giment, and collected his
three hundred men at Green Meadow, where he was joined by a few
Indians, and by a company from South Carolina.

The French at Duquesne were quickly reinforced, and the command was
given to Coulon de Villiers, the brother of an officer who had been
killed in the skirmish with Washington. He at once advanced against the
English, who had fallen back to a rough breastwork which they called
Fort Necessity, Washington having but four hundred men, against five
hundred French and as many Indians.

For nine hours the French kept up a hot fire on the intrenchment, but
without success, and at nightfall Villiers proposed a parley. The
French ammunition was running short, the men were fatigued by their
marches, and drenched by the rain which had been falling the whole day.
The English were in a still worse plight. Their powder was nearly
spent, their guns were foul, and among them they had but two cleaning
rods.

After a parley, it was agreed that the English should march off with
drums beating and the honours of war, carrying with them all their
property; that the prisoners taken in the previous affair should be set
free, two officers remaining with the French as hostages until they
were handed over.

Washington and his men arrived, utterly worn out with fatigue and
famine, at Wills Creek. This action left the French masters of the
whole country beyond the Alleghenies.

The two mother nations were now preparing for war, and, in the middle
of January, 1755, Major General Braddock, with the 44th and 48th
Regiments, each five hundred strong, sailed from Cork for Virginia;
while the French sent eighteen ships of war and six battalions to
Canada.

Admiral Boscawen, with eleven ships of the line and one frigate, set
out to intercept the French expedition. The greater part of the fleet
evaded him, but he came up with three of the French men of war, opened
fire upon them, and captured them. Up to this time a pretence of
negotiations had been maintained between England and France, but the
capture of the French ships brought the negotiations to a sudden end,
and the war began.

A worse selection than that of Major General Braddock could hardly have
been made. He was a brave officer and a good soldier, but he was rough,
coarse, and obstinate. He utterly despised the colonial troops, and
regarded all methods of fighting, save those pursued by regular armies
in the field, with absolute contempt. To send such