George Washington and the Half-King Chief Tanacharison
An Alliance That Began the French and Indian War
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About the Book
George Washington and the Half-King Chief Tanacharison details the events in western Pennsylvania that precipitated the French and Indian War. It describes the interpersonal relationship between 22-year-old, inexperienced, but self-assured George Washington and the 54-year-old wily Iroquois Chief Tanacharison, which led to, as Horace Walpole quipped, Washington firing “a volley in the backwoods of America that set the world on fire.”
The book explores the history of the French and English rivalry for the trans–Allegheny territory and its impact on the Indians in the area. It shows how Washington and Tanacharison each sought to influence the other to gain support for their respective agendas. Washington wanted the Indians to endorse Virginia’s claim to the Ohio territory, while Tanacharison wanted a war between England and France so that the Iroquois could maintain their dominance over the Ohio Indians. The book describes in detail the sequence of events through which the crafty half-king manipulated Washington into starting the war he wanted, and by his actions implicated Washington in nothing less than a cold-blooded murder.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Paul R. Misencik
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 212
Bibliographic Info: 10 photos, 10 maps, notes bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7950-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1540-0
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Preface 1
Prologue. Tuesday, May 28, 1754—Jumonville Glen 7
1. Conflicting Claims 11
2. Céloron 21
3. Opening Moves 33
4. French Forts on the Allegheny 46
5. Washington Warns the French 57
6. The Race to the Forks 80
7. The Spark Is Struck 97
8. Rationalization and Justification 116
9. The Half-King Gets His War 121
10. Battle at Great Meadows 139
Epilogue 151
Chapter Notes 179
Bibliography 189
Index 195
