Fort Necessity National Battlefield marks the site of the opening battle of the French & Indian War in 1754. This clash between British, French, and American Indian forces ended French power in North America and set the stage for the American Revolution. It was also the site of young George Washington's first military engagement and also Washington's only surrender. We had no idea.
The history of how it all came to be was an interesting one. There had been a lot of build-up to the conflict. Great Britain and France both claimed the Ohio River Valley.In May 1754, a 22-year-old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington led a surprise attack on a French scouting party, with one of his allies controversially killing the commander, Joseph Coulon de Jumonville.Fearing French retaliation, Washington and his men hastily built a small, circular wooden stockade in a low-lying meadow known as the Great Meadows (which Washington purchased couple of decades later).A little more background history that I found incredible- The Battle occurred on July 3, 1754 when about 600 French soldiers and their Native American allies attacked the roughly 400 British regulars and Virginia militia stationed at the fort. Poor Positioning, the fort was built in a depression, made it a poor defensive position that allowed the French to fire safely from the surrounding tree line while the British trenches flooded in heavy rain. With soaked gunpowder, dwindling supplies, and mounting casualties, Washington agreed to surrender by midnight. Washington signed a capitulation paper written entirely in French that inadvertently translated his actions at Jumonville Glen as an "assassination". And yet, he still became President. Who knew?!
This local skirmish had a global impact. It helped ignite the French and Indian War, which expanded into the worldwide Seven Years' War and ultimately reshaped colonial power in North America. The French and Indian War would lead to the first global war and set the stage for the American Revolution.
Our next history lesson involves George Washington, too. We got off the super highway and traveled Alt 40... The National Road. This was the first highway built entirely with federal funds. The road was authorized by Congress in 1806 during the Jefferson Administration. Construction began in Cumberland, Maryland in 1811. The route closely paralleled the military road suggested by George Washington and opened by him and General Braddock in 1754-55.
By 1818 the road had been completed to the Ohio River at Wheeling, which was then in Virginia. Eventually the road was pushed through central Ohio and Indiana reaching Vandalia, Illinois in the 1830s where construction ceased due to a lack of funds. The National Road opened the Ohio River Valley and the Midwest for settlement and commerce.
This new road saw thousands of travelers heading west over the Allegheny Mountains to settle the rich land of the Ohio River Valley. Small towns along the National Road's path began to grow and prosper with the increase in population. Many of these small towns and villages along the road contained taverns, blacksmith shops, and livery stables. Taverns were probably the most important and numerous businesses found on the National Road. It is estimated there was about one tavern every mile. All taverns offered three basic things: food, drink, and, lodging.
When the National Road first opened, financing was provided by the government. Overtime, that funding stopped and it was up to the states to keep up their stretch. Maryland's answer was LaVale Toll Gate House, the first (and last standing) toll house on America's first federal road .The gate arm holders still stand.History lessons were learned at Cumberland, Maryland, important because it served as the historic "Gateway to the West" and a vital 19th-century transportation hub that fueled America's early westward expansion and industrial growth.
It was the eastern starting point of the National Road (established in 1806) which carried settlers into the Ohio Country.It was also the site of Fort Cumberland, George Washington’s first military headquarters during the French and Indian War.During the 1800s, Cumberland united the C&O Canal, the B&O Railroad, and the National Road, making it Maryland's second-largest city and earning it the nickname the "Queen City".The Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal was started in 1828 as a dream of passage to Western wealth. Operating for nearly 100 years, the canal was a lifeline for communities along the Potomac River as coal, lumber, and agricultural products floated down the waterway to market. After closing due to competition from the railroads and the destruction of floods, the area languished in disrepair until it became a target for a parkway in the 1950s. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas rallied support for developing the canal as a linear park, and in 1971, it became a National Historical Park.Three unique parts of American history were learned within just one state- Maryland. How very, very cool.And what fun to find David J. Lewis' home. In 1912, Congressman Lewis proposed a law which later became the system under which the parcel post was organized by the Department of the Post Office. I do love mail and any history related to it.Tomorrow is one more history lesson in Maryland. I really had no idea. Wow.
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