During the 1750’s the British and French where expanding west into the Ohio River Valley. A part of the country inhabited by Native American Tribes like Wyandot, Monongahela, Delaware (Lenni-Lenape), Shawnee, and Iroquois t just to name a few.
The Forbes Road was a military roadway constructed in 1758 by the British army, with the purpose of cutting through and around the Appalachian Mountains and wilderness during the French and Indian War. The need for such a road was to allow quick and safe passage for British soldiers and artillery west to the French Fort Duquesne, which is now known as Pittsburgh. The road was named for Brigadier General John Forbes, who commanded the British expedition.
If it were not for General Forbes and his Road, it is likely that the British would have never gained control of Fort Duquesne or any territory further west of present-day Pittsburgh; this likely means that the thirteen colonies would have remained in British control and the United States never would have been formed.
So forts where necessary to defend their goods from enemy raids being either Indian or competing the French army
During the expeditions to expand the work was given to the military, because they had the most resources to handle the danger task as king George 2nd was a greedy powerful monster of the Holy Roman Empire.
For two centuries after George II’s death, history tended to view him with disdain, concentrating on his mistresses, short temper, and boorishness. Since then, reassessment of his legacy has led scholars to conclude that he exercised more influence in foreign policy and military appointments than previously thought.and his son George the 3rd oversaw the 7 year war and revolutionary war lose to the American Army
So the British military took it upon themselves to built a road from east to west to unite the east and west and take fort Duquesne for the eventual goal of controlling the flow of goods into the new world settlemtns and then tax them for being alive, because the English where in need of cash flow in across the ocean.
Yes the British loved their taxes and if you didn’t pay them, well you see why we needed forts. But anyways I digress.
There where lots of forts along Forbes road But near Pittsburgh the important settlement forts where…
Fort Ligonier
Fort Hannastown
Fort Armstrong
Fort Crawford
Fort Duquesne
These forts Starting to pop up because the Ohio river, Allegheny and monongahela rivers near Pittsburgh where home to so many valued natural resources.
@Bill’s History and Wargame World The nice fort Ligonier
Footage from Bill and his channel check them out here for French and revolutionary war games and some other history stuff Bills teaches on his channel!
https://youtube.com/channel/UCnpXc0O2Tna0Qxoo3fab04w
Exploring The American Frontier Merchandise
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Very interesting. Do you ever do anything on the Western N Carolina, E Tennessee frontier? That's where we are out of.
Your new studio is cool ! I love this video ! thanks from Morgantown WV ! ! !
NOT THE START OF THE REVOLUTION
Fort Necessity was built along Braddock’s Road, not Forbes Road in Fayette County. Braddock’s expedition was the first to try and retake Fort Pitt(Duquesne). They came through Cumberland, Md, A small snip of Somerset County, Fayette, and Southern Westmorland county. They were defeated a few miles short of the fort by a large force of Native American warriors consisting of several tribes from as far away as New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Southern Canada. They were supported by a few hundred French forces. Forbes Road came several years later and was much further north in present day Westmorland County. Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity started the French and Indian War, not the Revolutionary war, in 1754. The war lasted until 1763 in North America. Forbes Road was built, along with Fort Bedford and Fort Ligonier in 1763 on Col. Henry Bouquet’s expedition in reaction to Pontiac’s War, or Pontiac’s Rebellion, in 1763 after the end of the French and Indian War. Pontiac led a confederation of several tribes from the western Great Lakes region who had been allied with the French and wanted to push the English back across the Alleghenies. They actually captured 9 forts before their defeat at Bushy Run Battlefield in Westmorland County. This lifted the siege of Fort Pitt during the rebellion. Also, no forts in the Western Pennsylvania area were headquarters of any kind during the Blackhawk War. The Blackhawk war took place in the Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, SW Michigan, and NW Indiana areas. By this point settlement in the areas of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan was strongly established. The war was fought mostly by militia from those areas and military operations were launched from forts in the Illinois territory. The Fort Armstrong in the Blackhawk War was on an island in the Mississippi on Rock Island. The war was fought with native tribes that had been pushed across said river to the Iowa area.
Braddock was aShot in the battle near Fort Pitt. He died just short of the location of Fort Necessity on the retreat. The fort was not there by that point, being burnt by the French following Washington’s defeat.
The British were running out of people to tax? The seven years war cost the British tax payer millions and secured the American colonies from French invasion forever and they didn't want to pay their share for it? There are no free lunches in international politics anyway a French diplomat who understood the Americans observed Britain would be sorry they pushed the French out of Canada. Nevertheless it was a good war for Britain to lose or what is now the United states would probably been split between France Spain and Russia and I don't think that would be a good thing.
Why no mention of Fort Bedford???
O man I'm loving your channel. Wish you could come to salmon where in from in Idaho. It's where I Lewis and Clark found Sacagawea and there's a lot of history there it's really fun but I wish I lived on the East Coast because I love the civil war and revolutionary war history and I don't ever get to be part of any of that the only history I got to be part of are the Indian wars which is super spread out and whatever else has happened around here in the last 200 years which is also spread out and basically gone
Very cool. Smart thinking with the sticker on the porch. Shared it.
Was that star fort already there in the overview at the 14:00mark?