Chapater 1
In the mid-18th century, a war was bdrewing in the New World that would shape the future of North America. Also known as the Seven Years’ War, the French and Indian war marked another chapter in the long imperial struggle between Britain and France. France’s expansion into the Ohio River valley brought repeated conflict with the British colonies which finally lead to war from from 1754 to 1763, with each allied with Native Americans. The St. Lawrence River region was crucial to the conflict in a war that would decide the colonies’ fate, and set the stage for the American Revolution.
Chapter 2
The war, complex and multifaceted, unfolded on battlefields, diplomatic chambers, and trading posts. The five major theaters were the Ohio River Valley, Hudson River–Lake George–Lake Champlain Corridor, the Great Lakes Region, Nova Scotia, and Canada. A pivotal event was the Battle of The Thousand Islands which took place at Fort Levis near modern-day Ogdensburg, NY. Part of it was depicted in a painting by Thomas Davies, a British Army officer, artist and naturalist, showing the French corvette L’Outaouaise being captured by smaller British row galleys near Point au Baril, Ontario. Not all warfare was physical. Both sides used diplomacy and alliances with Native American tribes as strategic tools, subtly shifting the balance of power. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which ceded all North American land east of the Mississippi to Great Britain.
Chapter 3
The pivotal engagement of the war was the attack on Fort Levis, a small French fort with but five cannon and 300 soldiers which for five days and nights while under constant bombardment, held off 10,000 British troops led by Sir Jeffrey Amherst for a week. It was the last significant battle of the war. The British then marched on Montreal which capitulated without a fight. The British also attacked the fort with three ships, the Onondaga and Mohawk, as well as L’outaouaise, which had been repaired and renamed the Williamson. They began the battle by firing on the fort with a combined 50 guns but the French defenders sank the Williamson and Onondaga, while the Mohawk ran aground under French cannon fire. Grossly outnumbered, the French fought resiliently till the end. The attack on L’Outaouaise as immortalized in the Davies painting, stands as a testament to the high and the relentless will to fight that characterized the French and Indian War.
Chapter 4
(Eric: All of chapter four describes a naval battle which, other than the attack on L’Outaouaise, never occurred. And that happened well upstream from Fort Levis. If you like, I can add further content to create a chapter four, or, you can just eliminate it and if so, if you need more content just let me know. I can expand the other chapters.)
Chapter 5
The French and Indian War left a lasting imprint on the landscape and the people of North America. Britain gained territories and power shifted in the New World. French power was eliminated, paving way for the future United States. However, victory strained relations between Britain and its American colonies. The war’s financial burden led Britain to tax the colonies, leading to discontent and later, the American Revolution. In Ogdensburg, NY, the war’s legacy is felt. The Davies painting of the attack on L’Outaouaise serves as a reminder of the struggle. The French and Indian War continues to echo in our collective memory, shaping our understanding of the past and the present.
fort1749.org 