Fort Necessity National Battlefield

Pressing on from Friendship, I had a pleasant and easy drive through rural Pennsylvania to get to Fort Necessity National Battlefield, another site tied to George Washington and the first that I've been to regarding the French and Indian War.

The time is the 1750's, and the French and British are vying for control of territory in and west of the Appalachians. The British forces stumble upon a French contingent still waking up. Depending on whose account to read, either the French shot first or the French were ambushed. In either case, it was quite a slaughter, and Washington knew that he would soon experience a counter-attack.

So, he had his troops hastily build a "fort" (more like a small cabin surrounded by sticks. Worse yet, he built it on a flat place in fairly marshy ground, with a protective treeline within a rifle's shot. Sure enough, the attack came, and sure enough, Washington's men were outnumbered and pinned. He surrendered (!!) but lived on to fight another day. Given his precarious position, I'm very surprised he did live to tell about it.

With further reinforcements, the British were eventually able to sweep the French army out of what would become the United States in what both sides consider the North American Campaign of the Seven Years War. The conclusion of that war saw Spain gain control of what would become the Louisiana Purchase, while the British gained Florida.

As for the "Indians," they were courted by both sides, but it sounds like the Brits made some pretty dubious promises (you can't stay here, but you can have land west of the Appalachians), which led most native tribes to side with the French.

Visitor's Ratings (out of 5)
Significance: 3 -- Washington surrendered, and a World War started.
Beauty: 2 -- rolling hills of western Pennsylvania
Fun: 2 -- a cool museum, some footpaths
Overall: 2 -- interesting enough if you're in the area.

Accessibility: Roughly 30 miles off I-68, a few hours from any major city
Logistics/signs: 3 -- good movie, nice visitor's center, clear signs
Time required: about an hour, more if you walk to Washington's Tavern
Time to visit: fall/spring as it's mostly outdoors.
Kid friendliness: medium -- a playground, places to romp around