Page 132 - American Stories, A History of the United States

seven years’ War
Britain’s imperial war effort had hit bottom. No one in England or America seemed to 4.1
possess the leadership necessary to drive the French from the Mississippi Valley. The
cabinet of George II (r. 1727–1760) lacked the will to organize and finance a sustained
military campaign in the New World, and colonial assemblies balked every time Britain 4.2
asked them to raise men and money. On May 18, 1756, the British officially declared
war on the French, a conflict called the French and Indian War in America and the
Seven Years’ War in Europe. Seven years’ War Worldwide 4.3
Had it not been for William Pitt, the most powerful minister in King George’s conflict (1756–1763) that pitted
cabinet, the military stalemate might have continued. This self-confident Englishman britain against France. With help
believed he alone could save the British empire, an opinion he publicly expressed. from the American colonists, the 4.4
british won the war and eliminated
When he became effective head of the ministry in December 1756, Pitt could demon- France as a power on the North
strate his talents. American continent. Also known
In the past, warfare on the European continent had worked mainly to France’s as the French and indian War. (see 4.5
advantage. Pitt saw no point in concentrating on Europe, and in 1757 he advanced a Peace of Paris of 1763.)
new imperial policy based on commercial assumptions. In Pitt’s judgment, the criti-
cal confrontation would take place in North America, where Britain and France were
struggling to control colonial markets and raw materials. Indeed, according to Pitt,
America was “where England and Europe are to be fought for.” He was determined to
expel the French from the continent, however great the cost.
To direct the grand campaign, Pitt selected two relatively obscure officers, Jeffrey
Amherst and James Wolfe. It was a masterful choice, one that a less self-assured man
would never have risked. Both officers were young, talented, and ambitious. On July
26, 1758, forces under their direction recaptured Louisbourg, the same fortress the
colonists had taken a decade earlier!
This victory cut the Canadians’ main supply line with France. The small popula-
tion of New France could no longer meet the military demands placed on it. As the situ-
ation became increasingly desperate, the French forts in the Ohio Valley and the Great
Lakes began to fall. Duquesne was abandoned late in 1758 as French and Indian troops
under the Marquis de Montcalm retreated toward Quebec and Montreal. During the
summer of 1759, the French surrendered key forts at Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and
Niagara. Quebec itself fell in September 1759. (See Map 4.5.)

Wolfe
GRANT TO HUDSON’S BAY COMPANY (Quebec) A C A D I A Britain
Louisbourg besieged
Wolfe
June 8–July 26, 1758
from
Great
Plains of Abraham
Sept. 13, 1759
NEW FRANCE St. Lawrence R. MAINE Disputed Halifax Amherst
(part of
Montreal Mass.)
surrendered Sept. 8, 1760 L. ATLANTIC
Amherst OCEAN
Champlain
Ft. Frontenac Ft. St. Frederic (Crown Point) abandoned July 31, 1759
surrendered
Aug. 27, 1758 Ft. Carillon (Ticonderoga) abandoned July 26, 1759
Lake N.H.
Ontario Boston
Ft. Niagara Albany MASS. French claims
besieged
July 6–25, 1759 Hudson R. CONN.
N.Y. R.I. British claims
Lake Erie COLONIES N.J. New York British troop movements
BRITISH
PA. British victories
Ft. Duquesne Braddock's Defeat Philadelphia French victories
abandoned July 9, 1755
Nov. 25, 1758 map 4.5 THE SEvEN yEarS’ War
Great Meadows MD. 0 100 200 miles iN NorTH amErica the conflict
May 28, 1754 Ft. Necessity DEL.
July 3–4, 1754 0 100 200 kilometers ended with britain driving France from
mainland North America.
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