We arrived at Fort Necessity National Battlefield fairly early in the morning on May 17th. 
Again, this is a place I had never heard of and is part of a chapter in our country's history that I know next to nothing about. This is really a shame because I feel like I'm relatively knowledgeable about American History, and this is a really important place at a really important event that involved really important people. I know this is partly a result of growing up in Alabama - the French-Indian War is not something you spend a lot of time on in history class in AL.
Anyway - think this war isn't important? Well, if the other side won, we'd all be a bunch of crepe eatin', beret wearin' Frenchies.
Ok, let's get on with it. This National Battlefield commemorates the place where the French-Indian War got started. In the mid 1700's, this region between the Ohio River and the Appalachians was disputed among the British and the French - the latter saw it as a natural link between New France (Canada) and Louisiana. So, the French sent troops into the region to drive out English settlers and to build forts, especially around the Great Lakes, like Fort Presque Isle in present-day Erie (see our post from a few days prior to this day - I love it when the history of various sites are related - it makes everything so much easier to understand and that much more interesting). In 1753, Virginia's British governor sent a few troops under the command of a 21 year old George Washington (we often forget that Washington was a loyal British soldier before the Revolution) into the region to tell the French to back off, essentially. The French refused. 
In spring of 1754, British troops were sent to present-day Pittsburgh to build a fort, but they were driven off by the French - the French turned this fort into Fort Duquesne. By late May, Washington and his men arrived in an area called the Great Meadows - where this park is now. He called is "a charming place for an encounter". I like this quote for a lot of reasons. 1st, he referred to what he new would be a deadly conflict as an "encounter", which probably says something about the way men thought about warfare back then. Also, it sounds like he appreciated the beauty of the area
3 days after arriving in the Great Meadows, Washington and about 40 men went out to "encounter" some French soldiers they were told were camping a few miles away. Early on the 28th of May, they completely surprised the French in a ravine and routed them - 10 killed, 1 wounded, 21 prisoners, and 1 who escaped back to Fort Duquesne. Washington lost only 1 man and 2 wounded.
After the English colonel Fry died back at the Great Meadows a few days later, Washington took command and immediately set upon fortifying their position by building Fort Necessity. This fort is a rather small, circular stockade with 1 small enclosed building in the center. Really a very unremarkable structure, but a good decision, because the French were pissed. 
By mid June, reinforcements brought Washington's men up to nearly 400, but he failed to retain his Indian allies. On July 3, about 600 French soldiers and 100 Indians (lead by the brother of one of those killed in the ravine) surrounded Fort Necessity, taking up positions in the woods at the edge of the meadow. The location of the fort was a tactical mistake - it was located out in the open within range of soldiers at the edge of the forest. Anyway, the 2 sides battled all day in a raging rainstorm, and though both sides suffered casualties, the British were taking to brunt of the action and were losing. However, they got a lucky break - the French commanders feared that British reinforcements were on their way, so they offered a truce. After hours of negotiation, at midnight Washington signed a truce allowing his soldiers to withdraw with honors and retaining their possessions and weapons. The French burned Fort Necessity and returned to Fort Duquesne.
Now, this was not only the opening battle of the French-Indian War, but also the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War everywhere else in the world (even if it really was only between the British and the French) Pretty amazing.
The Museum looks small at 1st, but they do a wonderful job of maximizing the space. The exhibits are really great and very well done. There were exhibits not only on the events, but also on the Indians, their ways of life, and he archaeology of the site and region. Everything was really fascinating. There is also a few-minute-long video that explains things pretty well.
There is a nice trail leading to the reproduction fort. However, there is nothing more to the fort than what is shown in this picture. I wish there were some interpretive signs or something. There is also a trail to Mount Washington Tavern up along the side of the National Road, but we decided to go back to the truck and drive since we didn't have much time.
Mount Washington Tavern is another old roadside tavern/boarding house from the 18th century for travelers along the old National Road. We went in for a quick tour, had some lemonade and cookies, and then headed out. This is one of those parks with several, unconnected pieces. The next portion was General Edward Braddock's grave. This is another side-story to this park. In 1755, British General Braddock lead an army of a couple thousand soldiers through this area trying to widen Washington's original road. When they weren't making enough progress on the road, Braddock lead half of his men ahead to the west to try to quicken the pace. Braddock was an experienced general, but not with wilderness fighting, and his men were inexperienced. So, they were exhausted when they ran into about 600 French soldiers and Indians about 8 miles from Fort Duquesne on July 9th. Even though they outnumbered their adversaries by more than 2 to 1, 2/3 of the British and most of the officers died in the battle. Braddock was mortally wounded and died on the retreat, and was buried in this spot. It's pretty amazing that they've actually found the exact burial site.
The last place we went is up on a ridge to take the short hike to the ravine where Washington's men snuck up on and routed the French soldiers. It is easy to see how the battle would have been so decisive. If you were surrounded here, there would be no place to go. When we got here, Sarah wanted to stay behind since Jackson was sleeping, so I took the short hike to the ravine, and then decided to finish the short loop indicated on the sign at the trail head. However, the trail did some weird things and after a while I realized it wasn't doing what it was supposed to, so I took a left off the trail headed towards where I thought the truck was, and ended up exactly where I wanted to go in only a minute or 2. The only problem is that when I got back to the truck, Sarah and Jackson were gone. So, I thought, "great, Jackson woke up and they went looking for me." So, I hiked back to the ravine, but they weren't there. I went back ad forth to the truck a couple of times and yelled a few times, but no sign of them. I started to get worried because it wasn't like Sarah to leave her phone while on a hike - she knows better. I waited, and waited. No sign. I figured that maybe she did what I did - tried to take the look but got lost when it didn't do what it was suppose to do. I even stood at the edge of the forest and used the panic button on the truck remote to signal to her and then listen for them to answer. Lots of yelling and still no answer. I was really worried. Eventually, though, I finally heard her yell, and I directed her back up the hill to the truck. I was right - she did get lost on the trail. But it really scared me.
Anyway, this is a great park and it was a great trip.
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