Young Washington Fires First Shot: French and Indian War Begins
Twenty-two-year-old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington led a force of 40 Virginia militia and 12 Mingo warriors in an ambush of a French reconnaissance party at Jumonville Glen in southwestern Pennsylvania on May 28, 1754. The skirmish lasted about 15 minutes and killed 10 French soldiers, including their commander Ensign Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville. The French claimed Jumonville was an ambassador delivering a diplomatic message; Washington maintained the party was a military reconnaissance force. The incident ignited the French and Indian War, which expanded into the global Seven Years' War involving every major European power. French philosopher Voltaire later wrote that "a volley fired by a young Virginian in the backwoods of America set the world on fire."
May 28, 1754
272 years ago
Key Figures & Places
France
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George Washington
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Virginia
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Pennsylvania
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militia
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French and Indian War
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Lieutenant Colonel
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Battle of Jumonville Glen
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Fayette County, Pennsylvania
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French and Indian War
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Virginia
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Militia
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Lieutenant Colonel
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George Washington
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Battle of Jumonville Glen
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Fayette County, Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania
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Seven Years' War
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