Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Farmington, Pennsylvania

It was the middle of winter in 1753-1754, the beginning of the French & Indian War. Lt. Col. George Washington was 21 years old and given the task of heading an expedition into the wilderness to warn the French to withdraw from that part of Ohio country that had been claimed by Virginia. The French considered Ohio a vital link between New France (Canada) and Louisiana, and advanced southward and westward from Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario, driving out English traders and claiming the Ohio River Valley for France. Washington was to tell the French to withdraw, and their refusal to withdraw set the stage for the events that took place at Fort Necessity.

Fort Necessity

The Virginia regiment was in trouble right from the start. After attacking the French detachment in May 1754, Washington built a "fort of necessity." His mistake was building the small stockade in a low field surrounded by trees. Fort Necessity offered little defense against the French and Indian forces. Washington surrendered after a day long battle, returned home on July 4 and resigned from the Virginia regiment.

Building Fort Necessity

Fort Necessity

The Battlefield

The fighting began around 7am. George Washington, his Virginia Regiment soldiers, and their American Indian allies quietly crept into position. French soldiers rose out of the bark lean-tos spotted them and shouted an alarm. Shots rang out in an instant. No one knows who fired first. Washington's British colonials blasted two volleys at the French, who returned a few rounds before escaping to the far end of the ravine. The English and Indians circled around and sealed off the glen, preventing the French retreat. 

In all, the fighting lasted about 15 minutes. In military terms, it was little more than a skirmish. But it set in motion a chain of events that would change America and the world forever.

Before the first shot was fired at Jumonville Glen, it seemed inevitable that the French and British would come to blows. The only question was when. At issues was an area of land known as the Ohio Country. It spread west from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River; many considered it key to controlling the North American Continent. For years, the Ohio Country and the American Indians who lived there served as a buffer between the French and British, allowing two rivals to share control of eastern North America.

But in the early 1750s, trade disputes disrupted the calm. French and British soldiers marched on the Ohio Country and asserted rights of ownership, ignoring long time Indian claims to the territory. On May 28, 1754, British and French troops opened fire on one another at Jumonville Glen. The battle for Ohio Country had begun. The French and Indian War would soon follow.

Independent Company of South Carolina

The Independent Company of South Carolina, who had arrived at Fort Necessity a few weeks earlier, marched out to meet the French.

Young George Washington

Only 22 years old, George Washington faced overwhelming opposition and soaking rainstorms in the first battle of his career. Washington surrendered on July 4, 1754. Soon after the British departed, the French burned down the fort.

The French and Indian War began in 1754 and soon spread from North America to the continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia. The battle at Fort Necessity was the beginning of what was to became a world war. The two European powers wanted to control North America. In 1756, Great Britain formally declared war on France. Soon the war spread to Africa and Asia. Seven years later peace was finally reached. In the end, the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years War as it was called in Europe) left a new world order in its wake with Great Britain in control of a vast global empire which included North America.

By the end of the war, American Colonists considered themselves loyal subjects of the British Crown. But that feeling of loyalty began to dissolve as Great Britain started taxing the colonies in order to help pay for its swollen new empire. During the 1760s disillusionment among the colonies grew. By the 1770s it turned into fear, suspicion, rebellion and finally war. The American Revolutionary War took place from April 19, 1775 to September 3, 1783.

The Americans, led by George Washington, defeated the British and gained control of new territories extending from the Alleghenies west to the Mississippi River and from Canada south to Florida. The young United States' government would face many challenges, including finding ways to build roads that would tie the new nation together.

French Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers

After receiving the French assurances of his officers' safety, George Washington sent one of his captains, Jacob van Braam, and another officer into the French camp to begin talks. Van Braam soon returned with an offer. French Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers would allow the English to leave in the morning with honors. In return, Washington had to return the prisoners taken at Jumonville Glen, promise not to return to the Ohio Country for a year, and leave two officers behind to guarantee the deal. After refining the terms, Washington accepted the offer and demanded that the offer be put in writing.

After midnight Washington's intermediary Captain Van Braam, returned with a surrender document and began translating into English. Handwritten in French, its ink blotted by rain, the papers were barely legible. Van Braam, a Dutchman, struggled to read it by the flickering light of a candle. After listening to the relatively favorable terms, Washington believed that all was in order. He signed the document. But unknown to him at the time, Van Braam had mistranslated a key phrase. By agreeing to the surrender, Washington also unwittingly admitted that he had assassinated the French officer Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville back in May. 

The Outcomes of Surrender: On July 4, 1754, Washington and the surviving British soldiers limped out of Fort Necessity as drums played. Captains Van Braam and Robert Stobo stayed behind as guarantees that the surrender terms would be honored. In all, Washington counted 30 dead and 70 wounded out of 300 fighting men. Soon after the English departed, the the French burned down the fort. With the Ohio Country securely in French hands, the French officer de Villiers returned to Fort Duquesne a hero for having avenged his brother's death. Washington on the other hand, had suffered a crushing defeat, one that ensured the British would not return to the Ohio Country for a year. To make matters worse, Washington soon learned about his mistaken admission that he had assassinated Jumonville. It would haunt him for years. Even so, the battle for the Ohio Country was far from over, Washington would return sooner rather than later. 

