George Washington's forays into the Ohio country shaped his career and sparked a global war.

In 1753, Lieutenant Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia ordered a young, ambitious 21-year old George Washington on a mission deep into the Ohio Country to confront the French. Washington’s account of his journey to Fort Le Beouf and back made Major Washington a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1754 Washington’s surprise attack upon a small French force at Jumonville Glen. His subsequent surrender to French forces at the Battle of Fort Necessity helped to spark the French and Indian War, which was part of the imperial conflict between Great Britain and France known as the Seven Years’ War. The following year, Washington accompanied Major General Edward Braddock on his ill-fated march on Fort Duquesne.

During the French and Indian War, Washington learned many important military lessons that he would incorporate into the American Revolution.