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Battle of Jumonville Glen

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The Battle of Jumonville Glen, also known as the Jumonville affair, was a battle of the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War) fought on May 28, 1754 near what is present-day Uniontown in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Along with the Battle of the Great Meadows (or Battle of Fort Necessity), it is considered the opening shots of the French and Indian War which would spread to Europe and become the Seven Years' War.

Prelude

Battle

On the morning of May 28, 1754, 22-year-old Virginia militia officer Lieutenant Colonel George Washington and the 40 soldiers he commanded attacked the French militia led by Ensign Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville. The British claimed the French discovered their approach and opened fire on them, while the French claimed the British ambushed their encampment. In either event, the battle lasted little more than 15 minutes and was a complete British victory. Ten French soldiers were killed and 21, including Jumonville, who was wounded, were captured.

Aftermath

According to the NPS.Gov national park service website of the Fort Necessity Battlefield, Jumonville was killed at the battlefield, and the remaining prisoners were sent back to Williamsburg. Yet according to the History.com, Jumonville is murdered along with almost all of the captured frenchmen, by the senacas. The young frenchman's murder incited a strong french response, and Washington would build his makeshift 'Fort Necessity" for defense from Jumonville's half-brother's command. Washington would surrender on July 4th, and sign a confession - in french, which he could not read - to Jumonville's assassination. This is an intriguing paradox.

It was in reference to the battle at Jumonville Glen that Washington, in a letter to his older brother, made a statement that would later become famous: "I heard the bullets whistle, and, believe me there is something charming in the sound."

A portion of the battlefield is preserved as a unit of Fort Necessity National Battlefield.

References



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Last updated on Monday July 07, 2008 at 15:25:45 PDT (GMT -0700)
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