King George II sent an entire army to defeat the French colonies, under the command of Major General Edward Braddock. He led 2,000 British and Colonial soldiers into the Ohio Valley to take Fort Duquesne. But, on July 9, 1755, at the Battle of the Monongahela, the lesser-numbered French forces rallied with their Indian allies to ambush Braddock’s army, including George Washington, and soundly defeated them in the forested hills. Braddock was mortally wounded and died two days later.
The British military effort in the early part of the French and Indian War was hampered by poor management, internal divisions, a lack of interest at home, rivalries among the American colonies, and France’s greater ability to win the support of the Native Tribes.
Losses across the colonies in 1754 and 1755 exposed how the French were able to neutralize Redcoat strengths by using the North American environment to their advantage - including the landscape and their Indian allies.
Play the story to hear much more ...
