A sweping sage of the French and Indian War.
The 1750s in the New World were a time of great and internatioonal unrest. To the north, the French had colonized much of Canada and renamed it New France. To the south and east, the British had established the colonies of New England. And to the south and west, the British and the French were waging war over the great territories of the Ohio valley.
The British forces, led by General Edward Braddock, had joined with the American colonial militias. The French troops, regularly sent down from Canada, had tenuously persuaded such tribes as the Caughnawanga, Mohawk, and Algonquin, that it would be in their best interest to fight beside the French against the British and American troops.
From 1754 through 1759, the fighting was unrelenting and wide-spread. Fierce battles were waged in Pennsylvania, present-day Ohio, Virginia, New York, and French Canada. Often hopeless, always devastated, both sides were exhausted by the war and each was nearly foreced to surrender.
The famous battles of the war chronicled in 'Savage Wilderness' include Washington's Fort Necessity campaign, Braddock's Fort Duquesne campaign, and the battle of the Valley of Virginia near Winchester, as well as Montcalm's Fort William Henry campaign, the 1758 defense of Fort Carillon, and the Battle of Quebec.
Caught in the throws of war, with both tragic and heroic purpose, are soldiers from around the world. Scotsman Ian McPherson came to America as an indentured servant, and joins the 1st Regiment of the Virginia Militia, commanded by Lt. Col. George Washington. Ensign Anton De Chevalier is a French artillery officer and the bastard son of a French nobleman.
As the French and Indian War continues, all of the soldiers involved win and lose battles on personal and national scales. In the end, however, only one side can prevail.
