Tomahawk and Musket – French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 road was dubious to say the least in America’s wilderness. The general therefore cut down the ordnance accompanying the army to: • • • • • • •

In spite of the outstanding success in repulsing Grant’s raiding force, there now could be no doubt in the minds of Lignery, his officers, and his men, that the powerful Anglo-American army was nevertheless irrevocably advancing towards Fort Duquesne thanks to its road-building and the methodical progress it could afford to take. With what must have seemed to the French like a nearly limitless amount of men, supplies and money, the Anglo-American army could afford to build strong positions along the way, the latest being Fort Ligonier. It was clear that Fort Duquesne would have to be abandoned sooner or later. Although allied Indians had greatly profited from Grant’s fiasco, they now had increasing misgivings about the capacity of the “Great White Father” to prevail in this conflict and many Pennsylvania was much better in that respect and Forbes, who rightly considered that the operation depended crucially on good logistic support, decided to stay in that province. There was another possibility: the Old Trading Path used by Indians and fur traders that went right across western Pennsylvania. It started at Harris Ferry on the Susquehanna River and progressed west through the Alleghany Mountains to the headwaters of the Ohio River where Fort Duquesne stood. It would have the advantage of good logistical support thanks to ample means of transportation that were available in Pennsylvania. A stretch of the trail called Burd’s Road, going west up to Raystown (later Fort Bedford), 36 Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Bouquet, c.1755. He was the senior officer after General Forbes in his army during the 1758 campaign. (Print from an unsigned portrait. Author’s photo) British and American troops, ordnance, ammunition, and supply wagons moving on Forbes Road, built across Pennsylvania during the summer and fall of 1758. (Painting by Nat Youngblood. Fort Pitt Museum, Pittsburg. Author’s photo.)

John Campbell, Earl of Loudoun, c.1753. During his tenure as commanderin-chief in North America during 1756 and 1757, General Loudoun formulated the master strategy that was followed by the British government for the conquest of New France. He is shown in the uniform of the 30th Regiment of Foot. (Collection and photo: Fort Ligonier, Pennsylvania) A column of about 500 men under Captain Aubry heads toward the hills, edging the Monongahela River. The Plan Regimental color of the 60th (Royal American) Regiment, c.1757–60. (Reconstitution. Fort Pitt Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Author’s photo) Tomahawk and Musket – French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 usually tended to have blue or green uniforms for their infantry units rather than red, although there were exceptions. Although the Pennsylvania Quaker population was still demographically important and politically powerful, waves of settlers of other beliefs and origin had also put down roots and prospered in the province. These settlers were not as pacifist as the Quakers and clamored to have some military organization. At the behest of Benjamin Franklin and other prominent men, volunteer armed associations had been formed in the 1740s and, with warfare erupting on the western frontier in the 1750s, concerned citizens pressured their legislature to provide some military aid. At length, compromises were found and provincial troops were allowed to be raised and funded. The Pennsylvania contingent for 1758 was quite large by colonial standards and consisted of three numbered battalions forming the Pennsylvania Provincial Regiment. However, the regiment had no central command and actually operated as three separate and distinct units. The 1st Pennsylvania Battalion was commanded by Colonel John Armstrong, a frontiersman who, two years earlier, had led a daring and successful raid on

Initial Strategy Brigadier-General John Forbes, c.1750. He is shown wearing the uniform of 2nd (Scots Greys) North British Dragoons. (Collection and photo: Fort Ligonier, Pennsylvania) Montour, the “Enemy’s strength both as to Indians, French and Canadians and the present situation of their fort be infinitely stronger than any thing I ever could have imagined… [Croghan and Montour] sending me positive accounts that their numbers exceed greatly 4000, in and about the Fort…” By October 8, Croghan was still insisting that there were about 4,000 enemies, but Forbes now informed Abercromby that “This I cannot believe” and now thought that “their whole force are not more than 1200 men which is in their fort…” A week later, on October 15, Forbes wrote to Bouquet informing him that the Ohio Indians had told the participants at the meeting going on in Easton at the time that “the French will have in those parts near four thousand men French, Canadians, & Indians. That they have provisions in plenty as yet; That the Canadians are not at all in the Fort but that they as well as the western Indians were scattered about in the Indian villages where they help the inhabitants to build huts & houses and were ready at a Call” (Forbes: pp. 217, 227, 230). Thus plagued with obviously dubious information, General Forbes was rightly suspicious about American intelligence services. On the French side, everyone knew in Fort Duquesne that major reinforcements amounting to thousands of troops would not be coming to the Ohio Valley to face a large Anglo-American army. The defense resources of New France were already stretched to the limit and its few thousands of regular soldiers could be concentrated on only one front. In the summer of Speaking of missions my absolute favourite thing about Muskets and Tomahawks (and if you’ve read my comments on OTT I do mention this a lot) are the Side Plots. Every game should have side plots, 40K, AoS, Flames of War, Bolt Action, Monopoly all of them need some good side plots.Aubry’s Raid on Fort Ligonier John Ligonier, First Earl Ligonier, 1760. Lord Ligonier was commanderin-chief of the British army from 1757 to 1759, thus at the time of Forbes’ advance in 1758, and Fort Ligonier was named in his honor. He became Master-General of the Ordnance from 1759 to 1762. (Portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Collection and photo: Fort Ligonier Museum, Ligonier, Pennsylvania)

