The road to disaster in the New World wilderness

The American theatre of the Seven Years War known as ‘The French and Indian War’ has become a popular subject for military history students and enthusiasts. It pitted the great powers of Britain and France against each other on a continent which was a wilderness sparsely populated by primitive Indian tribes and colonists who were loyal to the antagonists according to their nation of origin. Everyone with an interest in this war has heard of Braddock’s Campaign of 1755, which terminated on the Monongahela River. This was a catastrophic defeat for the British early in the conflict which illustrated undeniable truths and taught brutal lessons. The French and their native allies demonstrated they understood how warfare should be fought in the great woodlands, while the British Army and its commanders fatally misunderstood how different this war would be from one fought on European battlefields. Caught in ambush, General Edward Braddock was killed, his force severely defeated. Only some of the colonial militia loyal to the British present, which included George Washington, acquitted themselves capably and in a manner which, fortunately for the cause of the Crown, they maintained for the rest of the war. This book, in its lengthier original form, included several first-hand accounts by those who were present. These have been removed to focus on the author’s excellent history of the historical events. The eye-witness material has been included in Leonaur’s Narratives of the French and Indian War series. Sargent’s text has been enhanced with maps and illustrations which were not present in the original work.

Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.