The Beginning of the National Road .....

The roads were awful. Riddled with stumps, steep grades, washed out by rains, and overgrown with brush. In 1784 George Washington while traveling along a road to inspect his holdings in western Pennsylvania was appalled by the experience, and called for a new road that would "open a wide door, and make a smooth way" between America's Atlantic Coast and its western interior.

As trade grew between the states, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Gallatin, and Henry Clay pushed for a national road, one that would make trade easier. In 1806, Congress passed an act that helped fund the building of a road to the new state of Ohio. On March 29, 1806, President Thomas Jefferson signed a bill establishing the first federally funded highway. The road started in Cumberland, Maryland, over the Appalachian Mountains, and into Ohio. After seven years, the 137-mile long road from Cumberland to Wheeling, Virginia, The National Road was open for business.

Main Street in Cumberland, Maryland. The National Road became the "Main Street" in many towns that it passed through. Businesses pressed up against the edge of the road to make sure that travelers did not miss them.

Casselman Hotel, Grantsville, Maryland

The National Road offered accommodations for almost everyone. Two of the most common types of public houses were taverns and wagon stands. Generally, the more affluent stagecoach riders stayed at the more expensive hotels and taverns often located in the middle of town. Conestoga wagoners stayed at wagon stands located on the outskirts of town.

In 1825 a stagecoach ride from Baltimore to Wheeling cost $17 and took three days.

Conestoga wagons hauled freight from early morning to late evening. Easily recognized by their billowing white cloth covers and boat-shaped beds, Conestoga wagons were the long-haul freighters of the day. Fully loaded, they carried up to five tons of flour, tobacco, coffee, and other freight along the full length of the highway.

National Road in Zanesville, Ohio 1846

Wary passengers hide valuables. During the highway's heyday, thieves set up shop on sections of the road to prey on unsuspecting travelers. One of the most notorious areas, known as "Shades of Death," was located east of Meadow Mountain in Maryland.

National Road Tollhouse, LaVale, Maryland

By the 1830s, Congress began shifting care of the National Road to the states. As each state took responsibility, it set up its own system of tolls. Each used the money it collected to pay for highway maintenance and administration. But the costs always exceeded the tolls, forcing state governments to borrow in order to pay for upkeep.

In 1835, cast-iron mileposts were placed every mile along the road between Cumberland and Wheeling. A few original markers still exist along U.S. Route 40, which follows the same route as the old National Road.

Workers installing U.S. 40 sign

As the federal government wrangled over who should pay for maintaining the National Road, Congress continued to fund westward construction of the highway. Beginning in 1825, and lasting more than two decades, construction extended the road through Ohio, Indiana, and into Illinois.

Mount Vernon Tavern

Judge Nathaniel Ewing of Uniontown built Mount Washington Tavern about 1830, then sold it in 1840 to James Sampey, who ran the tavern with his family. Mount Washington Tavern was a stage stop for the Good Intent Stage Line, one of many stage lines using the National Road. This was one of the finer taverns along the road, catering to stagecoach passengers. Once inside, travelers cleaned up from their long day's trip, then ate a hot meal in the dining room. 

Later, the women gathered in the parlor while the men congregated in the barroom. In the parlor, ladies, children and gentlemen could rest in a pleasant atmosphere. Here, travelers and local citizens could gather and relax while enjoying a cup of tea or coffee. They would find out about other travelers, where those folks were going, or talk about important issues or events occurring in other parts of the country. The parlor may have been the fanciest room in the tavern.

Ladies did not frequent the barroom. Their reputations would have been tarnished if they had entered this setting. The barroom, like modern bars or taverns, was a busy and noisy place. Men could swap tales of their traveling the national road between sips of rye whisky and puffs on a clay pipe or a stogie cigar. They also chewed and spit, and indulged in games of cards or checkers.

There were no private bedrooms. Men and women slept in separate rooms, usually fully clothed, and sometimes shared bedspace. Each room included a wash basin and chamber pot with the main privy or "necessary" located outside, behind the building. Often awakened before 5 am, they continued on their journey. 

Outside the Mount Washington Tavern stood a stable, shed, and other outbuildings. The tavern's stables provided fresh teams of horses for the Good Intent Stage Line. These stagecoaches--pulled by teams of four--changed horses every 10 to 15 miles during their 60- to 70-mile trip each day.

The National Road ran in front of the Mount Washington Tavern during the 1800s. However, this section of the historic road bed was obliterated in 1936 when grading for U.S. Route 40 left the tavern 12 feet above the concrete highway. 

Mount Washington Tavern owes its name to George Washington who was once owner of the Great Meadows where the tavern now stands. Although built long after his death, it serves as a reminder of his legacy toward westward expansion. 

For more than 30 years, the National Road fueled the growth of a nation. But by the mid-1800s, the federal highway was beginning to outlive its usefulness. Railroads started to emerge as a major competitor in the transportation business. They hauled goods and people over long distances faster and cheaper than plodding wagons and stagecoaches.

By 1853, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ran from Baltimore to Cumberland and took most of the National Road business with it. Road traffic slowed down and businesses closed, towns withered. But the old highway did not die out altogether, and would return one day.

George Washington