The Grit-advocate., 1906-06-29
Washington's S Sad
Fourth Of July
Day Witnessed His Surrender Of
Fort Necessity to the French.

1t was the 4th day Of July, 1854,
% years before the Declaration of Ill
dependence made the day ever ia
nous.
The light of early morning shone
upon a strange scene in the wilderness
of western Pennsylvania.
A force Of 600 Frenchmen and 100
Indians was camped around rute
stockade little to the southeast and
not far from the present city of Pitts
burg. They were commanded by
Coulon de Villiers, young French
man. the commandant of Fort Du-
quesne, who had sworn vengeance
against the English for the death of
his brother, Jumonville, who had fall
en- in skirmish a few days before
Besides, he was pledged to make good
the French boast that no English flag
should wave west of the Alleghenies
In the fort little force numbering
less than half the number of the
French and Indians had held. out for
one long day and six hours Of the
night against the attack of their
yengeful and overpowering foe.
Before We relate the story of. Fort
Necessity. however. it will be we'll to
| refer to the causes which, led. to, this
Fourth of July episode.
At the commencement of the French
and Indian war it was determined by
the English, for the better protection
of their interests. to build a fort at
the junction of the Allegheny and
Monongahela rivers, on the present
site of Pittsburg. A body of troops
was accordingly dispatched by Gov
Dinwiddie OF Virginia to accomplish
| this object.
The death Of their. colonial. on the
| march threw the command into the
| hands Of the second officer, a. tall Vir-
ginian of %, with brown hair and gray
| eyes, whose gravity of manner and
| careworn appearance bespoke even
then the greatness he: was. to win
This Virginian youth was George
| Washington.
Before he reached tho goal of his
journey, Washington. learned from hi.
scouts the futility Of his, errand In
|
and his command stood in a fair way
of being themselves driven out, if no
altogether annihilatsd.
The French had been improving tn,
summer weather. They had captured
the few English and built and manned
a strong fortress at the very plac,
where the, English expected to built
one, and French and Indian fore,
of more than 200 men was throngin.
the adjacent forest.
| When within days s march of tn,
new fort which the French had name,
Duqussne, after the governor of Can
ada, Washington halted at plac,
called the Great Meadows and con
structed fortfti'ation of logs ant
earth, throwing up with his ov,
hands the first shovelful of soil
To this rude stockade he gave tn
name of Fort Necessity. In it wer
placed the cannons which he ha
dragged with so great toll through tn
forest paths from Virginia.
After a few days rest, Washington
went forward with portion of hi
force to meet the Shawnee chief, Hal
King. A council was held and it wa
determined to make night attacl
upon the French
The scouts of the faithful Shawne
chief found the enemys trail, and II
the darkness of a rainy night tn
English made successful raid Ju
monville, the French leader, wa
killed. and several of his men fel
prisoners into Washington's hands.
He now fell back upon Fort Neces
sity. His situation was critical one
His men had but little ammunition
and no bread of any kind, having live
for several days on fresh meat alone
and even this was not plentiful.
They were much fatigued by thei
long and wearisome march and tn
provisions Of the wildwood: and
worse than all, the walls OF the rud
fortification were hardly such as coul
be expected to sustain a siege from
any large number Of foes.
Washington spent his single day o
respite In Strengthening his rampar