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George Washington sent to Ohio Valley
On November 1, 1753 Virginia's governor Robert Dinwiddie had sent George Washington to order the French to abandon the string of forts that they were building between Lake Erie and the Forks of the Ohio River. -
The Start of the French and Indian War
The French and Indian War started on May 28, 1754 and was between the British and the American colonies on the one side, against the French and some of the Indians in North America on the other side. -
Britain and France War
On May 8, 1756 Britain and France officially declared war against one another. -
Fort Oswego
On August 14, 1756 French forces, under the marquis de Montcalm, newly appointed commander of all French forces in North America, captures Fort Oswego, strengthening French control over the Great Lakes. -
British Big Defeat
On July 8, 1758 the British suffered a humiliating and costly defeat at Fort Carrillon, despite outnumbering French forces by four to one. The British suffer almost 2,000 casualties. -
British Capture Port
On July 26, 1758 the British captured Louisbourg, a French port on Nova Scotia. With this victory, the British were able to severely restrict French supply lines flowing down the Saint Lawrence River. -
Treaty of Easton
On October 21, 1758 the Treaty of Easton was signed between the British and several Indian nations, including the Iroquois League and the Ohio Indians. In return for peace, the British promised to renegotiate the Walking Purchase of 1737, through which the Iroquois gave away Delaware lands in western Pennsylvania to the British colony. They also promised to build a trading post at the Forks of the Ohio River and to prohibit white settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains -
Hudson River
On July 26, 1759 the French abandoned Fort Carrillon when it was besieged by British General Jeffery Amherst. As they retreat, the French also destroyed their fort as Crown Point. The British now control Lake Champlain and therefore the Hudson River corridor. They will rebuild Fort Carrillon and rename it Fort Ticonderoga. -
Plains of Abraham
On September 13, 1759 General James Wolfe landed a force of British troops above Quebec and attacked the city across the Plains of Abraham. In the ensuing battle, the British suffered fewer than 700 casualties, the French more than 1,800. The French were forced to abandon the city and retreat to Montreal. Wolfe was killed in the battle. -
French Surrender
On September 8, 1760 Governor-General Vaudreuil of New France surrendered Montreal, the last French stronghold in North America, without firing a shot when a British army of 17,500 British regulars, American provincial troops, and Indians converge on the city from three directions. -
The End of the French and Indian War
On Febuary 10, 1763 the Treaty of Paris is ratified, ending the French and Indian War. Signed on 3 November 1762, the treaty's ratification has been delayed by critics, including William Pitt, who believe its terms are too lenient. In the treaty, France surrenders all of its former North American territories east of the Mississippi River to Britain, except New Orleans. Canada is also ceded to Great Britain. Spain, a late entrant into the war as an ally of France, surrenders Florida to Britain.