The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America

Written by Walter R. Borneman

Narrated by Jonathan Yen

In the summer of 1754, deep in the wilderness of western Pennsylvania, a very young George Washington suffered his first military defeat, and a centuries-old feud between Great Britain and France was rekindled. The war that followed would be fought across virgin territories, from Nova Scotia to the forks of the Ohio River, and it would ultimately decide the fate of the entire North American continent—not just for Great Britain and France but also for the Spanish and Native American populations.



Noted historian Walter R. Borneman brings to life an epic struggle for a continent—what Samuel Eliot Morison called "truly the first world war"—and emphasizes how the seeds of discord sown in its aftermath would take root and blossom into the American Revolution.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Aug 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798765097007

Walter R. Borneman

Walter R. Borneman is the author of Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land, 1812: The War That Forged a Nation, and several books on the history of the western United States. He lives in Colorado.

Reviews for The French and Indian War

[dsha67 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I finished, Walter Borneman’s, The French and Indian War: Deciding The Fate of North America. A solid history of the French and Indian War, with the final short chapter is dedicated to a quick synopsis of the causes of the American Revolution. A solid 3.5 to 4 stars but certainly not Fred Anderson’s Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of Empire in British North America 1754-1766, which to me is the pre-eminent book on the topic.

Borneman touches on Pitts world view of the war against France, Spain, and the various Indian tribes and confederacies. He spends significant time on the war in the west, Canada, specifically Montreal and Quebec and the Caribbean.

If your looking for a shorter history on the French and Indian War, might I suggest this.

[richard7920 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While not a definitive account of the French and Indian War, Walter Borneman has penned a brief but excellent history of the conflict. After a concise survey of the five colonial wars that preceded the French and Indian War, the author summarizes the differences which defined the French and British efforts to colonize the New World. France opted for a small military force, consisting mostly of regulars, who built and maintained stockades and forts that lined the frontiers of New France. The primary purpose of these small bastions was to protect both the fur trading industry and the precarious supply lines that followed a vast network of rivers and lakes provided up a waterborne supply route that formed the life-line of New France. Because the French discouraged immigration into its colonies while the British were at worst indifferent to the colonization efforts of its citizens, by the time of the census of 1754, the British colonies had a population of over one million people whilst New France (including New Orleans) had barely 80,000. A practical effect of this disparity, was that French citizens of the New World enjoyed very little in the way of non-fur production and were almost wholly dependent upon overseas supply form France, to maintain their colonies. Dependent as the soldiers and trappers of New France were upon the sea for their survival, it was just a matter of time before the the "valiant men and hardy tars" of Royal Navy shut them down. The situation caused by a dearth of supply was an important factor leading to British victory. Borneman also reveals that William Pitt the Elder, was the brilliant architect of the British victories in both the French and Indian War and its European counterpart, the Seven Years' War. The story unfolds easily with the use of a few good maps, which is always my litmus test as to whether a military history has much value. "The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America," is a well-written, thoughtful work and highly recommended.

[la2bkk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the better accounts of the French & Indian War.

The author provides a nice general background of the state of affairs in England, France, and the colonies preceding the war, and then describes the events of the actual conflict in easy reading fashion without becoming mired in unnecessary detail. Included are helpful discussions of Native American influences and discussion of the global nature of the war, a point often overlooked in American based histories.

I particularly enjoyed the final chapters which discuss matters left unresolved following the Treaty of Paris, and issues involved in the prelude to the American Revolution.

Recommended reading.

[hellbent_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is well organized and well written, augmented with maps and reads like a novel. The author finishes with some personal "what-ifs" which are often the questions one has about historical events.

[torrey23 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book gives a detailed account of the French and Indian War. This conflict was not confined to North America, but was, as the book states, the first global war. Borneman shows how conflict raged throughout the world, and how this conflict was one of the great steps towards the compilation of the British Empire. This book is a must read for anyone who is curious about the origins of America or the expansion of the British Empire.