Fort Ligonier as reconstructed. This view shows the west side of the fort with its elaborate outer defenses. (Author’s photo) Ammunition wagon, mid18th century. This type of wagon was drawn by four horses and had a capacity to carry up to 1,200 pounds. “Ammunition” at the time could include various types of military stores, tools and rations. (Reproduction. Fort Ligonier Museum, Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Author’s photo)Halkett, Col Francis 25, 40 Hampshire County skirmishes 17 Hay, CaptLt David 34 Indian nations relations with British colonies 18, 19–20, 31, 34–35, 68–69 relations with French colonies 7–8, 10, 19-20, 21, 60–61 Indian warriors 9, 10, 12, 17, 72–73 Iroquois nation 10, 20, 35, 72 Isle Royale 5, 6, 7, 8 see also Louisbourg Some examples include; your officer being drunk, not wanting to get a new uniform dirty, having a brilliant Commander who has to die, not being the first to initiate hostilities, not having any units rout, battlefield negotiations, your Commander being an old man, passing a letter to an enemy officer in the middle of a battle, being friends with the enemy leader and not wanting him killed, despising the enemy leader and wanting him killed and one of my favourites ‘A Good Day to Die’ which involves your Commander getting killed in melee combat. Tomahawk and Musket – French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 Map of North America in the 1750s. Spain, France, and Great Britain had various claims to substantial parts of America, much of it, such as Rupert’s Land or western Canada, unsettled by European powers. (Author’s photo) Vaudreuil, Governor-General 53, 56, 59, 71, 72 Virginia 11, 13, 14, 15, 17 Ward, Capt Edward 39 warfare (Anglo-American forces) 13, 37–38, 70 warfare (French/New France forces) 7, 8, 10, 15, 46–47, 70, 72–73 Washington, Col George 13, 16, 75 conflict with Forbes 40, 42 Jumonville Glen 11–12 Lt. Corbière’s patrol 69 Virginia Provincials 29, 30, 31 weapons 7, 27–28, 30, 31, 34 Visit Fort Ligonier for a surprisingly great collection of top notch artifacts and paintings from the period as well as a painstakingly reconstructed period fort.

about 40 men under the command of Ensign Joseph Coulon de Villiers, Sieur de Jumonville. Within 15 minutes, ten men were killed, including Jumonville, and only a Canadian militiaman named Monceau succeeded in escaping and returning to Fort Duquesne. On June 26, Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers arrived at Fort Duquesne with reinforcements and learned of the death of Jumonville, who was his brother. Now with sufficient forces and eager for retribution, Coulon de Villiers went after Washington and his men, and soon found them huddled in their own hurriedly built Fort Necessity at Great Meadows (near Farmington, Pennsylvania). After a heavy exchange of fire, which killed about a hundred Americans, Washington capitulated. The repercussions of these events created a diplomatic storm in Europe, which led to war between Britain and France. Unlike New France, the British seaboard colonies had few regular soldiers. In 1754 the largest contingent was in Nova Scotia, where the 40th, 45th, and 47th regiments were posted, to a total of approximately 1,500George II, King of Great Britain and Ireland 15, 20 Grant, Maj James 4, 49–59, 50–51, 52, 53, 54–55, 59, 70, 73 Great Britain 5, 5, 14–15, 20–21 see also Anglo-American forces; British American colonies Great Peace of Montreal (1701) 8 Destruction of Fort de la Presqu’île, 1759. Following their evacuation and destruction of Fort Duquesne, forts Machault (or Venango), Le Boeuf, and de la Presqu’île were also set on fire by the retreating French and Canadians. (Anonymous 1930s painting. Erie County Historical Society, Erie, Pennsylvania. Author’s photo)