The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]

The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

COLONIAL TIMES

The French & Indian War

Interesting article.

New Topic

New Poll

Reply to Topic

Printer Friendly

| More

BookMark Topic

Author

Topic

Page: of 2

Wilderness Woman
Watcher of the Wood

USA

Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
November 27 2002

Status: offline

Donating Member

Posted - January 02 2005 : 2:26:49 PM

This came through on the RevWar list:

No, It Wasn't French vs. Indians

January 1, 2005
By Glenn Collins, NY Times

Welcome to 2005: the Year of the French and Indian War.

Actually? Make that years, plural. The celebration is continuing through 2010.

It seems that New York would like to be known as the French and Indian War State, since it will serve as host of a national, and international, five-year-long commemoration of the many battles that took place within its borders.

Just exactly why are we supposed to care about this bicenquinquagenary?

"Well, for starters, this war is why we speak English and not French today," said Bob Bearor, a French and Indian War re-enactor from Newcomb, N.Y., who has written five books about New York as the bloody ground for French insurgent fighters and their Indian allies.

To history lovers, the conflict is increasingly seen as a crucible for the American Revolution and a war college for George Washington. "Most of the battles were fought in this state," Mr. Bearor added. "It was a war for an empire, and it changed the fate of the world."

The latest rediscovery of an under-heralded war prompted Gov. George E. Pataki to sign legislation in November creating the New York State French and Indian War 250th Anniversary Commemoration Commission, a 19-member group charged with organizing, promoting and carrying out a series of "re-enactment tourism events," the act says. The panel will also encourage studies of the French and Indian War from kindergarten through Grade 12 in New York State schools.

The unpaid commissioners are soon to be appointed, and meetings to determine a schedule of commemorative events will begin this winter.

"The battles of the French and Indian War," the governor said in a statement, "were the driving force for inspiring the values and ideals that led to the successful drive toward American independence, and the birth of freedom and democracy in the New World."

And there is always visitorship. The war's anniversary "is a major historic event that could be important for tourism upstate," said State Senator George D. Maziarz, Republican of Niagara County, who was a champion of the legislation. About that name: in Europe they call the French and Indian War the Seven Years' War. French Canadians call it la Guerre de Sept Ans. Other Canadians have termed it the War of the Conquest. And just like Civil War battles that were differently designated in the North and South, the New York conflicts have competing names above and below the Canadian border.

For example, Fort Ticonderoga was known by the French as Fort Carillon, and Lac du Saint Sacrement was renamed Lake George by the English in honor of their king.

It was Winston Churchill who, in "History of the English-Speaking Peoples," called the Seven Years' War the first world war, since it was the first conflict of European countries fought out in North America, the Caribbean, West Africa, India and the Philippines. But the war has often been relegated to footnote status, since "historians tended to write out everything that didn't lead directly to the Revolutionary War," said Dr. Fred Anderson, professor of history at the University of Colorado at Boulder and an expert on the Seven Years' War.

The French and Indian War was a flashpoint of the maritime and colonial conflict between France and England - which had previously been contending for domination of the North American continent for more than a century - and it began with a land dispute over control of the Ohio Valley.

None other than the inexperienced 22-year-old George Washington was a catalyst, triggering the war on May 28, 1754, when the contingent of Virginia soldiers and native warriors he was leading ambushed a French detachment and killed its commander, Joseph Coulon de Villiers, Sieur de Jumonville.

Though the French had many early vict

"It is more deeply stirring to my blood than any imaginings could possibly have been."

report to moderator

SgtMunro
Soldier of the King

USA

Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
September 23 2002

Status: offline

Donating Member

Posted - January 06 2005 : 12:41:22 AM

That's a good article, WW. It is nice to see that New York has taken a far more serious approach to the anniversary, than my own home state. Here in Pennsylvania, all we have is the 'War For Empire Consortium', and you haven't heard "boo" from those folks since they piggy-backed onto the Ft. Necessity re-enactment last summer. They have done nothing but attend wine & cheese parties since then. For instance, nothing has come out of that group concerning the 250th of Braddock's Defeat (Which is no small part of American History). The up side is that another private concern (made up of reenactors), has picked up the ball and is already putting together a reenactment of Braddock's Defeat scheduled for this July. I was honored by being invited as a part of the Operations/Planning Team for the event, and I'll post a separate thread on it, once all of the particulars are worked out.

Your Most Humble Servant,

Serjeant-Major Duncan Munro
Capt. Thos. Graham's Coy.
42nd Royal Highland Regiment of Foote
(The Black Sheep of the Black Watch)

"Nemo Me Impune Lacessit"
-Or-
"Recruit locally, fight globally."