1751-1759, 7 Year War between Britain & France

October 31^st 1753 George Washington sets out from Williamsburg. He reaches the Monongahela River on 25^th November.

He travels North and reaches Fort Le Boeuf on December 11th. He returns to Williamsburg January 16^th, 1754

February, 14^th, 1754
further to Washington's survey the Virginia's House of Burgesses allocates £10,000 for a western expedition against the French. Washington engages and defeats a French contingent on 28^th May and establishes Fort Necessity.

Meanwhile the Iroquis and English have a trade conference in Albany, New York on June 14^th, 1754.

On July 3^rd the French take Fort Necessity and Washington returns to Williamsburg on the 17th July. English Parliament hears of defeat and French victory and votes additional forces.

February 1755 Major General Edward Braddock
arrives in Virginia and forms 3 prong strategy to contain the French expansion.

June 17th British Forces seize Acadia (now Nova Scotia). July 8th Braddock's forces badly defeated near Fort Duquesne and Braddock dies after saying "We shall learn better how to do it the next time". September 9th Colonel William Johnson forces defeat the French at Lake George to stop their advance on Albany.

December 25th Lord Loudoun is commisioned to be the Colonel in Chief of the Royal American Regiment (62nd until 1756 then became the 60th when 50th and 51st were disbanded). In March a special Act of Parliament created 4 battalions of 1,000 men to include foreigners for service in the Americas. Swiss and German forest fighting experts, American Colonists and British Volunteers were recruited. The battalions were raised on Govenors Island, New York. Although theoretically they were to be light infantry, their able officers recognised that special American conditions required inovations. Officers used Pennsylvania rifles and the men used Muskets. In forest conditions the red uniforms were changed for green or blue ones which made less conspicuous targets. The Royal Americans gradually became the First Rifle Regiment in the British Army.

March 1st, 1756 Louis-Joseph de Montcalm appointed Commander in Chief of French Forces in North America.

May 18th - 19th, 1756 Great Britain
declares war on France and France rciprocates.

August 14th French forces under Montcalm capture Fort Oswego. The French then winter in Montreal.

The Royal American Regiment continues to recruit and train men in Boston New York and Philadelphia over the winter. Many soldiers transfer from Shirley's and Pepperell's Massachuetts regiments, which had been absorbed into the British Regular Army as the old 50th and 51st.

March 19th, 1757 French attack but fail to take Fort William Henry.

June 20 British try to capture Louisbourg, the gateway to the Saint Lawrence.

August 8th French under Montcalm capture Fort William Henry and Part of the 3rd Battalion of the 60th Royal Americans were massacared after the Fort's surrender. The British abandoned their aim to take Louisbourg and a storm destroyed much of the British fleet off Nova Scotia on September 24th.

May 28th, 1758 the British resumed their campaign to take Louisbourg.

On July 8th Major General Abercromby attcked Fort Ticonderoga Northwards from Albany. With 3,600 garrison troops, the French held off an attack of 16,000 men. The 1st and 4th battalions of the Royal Americans were part of the attack and sustained heavy losses.

July 26th Louisbourg is taken and the French Fleet protecting Canada is destroyed.

In August Lieutenant Colonel John Bradstreet with 3,000 men including 2 companies of Royal Ammericans crossed over Lake Ontario and without loosing a man captured Fort Frontenac.

On 21st October the British made peace with the Iroquois, Shawnee, and Delaware Indians.

In the meantime under Brigadier General John Forbes, Lieutenant Colonel Bouquet of the Royal Americans and Colonel George Wahington cut a new road through the mountains to the forks of the Ohio. For this campaign the Royal Ameicans were issued their first rifles. The French and Indians defeated an advance party but fled before the main body. On November 25th the British moved into the abandoned destroyed Fort Duquesne, renaming it Fort Pitt. (The remanents can be seen near the museum at Pittsbourg). The Royal Americans were garisoned at Fort Pitt.

June 26th, 1759 Fort Ticonderoga is taken by the Royal Americans and on July 25th Fort Niagara was also won. Captain John Joseph Schlosser of the Royal Americans rebuilt a ruined French post just North of the Niagara Falls as Fort Schlosser (also know as Little Niagrar).

A French attack on Fort Oswego, at the mouth of the Oswego River held by Lieutenant Colonel Haldimand and the 4th Battalion of the Royal Americans, was repulsed.

Meanwhile the second and third Battalions of the Royal Americans under Colonel Robert Monkton and Charles Lawrence had gone to Halifax in 1758 and been involved in taking Louisbourg under Colonel Amherst. They now moved under General James Wolfe up the St Lawrence Seaway to Quebec. This was taken in fierce combat on 13th September. Both the British General Wolfe and French General Montcalm succumb to battle-field wounds.

December 26th a treaty is signed between South Carolina and the Cherokee Indians.

May 11-16th, 1760 seige of Quebec by French fails.

September 8th Montreal is captured and the whole of Canada surrendered.

September 15th Fort Detroit taken signalling the end of the French Indian War.