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e　King　of　France。　In　the　same　year　the　English　organized　in　Virginia　the　Ohio　Company　for　the　colonization　of　the　same　country；　and　summoned　Christopher　Gist；　explorer；　trader；　and　guide；　from　his　home　on　the　Yadkin　and　dispatched　him　to　survey　the　land。

Then　appeared　on　the　scene　that　extraordinary　man；　Robert　Dinwiddie；　Lieutenant　Governor　of　Virginia；　erstwhile　citizen　of　Glasgow。　His　correspondence　from　Virginia　during　his　seven　years'　tenure　of　office　（1751…58）　depicts　the　man　with　a　vividness　surpassing　paint。　He　was　as　honest　as　the　dayas　honest　as　he　was　fearless　and　fussy。　But　he　had　no　patience；　he　wanted　things　done　and　done　at　once；　and　his　way　was　THE　way　to　do　them。　People　who　did　not　think　as　he　thought　didn't　THINK　at　all。　On　this　drastic　premise　he　went　to　work。　There　was　of　course　continuous　friction　between　him　and　the　House　of　Burgesses。　Dinwiddie　had　all　a　Scot's　native　talent　for　sarcasm。　His　letters；　his　addresses；　perhaps　in　particular　his　addresses　to　the　House；　bristled　with　satirical　thrusts　at　his　opponents。　If　he　had　spelled　out　in　full　all　the　words　he　was　so　eager　to　write；　he　would　have　been　obliged　to　lessen　his　output；　so　he　used　a　shorthand　system　of　his　own；　peculiar　enough　to　be　remarkable　even　though　abbreviations　were　the　rule　in　that　day。　Even　the　dignity　of　Kings　he　sacrificed　to　speed；　and　we　find　〃His　Majesty〃　abbreviated　to　〃H　M'y〃；　yet　a　smaller　luminary　known　as　〃His　Honor〃　fares　better；　losing　only　the　last　letter〃His　Hono。〃　〃Ho。〃　stands　for　〃house〃　and　〃yt〃　for　〃that；〃　〃what；〃　〃it；〃　and　〃anything　else；〃　as　convenient。　Many　of　his　letters　wind　up　with　〃I　am　ve'y　much　fatig'd。〃　We　know　that　he　must　have　been！

It　was　a　formidable　task　that　confronted　Dinwiddieto　possess　and　defend　the　Ohio。　Christopher　Gist　returned　in　1751；　having　surveyed　the　valley　for　the　Ohio　Company　as　far　as　the　Scioto　and　Miami　rivers；　and　in　the　following　year　the　survey　was　ratified　by　the　Indians。　The　Company's　men　were　busy　blazing　trails　through　the　territory　and　building　fortified　posts。　But　the　French　dominated　the　territory。　They　had　built　and　occupied　with　troops　Fort　Le　Boeuf　on　French　Creek；　a　stream　flowing　into　the　Allegheny。　We　may　imagine　Dinwiddie's　rage　at　this　violation　of　British　soil　by　French　soldiers　and　how　he　must　have　sputtered　to　the　young　George　Washington；　when　he　summoned　that　officer　and　made　him　the　bearer　of　a　letter　to　the　French　commander　at　Fort　Le　Boeuf；　to　demand　that　French　troops　be　at　once　withdrawn　from　the　Ohio。

Washington　made　the　journey　to　Fort　Le　Boeuf　in　December；　1753；　but　the　mission　of　course　proved　fruitless。　Dinwiddie　then　wrote　to　London　urging　that　a　force　be　sent　over　to　help　the　colonies　maintain　their　rights　and；　under　orders　from　the　Crown；　suggested　by　himself；　he　wrote　to　the　governors　of　all　the　other　colonies　to　join　with　Virginia　in　raising　troops　to　settle　the　ownership　of　the　disputed　territory。　From　Governor　Dobbs　of　North　Carolina　he　received　an　immediate　response。　By　means　of　logic；　sarcasm；　and　the　entire　force　of　his　prerogatives；　Dinwiddie　secured　from　his　own　balking　Assembly　10；000　pounds　with　which　to　raise　troops。　From　Maryland　he　obtained　nothing。　There　were　three　prominent　Marylanders　in　the　Ohio　Company；　butor　because　of　thisthe　Maryland　Assembly　voted　down　the　measure　for　a　military　appropriation。　On　June　18；　1754；　Dinwiddie　wrote；　with　unusually　full　spelling　for　him：

