When the Forests Ran Red

Before the Revolutionary War, there was yet another long fight between the French and British. Both countries sought possession of the Appalachian Mountain forests, as well as river transportation. The French wanted the connections they could make through that area, and the British wanted the land. However, a third party was inevitably involved with the Europeans. The Indians of the Ohio Valley saw this land as their home, and could not bear to see it in the hands of some foreign pigs. Something had to be done. And then it began to rain.

In 1750, Britain purchased a vast amount of land in the Ohio Valley—over 300 square miles, but the French did not recognize this contract. They “invaded” the supposedly British territory by building a fort. Of course, the British got mad, so they made an alliance with the Iroquois tribes’ leader Half-King and planned an attack on the French fort, Fort Duquesne. The leader of the American-British army was young George Washington. The Half-King, like all other Native Americans, wanted to get rid of the French but did not want the British to stay either, so for the short run, they fought alongside the Americans. Since the Half-King was much older and wiser than George Washington, he manipulated Washington to kill all the French, instead of only fighting them off. Most of the French ended up being killed or captured, yet the fort was not lost, so another attempt to gain it was planned. And then it began to rain.

In England, King George III became tired of George Washington and his pathetic American army, so he sent General Braddock to America to help in the battles. The Battle of Fort Duquesne was a failed attempt to seize Fort Duquesne. George Washington was appointed as a leader, under General Braddock’s command. The Iroquois tribes were going to help them, but