LEADERS OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR John Campbell, Earl of Loundoun – Appointed Commander‐in‐Chief of the British forces in 1756, Campbell presided over, and caused, many devastating failures for the British. In 1756 Campbell was sent to North America as Commander‐in‐Chief and Governor General of Virginia, where he was unpopular with many of the colonial leaders. As Commander‐in‐Chief, he planned an expedition to seize Louisbourg, Canada from the French in 1757 but called it off when intelligence (possibly including a French military deception) indicated that the French forces there were too strong for him to defeat. While Campbell was engaged in battle in Canada, French forces captured Fort William Henry from the British, and Campbell was replaced by James Abercrombie. Campbell then returned to London. Jeffery Amherst ‐ Amherst led the British attack on Louisbourg in 1758. He was promoted to become commander‐in‐chief of the British army in North America, and led the successful British conquest of New France. In 1759, Amherst an army against French troops on Lake Champlain, where he captured Fort Ticonderoga against little resistance but found his further advance frustrated and he had to delay any further move on Montreal until the following year. On September 8, 1760 he led an army down the Saint Lawrence River from Lake Ontario, and captured Montreal, Canada ending French rule in North America. Amherst held the position of military governor of Canada from 1760 to 1763. James Abercrombie ‐ Abercrombie commanded a brigade at Louisbourg in 1757 and became commander‐in‐chief of the British forces in North America after the departure of John Campbell in March of 1758. That summer, he led an expedition against Fort Ticonderoga. Abercrombie was a genius at organization, but took a long time to make decisions. He managed the remarkable feat of assembling 15,000 troops and moving them and their supplies through the wilderness. Then, on July 8, he directed his troops into a frontal assault on a fortified French position, without the benefit of artillery support. More than 2,000 men were killed or wounded. Eventually his force panicked and fled, and he retreated to his fortified camp south of Lake George. This disaster caused his replacement by General Jeffrey Amherst and his recall to England in 1759. Major General Edward Braddock ‐ The first general to arrive from Britain. He would lead an Expedition against Fort Duquesne at the Forks of the Ohio. After some months of preparation, in which he was hampered by administrative confusion and want of resources, the Braddock expedition took the field with a picked column, in which George Washington served as a volunteer officer. The column crossed the Monongahela River on 9 July 1755, and almost immediately afterwards encountered an Indian and French force. Braddock's troops were completely surprised and routed, and Braddock, rallying his men time after time, fell at last, mortally wounded by a shot through the chest. Braddock was borne off the field by Washington and another officer, and died on 13 July 1755, just four days after the battle. William Pitt ‐ British secretary of state during the French and Indian War. Pitt resolved to commit whatever resources were necessary to defeat the French in North America and on the European continent. He funded the expansion of colonial militias in North America. By the summer of 1758, the British had 50,000 men in uniform in North America, serving as British regulars (soldiers) or in colonial provincial regiments ‐a number equal to the entire white population of New France. Pitt resigned in 1761 when the king refused to pursue a more complete defeat of France or to declare war against Spain. Pitt's policies led to British success in the French and Indian War, but they also left Britain with a tremendous debt, and a larger empire to administer. James Wolfe ‐ Colonel in the British Army, led the successful attack against Quebec in 1759, all but ending the French and Indian War. Posted to North America in 1757, he was given the local rank of "Brigadier in America" in 1758 and assigned the task of capturing Quebec, the most secure French position in North America. Wolfe's risky decision to attack the western side of the city by scaling the poorly defended cliffs along the Saint Lawrence River caught the French by surprise. Forced to abandon the security of the city walls, the less disciplined French forces were quickly defeated. In the battle, Wolfe received injuries to his wrist and chest, and died on the battlefield. He subsequently became a British national hero. Louis‐Joseph de Montcalm ‐ Beginning in 1756, Montcalm took over as commander‐in‐ chief of the French forces in North America. He was a much‐feared and respected general. He was sent (1756) to defend Canada in the French and Indian War. His position was subordinate to that of the marquis de Vaudreuil de Cavagnal, governor of New France, and protests to the home authorities against the dishonesty of the local French administration in Canada and the evil consequences of divided command were without avail. Montcalm's capture of Fort Ontario (1756) restored control of Lake Ontario to France, and he besieged and captured (1757) Fort William Henry on Lake George. This victory was marred by the massacre of English prisoners by his Native American allies, although Montcalm finally restored order at the risk of his life. Montcalm successfully defended Quebec against the siege of Gen. James Wolfe until the strategy of the English effected an open engagement. The British were victorious (Sept. 13, 1759), but both Wolfe and Montcalm were killed during the battle. George Washington ‐ Warned that the French were advancing, he quickly threw up fortifications at Great Meadows, Pa., aptly naming the entrenchment Fort Necessity. The French were captured. Washington pulled his small force back into Fort Necessity where he was overwhelmed (July 3) by the French in an all‐day battle fought in a drenching rain. Washington surrendered and he was permitted to march his troops back to Virginia. Discouraged by his defeat, he resigned his commission in 1754. The next year he volunteered to join British general Edward Braddock's expedition against the French. When Braddock was ambushed by the French and their Indian allies Washington tried to rally the Virginia troops. Whatever public criticism attended the debacle, Washington's own military reputation was enhanced, and in 1755, at the age of 23, he was promoted to colonel and appointed commander in chief of the Virginia militia, with responsibility for defending the frontier. In 1758 he took an active part in Gen. John Forbes's successful campaign against Fort Duquesne.