Out of Necessity: George Washington's Surrender of Fort Necessity to the French

By Raymond C. Wilson

History celebrates George Washington as the leader of the American Revolution and the father of his country. But what is rarely mentioned is Washington's life as a twenty-two-year-old colonel that led four hundred Virginia militiamen against a bigger, more experienced French army and paid a high price. Not only did Washington lose over a third of his men, but the Battle of Fort Necessity was also the spark that ignited the French and Indian War. As a result of this incident, Washington was denied an appropriate commission in the British regular army during the French and Indian War that followed. Washington's humiliation from his defeat at Fort Necessity in 1754 would not be vindicated until his decisive victory at Yorktown in the American Revolutionary War in 1783. This book was written by the 7th great grandson of Robert Bell, Sr. who served with Colonel George Washington during the Battle of Fort Necessity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raymond C. Wilson
• Release date: Jul 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9780463253380

Raymond C. Wilson

Raymond C. Wilson is a military historian, filmmaker, and amateur genealogist. During his military career as an enlisted soldier, warrant officer, and commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years, Wilson served in a number of interesting assignments both stateside and overseas. He had the honor of serving as Administrative Assistant to Brigadier General George S. Patton (son of famed WWII general) at the Armor School; Administrative Assistant to General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley at the Pentagon; and Military Assistant to the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. In 1984, Wilson was nominated by the U.S. Army Adjutant General Branch to serve as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C. While on active duty, Wilson authored numerous Army regulations as well as articles for professional journals including 1775 (Adjutant General Corps Regimental Association magazine), Program Manager (Journal of the Defense Systems Management College), and Army Trainer magazine. He also wrote, directed, and produced three training films for Army-wide distribution. He is an associate member of the Military Writers Society of America. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1992, Wilson made a career change to the education field. He served as Vice President of Admissions and Development at Florida Air Academy; Vice President of Admissions and Community Relations at Oak Ridge Military Academy; Adjunct Professor of Corresponding Studies at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; and Senior Academic Advisor at Eastern Florida State College. While working at Florida Air Academy, Wilson wrote articles for several popular publications including the Vincent Curtis Educational Register and the South Florida Parenting Magazine. At Oak Ridge Military Academy, Wilson co-wrote and co-directed two teen reality shows that appeared on national television (Nickelodeon & ABC Family Channel). As an Adjunct Professor at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Wilson taught effective communications and military history for eighteen years. At Eastern Florida State College, Wilson wrote, directed, and produced a documentary entitled "Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence" for the Chi Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Since retiring from Eastern Florida State College, Wilson has devoted countless hours working on book manuscripts.

Book preview

OUT OF NECESSITY

Written by

RAYMOND C. WILSON

Author of:

Commander in Chief

Martyr of the Race Course

The Men Who Saved West Point

Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence

European Royal Bloodlines of the American Presidents

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume One)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Two)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Three)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Four)

Out of Necessity

Published by Raymond C. Wilson at Smashwords

Copyright 2021 Raymond C. Wilson

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Table of Contents

Out of Necessity

Introduction

George Washington

Robert Bell, Sr.

Skirmish at Jumonville Glen

Battle of Fort Necessity

Major General Braddock’s Defeat

Afterword

Bibliography

About Raymond C. Wilson

Introduction

While researching the Bell branch of my family’s tree, I came across an interesting tidbit of information posted on one of the popular genealogical websites that briefly mentioned my seventh great-grandfather (Robert Bell, Sr.) serving in the Virginia militia in the 1750s. Further research uncovered the fact that the commander of the Virginia militia at that time was a 22-year-old lieutenant colonel by the name of George Washington. Being a military retiree and amateur historian, this snippet of information about Robert Bell, Sr. sparked my curiosity and I set out to learn more about my little-known relative.

My research soon revealed that Robert Bell, Sr. and George Washington were related to each other through marriage. Robert Bell, Sr.’s wife (Agnes Fleming) and George Washington were cousins. Their relationship is outlined in the family tree chart below:

It is unclear whether or not Robert Bell, Sr. and George Washington knew that they were related to each other through marriage. However, it is clear that these two colonial gentlemen were ‘brothers in arms’ at the Battle of Fort Necessity in the summer of 1754.

The Battle of Fort Necessity was a ‘tit-for-tat’ response from the French to retaliate for the British victory at Jumonville Glen and was the prelude to the war fought by England and France for control of the North American continent. The struggle was known in North America as the French and Indian War and spread around the world as the Seven Years' War. It finally ended in 1763 with the removal of French power from North America and India. The Battle of Fort Necessity was also the first major event in the military career of George Washington. It was the first and only time Washington ever surrendered to an enemy.

History celebrates George Washington as the leader of the American Revolution and the father of his country. But what is rarely mentioned is Washington's life as a twenty-two-year-old colonel that led four hundred Virginia militiamen against a bigger, more experienced French army and paid a high price. Not only did Washington lose over a third of his men, but the Battle of Fort Necessity was also the spark that ignited the French and Indian War. As a result of this incident, Washington was denied an appropriate commission in the British regular army during the French and Indian War that followed. Washington’s humiliation from his defeat at Fort Necessity in 1754 would not be vindicated until his decisive victory at Yorktown in the American Revolutionary War in 1783.

Washington’s victory at Yorktown in 1783

After serving as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, George Washington was unanimously elected president of the United States in 1789. With 69 electoral votes, Washington won the support of each participating elector. No other president since has come into office with a universal mandate to lead.

George Washington

George Washington (son of Augustine Washington and Mary Ball) was born on 22 February 1732 in the colony of Virginia. George grew