"Since the English have in their power an officer and two cadets, and, in general all the prisoners whom they took when [they] assassinated Sieur de Jumonville they now promise to send them with an escort to Fort Duquesne, situated on Belle River, and to secure the safe performance of this treaty article, as was as of the treaty ... "
- English translation of the "Articles of Capitulation" after the Battle of Fort Necessity, Article 7 - the French text of which was mistakenly signed by George Washington (who did not speak French) on 3 July 1754, in the belief that the translation given to him had been accurate (which it probably wasn't)
This documentary is about the French and Indian War, not the American Revolutionary War ...
When most people hear the phrase "the war that made America," the event they would think of is the "American War of Independence." (Or as we call it in America, the "American Revolution," or the "American Revolutionary War.") Most people would be surprised to learn, then, that this is about the "French and Indian War" - or the "Seven Years' War," as it's known elsewhere (including in Canada). This war took place over a decade before the creation of the United States, and ended some years before the first shots of the Revolution were fired at Lexington and Concord. It's also important for the future history of Canada, because it turned Canada from a French colony into a British colony, and thus secured the dominance of English speakers in the region. The year 1759 is thus a controversial year in Canadian history, and it is resented bitterly by French Canadians - not to mention the First Nations Canadians. Nonetheless, it is American history that is the focus here, even if the documentary is narrated by the First Nations Canadian Graham Greene (which it is).
Battle of the Plains of Abraham - Quebec, 1759
The bitter strife of the Revolution actually had its roots in this war
At this time, the British Crown ruled the Eastern Seaboard of this continent, and its colonies were loyal outposts of the British Empire. These colonies all had their own militias that took part in this struggle, but they were not terribly impressive compared to the professional Redcoat soldiers, who arrived from Britain in considerable numbers after the war began. These Redcoat soldiers were the real backbone of the British presence there, and they had reason to view the colonial militias with some contempt. They were tactless enough to express this contempt more than once, and there were signs of friction between the two even during this period. The colonial governments resisted London's attempts to pay for the war by taxing the colonies, and they actually insisted on retaining local control over the colonial militias with regards to staffing and - even more importantly - military strategy. The bitter strife of the Revolution thus had its roots in this war; and the two groups' fighting alongside each other was a temporary situation that would not last.
The Albany Congress - New York, 1754 (one of the precursors to the later Continental Congresses)
The Seven Years' War was fought on five continents, yet it began here in North America ...
The "Seven Years' War" was actually a world war between the various European powers - most notably, between Britain and France. It was fought from the West Indies, South America, and Europe ... to West Africa, distant India, and the Philippine Islands. But it began here in North America, with an infamous frontier incident. The region in question was then claimed by both Britain and France, as it turns out, and the Royal Governor of British Virginia decided to dispatch some troops (including George Washington) to clear out the French presence there. The Native American troops present there, who were allies of the British, were led by a man known as the "Half-King," who has been largely forgotten today. But the man leading the British troops (which was Washington) has been anything but forgotten. For my international readers, George Washington was the man who later became the first president of the United States; and Americans rightly know him as "the Father of the Country." At this time, George Washington was a young British soldier who was serving in the local militia. On orders from higher up, he and his allies ambushed the French Canadian troops present in the place shown below, where someone (although it is not known who) killed their commanding officer - a man by the name of "Jumonville." This event is now known as the "Jumonville affair" (or the "Jumonville incident") for this reason, and the exact spot where it happened - which is in Pennsylvania - is now known as "Jumonville Glen." This incident has always been controversial, and settling these controversies would be beyond the scope of this post. Suffice it to say for our purposes here that it was a powder keg, and that this massive world war began as a minor battle involving fewer than 90 people.
Jumonville Glen, Pennsylvania in modern times
The role of George Washington in this war (including the controversies over how it started)
This documentary depicts George Washington in some depth, since he was an active participant in the early phases of this war. In the Battle of Fort Necessity, for example, the French managed to capture him; and forced him to sign a surrender document that included an "admission" of responsibility for the Jumonville incident. This so-called "admission" was in French - a language that Washington could not read, and which may have been badly translated for him. It seems quite clear that Washington did not order the assassination; but when the French publicized this "admission" as propaganda, it was nonetheless a source of some embarrassment for him. His actions in later battles helped him to get some redemption (briefly) in British eyes, but Washington's reputation came under attack once again when his troops were involved in a friendly fire incident. It may have been because of this incident that Washington retired from military life for a time, and did not resume it until after the war had ended, and the next war had begun (with him wearing a different uniform in this next conflict).
