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FRENCH & INDIAN WAR Struggle for North America 1755 - 1760  Edward and Abel Peavey served under William Pepperrell at Point Royal Ninth Company - Capt Zubelon Butler in the Fourth Regiment of Connecticut Troops Commanded by Eleazel Fitch Esq. 1759 Connecticut State Library, Adamsapers Pg. 169 ..John Pevey Any discussion of the French & Indian War has to include two parts of the war: The first part, known as King George's War, began for Massachusetts when Gov. Shirley asked for volunteers on 5 February 1744 to fight under the command of William Pepperrell. It is believed that John Knox, who came to the colonies in 1718 with his brothers William (my grandfather) and Adam, and William's wife, from Belfast--the time that is considered the beginning of the Scot-Irish imigration. John never returned. It is thought that he died in the battle of Louisbourg which began in April 1745. By the middle of June 1745 it was under the control of the English with 167 New England men lost. The Battle of Louisbourg is important, because when it came time to settle the first part of the French & Indian War in 1748, the English gave back Louisbourg to the French. During that first portion of the war, in 1746, Rev. McClenathan of Blandford obtain a commission as both a captain and a chaplain to serve in the war. He recruited his company from the young men of Blandford and surrounding towns, one of whom was my second grandfather in this country, who eventually became known as Capt William Knox. Rev. McClenethan promised the parents of recruits he would personally take care of their sons. However, when the Rev. reached Boston with his company, he was told he could not hold both positions, so he maintained his chaplain status and sold his company to another officer. Four of the boys were killed. When Rev. McClenethan tried to return to Blandford, they would not receive him. The peace didn't last long, and heated up again when George Washington, then 21, answered the call of the Virginia governor to get the French out of the Ohio River Valley, in 1754 at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela (Duquesne Pittsburgh area) began building Fort Duquense. Washington and his men built Fort Necessity, about sixty miles south of Fort Duquense. The French came after them and after a day-long bloody battle on 4 July 1754, Washington surrendered and was sentenced to hang. If they had gone through with it, our celebration of the 4th of July might never have come to be! The French and Indian War and it's aftermath was directly responsible for the American Revolution, and too often barely glanced at. It's great to begin a discussion on it, especially how it involves New England men. There is one important thing to note in trying to determine who served in the War there weren't official list of soldiers. The official lists were of the commander of the company only. This is where our town histories play such an important part, as they do have individual names of their soldiers------not always complete, but without them, eyewitness testimony would never exist for those of us who know the price paid to be the United States of America. My book, _Gramma Knox's Legacy Book I..an historical narrative fiction based on fact, covers this period, and goes into the issues much more than I can here. It can be found at: http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~peggyjknox By, Peggy J. Knox --------- descendant of William Knox of Blandford, MA 6 Oct 2005
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