Bike Touring With George Washington Allegheny Gap Trail and C&O Canal Towpath

By Steve O'Rourke

#947 - posted Sunday September 13, 2020 by Neil Gunton The main historical story that looms over this area for me was The French and Indian War which was also called The Seven Years War. The years of this war were 1754-1764 (ten years?). This was truly a World War and extended from North America to the Caribbean Sea to Europe and as far as India. The British and the French fought long and hard and eventually the French lost, giving up Canada, Caribbean island colonies and other ports around the world. The results of the war put the English in ascendancy world-wide, leading to The Great British Empire of the 1800s, and yet also helped set in motion forces that would lead to the American and French Revolutions.



The war was set off by events that occurred at the location of Pittsburgh! The main figure involved in three significant actions in 1754-1756 was a young George Washington! The involvement of Washington especially captures me since I've read a number of books about both him as well as close associates such as Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Originally I thought of Washington as a sort of wooden visage on the dollar bill. The national capital is named after him. He has a big monument. Is the "Father of Our Country", et cetera. But in the last decade he has become a much more compelling person as I've read more about his youth and his gradual growth from a boring and conventional individual with a high level of ambition into a person of greatness. He was a work in progress. During the French and Indian War he was brave and lucky but, in retrospect, not very impressive. But he persisted in effort for growth and self-improvement. And it eventually showed in the result... - read this journal