George Washington between the wars
The term "French and Indian War" is more specific than the term "Seven Years' War"
Most nations refer to this conflict as the "Seven Years' War," and Americans are not exactly averse to this term themselves. However, I should note here that when Americans use this term, they are usually referring to the broader world war between the various nations involved, and would refer to the North American portion of that conflict simply as the "French and Indian War." I should note here that the British and French sides of that conflict both had Native American allies, and so this term is prone to some confusion at times. Nonetheless, most of these Native Americans in this war were allied with the French; which was why the colonists of this time referred to this conflict as the "French and Indian War." This documentary makes clear that it is focused on the "French and Indian War" portion (in North America); and that it does not attempt to cover anything that happened elsewhere in this war. I certainly wouldn't object to seeing these events from other places depicted in another series (by PBS or someone else), but this is probably the definitive coverage of the North American portion for television (in my opinion), and it is much recommended to anyone interested in the subject. At four hours long, it's pretty in-depth; and I have no complaints on that score.
Map of the French and Indian War theater of operations
Re-enactments in this documentary (especially the battle scenes) are very well-done
Most documentaries are made on rather limited budgets, and the financial constraints for these films have a tendency to compromise their re-enactment quality at times. This documentary, however, is a fortunate exception; and its budget is high enough to allow for some sophisticated re-enactments on a par with some Hollywood movies. The battle scenes are very well-done, I might note here, and help you to get a taste of what frontier warfare was like. However, some cautions need to be given about the intensity of the battle scenes for viewers who would be disturbed by this, and this film does not gloss over the brutality of these battles. Personally, I think the re-enactments are appropriate here (given the historical accuracy); but I could see others having a different opinion on the subject, and so I thought I'd extend this warning anyway to any who might disagree with me. (And I would actually recommend against watching this film when young children are around, since this might not be appropriate for the very young.)
Death of General Edward Braddock at the Battle of the Monongahela - Pennsylvania, 1755
Interviews with historians are not integrated into the rest of the series
I have just one complaint about this documentary, which is that it does not include any interviews with historians as a part of the series. It's true that there are some historical interview clips relegated to the "special features" of the DVD (which are quite good, I might add), but they are not included within the main body of the series. (Which, in my opinion, they should be.) I would suppose that they didn't want to interrupt the action with some talking-head clips, or assumed that a popular audience would somehow find them boring. But whatever the reason, they didn't integrate these clips with the rest of the material in this presentation; so I was left to wish that they had.
Superb coverage of a fascinating topic from a forgotten era
Nonetheless, it's a great series despite these things, and it gives superb coverage of a fascinating topic from a forgotten era. While the public interest in this subject has seldom been particularly strong, this series may be as well-made as its counterparts in the more popular subjects. If you're after a good documentary about military history, this is one of the best ones out there; and it's much recommended to anyone interested in frontier warfare.
"... it is agreed, that, for the future, the confines between the dominions of his Britannick Majesty and those of his Most Christian Majesty [the King of France], in that part of the world, shall be fixed irrevocably by a line drawn along the middle of the River Mississippi, from its source to the river Iberville, and from thence, by a line drawn along the middle of this river, and the lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain to the sea; and for this purpose, the Most Christian King cedes in full right, and guaranties to his Britannick Majesty the river and port of the Mobile, and every thing which he possesses, or ought to possess, on the left side of the river Mississippi, except the town of New Orleans and the island in which it is situated, which shall remain to France ...
"The stipulations inserted in the IVth article, in favour of the inhabitants of Canada shall also take place with regard to the inhabitants of the countries ceded by this article."
- Treaty of Paris 1763 (the peace treaty which ended the war), Article VII (later modified by other treaties)
DVD at Amazon
Related Hollywood movies:
"Northwest Passage" (1940 movie)
If you liked this post, you might also like:
George Washington: The man and the movies
A review of "Rebels & Redcoats: How Britain Lost America"
A review of "Liberty! The American Revolution" and "The Revolution"
A review of PBS Empires "Napoleon"
A review of "The War of 1812"
Part of a series about
British military history
Korean War 1950-1953
Other wars to be covered later
Other wars to be covered later
Part of a series about
American military history
French and Indian War 1754-1763
American Revolutionary War 1775-1783
War of 1812 (technically 1812-1815)
U.S.-Mexican War 1846-1848
American Civil War 1861-1865
Reconstruction 1865-1877
Spanish-American War 1898
World War One 1917-1918
World War Two 1941-1945
Korean War 1950-1953
Vietnam War 1955-1973
Other wars may be covered later
Next USA war: American Revolution →
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