It was inevitable that the British and French would collide in the Ohio River Valley. Large land grants for the area had been offered by the British Crown to increase colonization. While the French had already built a series of forts in the valley. The French and Indian War  is considered to have begun with a young Virginian named George Washington. He took command of a force from the Virginia milita to support the undertaking of a fort built at the convergence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. Before he arrived the fort was overrun by French so he entrenched himself at a post that would be called Fort Necessity. On May 28th Washington engaged a French scouting party and took them prisoner. The French commander, Coulon de Jumonville and nine others French troops were then killed, supposedly by Washington's Indian allies and their leader, Half King.  The French could not ignore this brutality and descended on the fort, forcing Washington to surrender and withdraw his forces. The killing of Coulon de Jumonville is considered to be the spark that started the French and Indian War.

 

        The beginning of the war saw much French success, and at this time the commander of British forces in North America was the Earl of Loundoun. After the battle of Fort Necessity in 1754, George Washington was then unsuccessful in the capture of Fort Duquesne from the French. The following year General Edward Braddock was sent from Britain to lead the British forces. His command was ambushed and cleverly defeated by the French and their Indian allies in July 1755. Braddock was killed in the battle and the British were forced to retreat after taking major losses.

 

        As the British position continued to crumble, many Indian nations including the Delaware and Shawnee gave support to the French. During their attempt at colonization, the British had expanded far faster than the French. The Indians saw this war as a chance to drive away the detested British who would settle on their land. With help from the Indians in August 1756, the French captured Fort Oswego and took Fort William Henry the next year.