〃I　am　perswaded　had　His　Majesty's　Com'ds　to　the　other　Colonies　been　duely　obey'd；　and　the　necessary　Assistance　given　by　them；　the　Fr。　wou'd　have　long　ago　have　been　oblig'd　entirely　to　have　evacuated　their　usurp'd　Possession　of　the　King's　Lands；　instead　of　w'ch　they　are　daily　becoming　more　formidable；　whilst　every　Gov't　except　No。　Caro。　has　amus'd　me　with　Expectations　that　have　proved　fruitless；　and　at　length　refuse　to　give　any　Supply；　unless　in　such　a　manner　as　must　render　it　ineffectual。〃

This　saddened　mood　with　its　deliberate　penmanship　did　not　last　long。　Presently　Dinwiddie　was　making　a　Round　Robin　of　himself　in　another　series　of　letters　to　Governors；　Councilors；　and　Assemblymen；　frantically　beseeching　them　for　〃H。　M'y's　hono。〃　and　their　own；　and；　if　not；　for　〃post'r'ty；〃　to　rise　against　the　cruel　French　whose　Indians　were　harrying　the　borders　again　and　〃Basely；　like　Virmin；　stealing　and　carrying　off　the　helpless　infant〃as　nice　a　simile；　by　the　way；　as　any　Sheridan　ever　put　into　the　mouth　of　Mrs。　Malaprop。

Dinwiddie　saw　his　desires　thwarted　on　every　hand　by　the　selfish　spirit　of　localism　and　jealousy　which　was　more　rife　in　America　in　those　days　than　it　is　today。　Though　the　phrase　〃capitalistic　war〃　had　not　yet　been　coined；　the　great　issues　of　English　civilization　on　this　continent　were　befogged；　for　the　majority　in　the　colonies；　by　the　trivial　fact　that　the　shareholders　in　the　Ohio　Company　stood　to　win　by　a　vigorous　prosecution　of　the　war　and　to　lose　if　it　were　not　prosecuted　at　all。　The　irascible　Governor；　however；　proceeded　with　such　men　and　means　as　he　could　obtain。

And　now　in　the　summer　of　1754　came　the　〃overt　act〃　which　precipitated　the　inevitable　war。　The　key　to　the　valley　of　the　Ohio　was　the　tongue　of　land　at　the　Forks；　where　the　Allegheny　and　the　Monongahela　join　their　waters　in　the　Beautiful　River。　This　sitetoday　Pittsburghif　occupied　and　held　by　either　nation　would　give　that　nation　the　command　of　the　Ohio。　Occupied　it　was　for　a　brief　hour　by　a　small　party　of　Virginians；　under　Captain　William　Trent；　but　no　sooner　had　they　erected　on　the　spot　a　crude　fort　than　the　French　descended　upon　them。　What　happened　then　all　the　world　knows：　how　the　French　built　on　the　captured　site　their　great　Fort　Duquesne；　how　George　Washington　with　an　armed　force；　sent　by　Dinwiddie　to　recapture　the　place；　encountered　French　and　Indians　at　Great　Meadows　and　built　Fort　Necessity；　which　he　was　compelled　to　surrender；　how　in　the　next　year　（1755）　General　Braddock　arrived　from　across　the　sea　and　set　out　to　take　Fort　Duquesne；　only　to　meet　on　the　way　the　disaster　called　〃Braddock's　Defeat〃；　and　how；　before　another　year　had　passed；　the　Seven　Years'　War　was　raging　in　Europe；　and　England　was　allied　with　the　enemies　of　France。

》From　the　midst　of　the　debacle　of　Braddock's　defeat　rises　the　figure　of　the　young　Washington。　Twenty…three　he　was　then；　tall　and　spare　and　hardbodied　from　a　life　spent　largely　in　the　open。　When　Braddock　fell；　this　Washington　appeared。　Reckless　of　the　enemy's　bullets；　which　spanged　about　him　and　pierced　his　clothes；　he　dashed　up　and　down　the　lines　in　an　effort　to　rally　the　panic…stricken　redcoats。　He　was　too　late　to　save　the　day；　but　not　to　save　a　remnant　of　the　army　and　bring　out　his　own　Virginians　in　good　order。　Whether　among　the　stay…at…homes　and　voters　of　credits　there　were　some　who　would　have　ascribed　Washington's　conduct　on　that　day　to　the　fact　that　his　brothers　were　large　shareholders　in　the　Ohio　Company　and　that　Fort　Duquesne　was　their　personal　property　or　〃private　interest；〃　history　does　not　say。　We　may　suppose　so。

