In February 1753, at age 21, George Washington was appointed Major of one of the Virginia Militia districts. The British and French wanted each to control the Ohio Valley: the British constructing forts along the Ohio River, and the French between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. In October 1753, Washington was sent as a special envoy to demand the French to vacate land that was being claimed by the British, while was also sent to make peace with the Iroquois Confederacy, and to gather further intelligence about the French forces. Washington’s party reached the Ohio River in November 1753 and met the French commander in Fort Le Boeuf (present day Waterford, PA, about 15 miles south of Erie, PA), who upon hearing the British request, refused to leave the territory. Instead, after receiving Washington, the French commander gave him his official answer in a sealed envelope, as well as food and extra winter clothing for his party’s journey back to Virginia. However, on his way back to Virginia, Washington encountered difficulties, which are explained in this article that I transcribed in Simplified Gregg for the blog.
Attachment: the-shot-that-might-have-changed-history.pdf