The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-06-30
Washington'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 In
dependence made the day ever IA
nous.
The light of early morning shone
upon strange scene in the wilderness
Of western Pennsylvania.
A force of 600 Frenchmen and 100
Indians was camped around rude
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 a 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
SSASSAuA gnu OfC1 lO0.
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 colonel on the
march threw the command into the
hands of the second officer, a tall Vir-
glnian 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 the goal of his
journey, Washington learned from his
scouts the futility of his errand. In
stead of driving out the French, he
and his command stood in a fair wav
OF being themselves driven out, if not
altogether annihilated.
The French had been improving the
summer weather. They had captured
the few English and built and manned
strong fortress at the very place
where the English expected to build
one, and a French and Indian force
of more than 1000 men was thronging
the adjacent forest.
When within day march of the
new fort which the French had named
Duquesne, after the governor of Can
ada, Washington halted at a place
called the Great Meadows and con-
structed a fertilization of logs and
earth, throwing up with his own
hands the first shovelful of soil.
To this rude stockade he gave the
name Of Fort Necessity. In 1t were
placed the cannons which he had
dragged with so great toll through the
forest paths from Virginia.
After a few days rest, Washington
went forward with a portion of his
force to meet the Shawnee chief. Half
King. A council was held and it was
determined to make a night attack
upon the French.
The scouts of the faithful Shawnee
chief found the enemy's trail, and in
the darkness Of rainy night the
English made a successful raid. Ju-
knoxville, the French leader, was
killed, and several of his men fell
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 lived
for several days on fresh meat alone,
and even this was not plentiful.
They were much fatigued by their
long and wearisome march and the
provisions of the wildwood; and.
worse than all, the walls of the rude
fertilization were hardly such as could
be expected to sustain a siege from
any large number Of foes.
Washington spent his single day Of
respite In strengthening his rampant