fort Ticonderoga 1758
  • Map of Fort Ticonderoga 1759
  • Map of Fort Edward approx. 1756
  • Map of Fort Duquesne 1755
  • Map of Fort Pitt (Fort Duquesne) 1759
  • See also Historical Maps of the French and Indian War