North　Carolina；　the　one　colony　which　had　not　〃amus'd〃　the　Governor　of　Virginia　〃with　Expectations　that　proved　fruitless；〃　had　voted　12；000　pounds　for　the　war　and　had　raised　two　companies　of　troops。　One　of　these；　under　Edward　Brice　Dobbs；　son　of　Governor　Dobbs；　marched　with　Braddock；　and　in　that　company　as　wagoner　went　Daniel　Boone；　then　in　his　twenty…second　year。　Of　Boone's　part　in　Braddock's　campaign　nothing　more　is　recorded　save　that　on　the　march　he　made　friends　with　John　Findlay；　the　trader；　his　future　guide　into　Kentucky；　and　that；　on　the　day　of　the　defeat；　when　his　wagons　were　surrounded；　he　escaped　by　slashing　the　harness；　leaping　on　the　back　of　one　of　his　horses；　and　dashing　into　the　forest。


Meanwhile　the　southern　tribes　along　the　border　were　comparatively　quiet。　That　they　well　knew　a　colossal　struggle　between　the　two　white　races　was　pending　and　were　predisposed　to　ally　themselves　with　the　stronger　is　not　to　be　doubted。　French　influence　had　long　been　sifting　through　the　formidable　Cherokee　nation；　which　still；　however；　held　true　in　the　main　to　its　treaties　with　the　English。　It　was　the　policy　of　the　Governors　of　Virginia　and　North　Carolina　to　induce　the　Cherokees　to　enter　strongly　into　the　war　as　allies　of　the　English。　Their　efforts　came　to　nothing　chiefly　because　of　the　purely　local　and　suicidal　Indian　policy　of　Governor　Glen　of　South　Carolina。　There　had　been　some　dispute　between　Glen　and　Dinwiddie　as　to　the　right　of　Virginia　to　trade　with　the　Cherokees；　and　Glen　had　sent　to　the　tribes　letters　calculated　to　sow　distrust　of　all　other　aspirants　for　Indian　favor；　even　promising　that　certain　settlers　in　the　Back　Country　of　North　Carolina　should　be　removed　and　their　holdings　restored　to　the　Indians。　These　letters　caused　great　indignation　in　North　Carolina；　when　they　came　to　light；　and　had　the　worst　possible　effect　upon　Indian　relations。　The　Indians　now　inclined　their　ear　to　the　French　who；　though　fewer　than　the　English；　were　at　least　united　in　purpose。

Governor　Glen　took　this　inauspicious　moment　to　hold　high　festival　with　the　Cherokees。　It　was　the　last　year　of　his　administration　and　apparently　he　hoped　to　win　promotion　to　some　higher　post　by　showing　his　achievements　for　the　fur　trade　and　in　the　matter　of　new　land　acquired。　He　plied　the　Cherokees　with　drink　and　induced　them　to　make　formal　submission　and　to　cede　all　their　lands　to　the　Crown。　When　the　chiefs　recovered　their　sobriety；　they　were　filled　with　rage　at　what　had　been　done；　and　they　remembered　how　the　French　had　told　them　that　the　English　intended　to　make　slaves　of　all　the　Indians　and　to　steal　their　lands。　The　situation　was　complicated　by　another　incident。　Several　Cherokee　warriors　returning　from　the　Ohio；　whither　they　had　gone　to　fight　for　the　British；　were　slain　by　frontiersmen。　The　tribe；　in　accordance　with　existing　agreements；　applied　to　Virginia　for　redressbut　received　none。

There　was　thus　plenty　of　powder　for　an　explosion。　Governor　Lyttleton；　Glen's　successor；　at　last　flung　the　torch　into　the　magazine。　He　seized；　as　hostages；　a　number　of　friendly　chiefs　who　were　coming　to　Charleston　to　offer　tokens　of　good　will　and　forced　them　to　march　under　guard　on　a　military　tour　which　the　Governor　was　making　（1759）　with　intent　to　overawe　the　savages。　When　this　expedition　reac