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The
War for Empire in Northwestern Pennsylvania |
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“The Building of Fort Presque Isle” by Joseph
Plavcan, on display at the Erie Maritime Museum |
The
period 2004-2010 is the 250th anniversary of the French & Indian War, also
known as the War for Empire. Many important events
in this conflict occurred in the Erie region.
The
French and Indian War “was destined to have the most momentous consequences
to the American people of any war in which they have been engaged down to
our own day--consequences therefore even more momentous than those that
flowed from the victorious Revolutionary War or from the Civil War. For it
was to determine for centuries to come, if not for all time, what
civilization--what governmental institution, what social and economic
patterns--would be paramount in North America.”
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--Lawrence Henry
Gipson, historian and author of
The British Empire Before the American Revolution. |
In 1749,
the French began to solidify their presence in the Ohio River country. An
expedition of 250 French troops and Indians under Captain Pierre Celoron
moved up the Saint Lawrence across Lakes Ontario and Erie and over the
Chautauqua Portage (near present day Westfield, NY) to reach the headwaters
of the Ohio River. Celoron planted lead plates along the Ohio claiming the
land for France.
In the
spring of 1753, French forces departed Montreal to establish a chain of
forts in the Ohio country. Originally ordered to go to the Chautauqua area,
they received new orders changing their destination to Presqu’ile (modern
day Erie, PA). The French force arrived at Presqu’ile on May 3, 1753. They
began work preparing the site for the fort on a bluff overlooking the
peninsula and Lake Erie, near Mill Creek. The French proceeded to build
another fort at la riviere au le Boeufs (present day Waterford, PA). From
this spot the French could transport their supplies by la riviere au Boeufs
(also known as French Creek) to Fort Machault (Venango) and the Ohio River
where they would build Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburgh).
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French Soldier,
1755
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Laid out
and begun by Capt. Francois Le Mercier and finished by Capt. Paul Marin, the
fort was constructed between May 3rd and August 3rd, 1753. Fort Presqu’ile
was built of squared chestnut timbers, 18” thick, laid horizontally to a
height of 15 feet and surrounding a central square measuring 120 feet on
each side. The fort was square with bastions (triangular protrusions) at
each corner where cannon could be mounted. Artillery at the fort consisted
of four 4-pounder cannon. Buildings inside the fort included a “log house”
in each of the four corners and a large wooden barracks in the center. A
stone powder magazine was eventually added. The fort had two gates, one at
the north side and the other on the south where the portage road departed
for Fort Le Boeuf, 15 miles away. Fort Presqu’ile was garrisoned by up to
150 French Marines and Canadian Militia. Ten Mississauga warriors were
present at the fort, they formed frequent hunting parties to help feed the
soldiers.
In the
fall of 1753, Governor Dinwiddie of the British colony of Virginia sent a
young militia officer, Major George Washington, to Fort Le Boeuf to tell the
French forces to leave the Ohio territory, which the Virginia Governor
claimed belonged to Britain. The French declined to leave and the events
that would lead to the French & Indian War were set in motion.
French
Forces and Canadian militia manned Forts Presqu’ile and Le Boeuf until their
situation in the region was no longer defensible; they burned the forts in
1759 to prevent their capture by the British.
British
forces built a fort on the same site a year later; in 1763 Pontiac’s
warriors laid siege to the fort. The British forces eventually surrendered
and the Native Americans burned the fort. In 1795 the US Army would build a
fort near the site of the French and British forts. The reconstructed Wayne
blockhouse stands today on the site of the American fort.
French & Indian War Timeline
1749
-Fort established at La Presentation (Ogdensburg, NY) extending French
influence over the western nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.
-Captain Pierre Celoron leads 250 French and Indians up the St. Lawrence,
across Lakes Ontario and Erie and over the Chautauqua Portage (near present
day Westfield, NY) to reach the headwaters of the Ohio River. Celoron plants
lead plates along the Ohio claiming the land for France.
1753
-French soldiers build Fort Presqu’ile, a portage road and Fort Le Boeuf to
protect the Lake Erie-French Creek portage. Troops suffer from the hard work
and poor food, many, including Capt. Marin develop scurvy and die.
-Virginia’s Governor Robert Dinwiddie dispatches young George Washington to
Fort Le Boeuf to demand the French withdrawal from the Ohio territory.
1754
-The French reinforce their forces in the Ohio via lakes Ontario and Erie
and build Fort Machault (present day Franklin, PA) and Fort Duquesne
(Pittsburgh).
-Washington Surrenders Fort Necessity.
1755
-Massachusetts Governor Shirley masses troops at Oswego to attack Fort
Niagara, the expedition stalls there.
-General Braddock is defeated in Western Pennsylvania.
-Widespread raids on English frontier settlements by French and Indian war
parties begin.
1756
-French Forces destroy Fort Bull (near Rome, NY) on the Oneida Carry.
-The Marquis de Montcalm captures and destroys Oswego.
1757
-French & Indian raids strike settlements in the Mohawk Valley.
-Fort William Henry at the southern end of Lake George falls to the French
(Cooper’s famous novel Last of the Mohicans is later based upon this
campaign.)
1758
-The tide of war turns-British forces capture Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh).
-British capture Fortress Louisburg (Cape Breton Island).
-Lt. Col. John Bradstreet attacks and destroys Fort Frontenac (Kingston,
Ontario).
1759
-A British army under Brigadier Gen. John Prideaux besieges and captures
Fort Niagara.
-French forces on the Ohio rally to the fort’s relief, but are defeated in
the Battle of La Belle Famille just a mile south of Ft. Niagara.
-Forts Presqu’ile and Le Boeuf are burned by the French who then withdraw to
Detriot.
-The British reoccupy Oswego.
-General James Wolfe captures Quebec.
1760
-General Jeffrey Amherst sails down the St. Lawrence from Oswego, attacks
and captures Fort Levis.
-Montreal is surrounded by three British armies, the French surrender.
1763
-The Treaty of Paris ends the war. Canada becomes British.
-Pontiac’s Rebellion: British Fort Presque Isle is captured & burned.
Historical
Markers in the Erie area relate to the French & Indian War:
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PHMC Historical
Marker: Fort Presque Isle:
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Parade Street Memorial
(Foot of Parade Street, Erie) Markers for French, British and US
incarnations of Fort Presque Isle; includes map with fort locations.
Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission Historical Markers:
Fort Presque Isle (East 6th & Parade Sts.,
Erie)
Old French Road (PA 97 just S of Erie)
Presque Isle Portage (US 19, N of Waterford)
Fort Le Boeuf (US 19 in Waterford)
George Washington (US 19 in Waterford)
French Creek (US 19, S of Waterford)
George Washington Statue,
US 19 in Waterford:
Commemorates his mission to Ft. Le Boeuf in 1753, only statue of Washington
in British uniform.
