During 1754, Washington, Gist, and a detachment of the Virginia Regiment attempted to drive the French from the region. At the Battle of Fort Necessity on July 3, 1754, the French army routed the Virginia militia. This was the beginning of the French and Indian War, a part of the Seven Years' War between France and Britain. Gist owned land near the present city of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He named it Gist's Plantation and began to build a town there. At the outset of the war, the French burned all the buildings. Gist was a member of the Braddock Expedition during 1755 when it was defeated by the French and their Native American allies. In May, 1756, Gist and elements of the 1st Virginia Regiment, 17th Company 'Rangers' accompanied Thomas Cresap on a retaliatory strike against Indian attacks. That military action originated at Fort Cumberland, but had to make a fighting retreat after being ambushed. Details of the action and Gist's role in it were printed in the June 17, 1756 issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette. After the defeat, Gist traveled into Tennessee, where he met with various native groups to seek their help during the war. His whereabouts, during the final years of the war, were uncertain.