King George War, Term Paper Example

The 18^th century in Europe was characterized by feuding and conflicts over allegiances, territories, and other factors affecting the rush to expand the territory belonging to any one nation.  The result was a series of wars both in Europe and in the rest of the world, including North America, and especially involving conflicts between Great Britain and France.  This essay will discuss King George’s War, and its impact on both Europe and North America.

The War of Jenkins’ Ear was actually the predecessor to King George’s War, which lasted from 1744 through 1748, and was known in Europe under the name the War of the Austrian Succession. The War of Jenkins’ Ear began when a Spanish commander cut off the ear of a British captain, Robert Jenkins, telling him to bring it to the British king, George II. War broke out in 1739 between Spain and Britain, but the fighting only occurred in the Caribbean Sea as well as the British Province of Georgia.

The war widened in Europe with the outbreak of the War of the Austrian Succession in 1744, in which France and Spain were allied against Britain.There were a multitude of conflicts between the European nations at that time which ultimately affected the new Colonies in the United States as well.  When the emperor of Austria, Charles VI, died in 1740, he did not have a male heir to succeed him on the throne.  Instead, the oldest of his daughters, Maria Theresa, replaced him as the nation’s royal ruler.  What followed was a series of conflicts and wars, precipitated by others who wished to claim the Austrian throne, and these conflicts involved almost all of the European nations.

There was so much activity aimed towards aggression and the pursuit of power that what followed was a series of wars primarily aimed at securing more territory under one’s flag. The conflicts involved almost all of the European nations, resulting in a coalition formed in Germany against Empress Teresa by Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, etc., as well as with Spain and Sardinia.  Eventually, in January, 1945, an agreement was signed between Maria Theresa, who was already at war with the French, and the Kings of England, Poland, Saxony, and Holland.    Regardless of that treaty, France, Prussia and Spain were constantly fighting against the British on many fronts.

France and England were common enemies, and during this conflict, they took opposite positions as well, ultimately declaring war in 1744.  In this early part of the conflict, very little of the tensions played out in the United States.  During these times, there continued to be massacres with the Indians, but the major event that characterized the entrance of the colonies into King Georges’ War was the capture of Louisburg (Caldwell, 1941) in Nova Scotia.  The French had built a fortress there in 1720 and the New England colonies decided to stage an expedition against that fortress on the Atlantic.

In the meantime, the British had developed forts in Nova Scotia at Annapolis and Canso.  At that time, they were vulnerable to the French and in addition, they were challenged by the Micmac Indians.  When the French attacked the British at Canso, which was relatively close to Louisburg, they had a huge contingency of soldiers while the British had a much smaller army.  They quickly fell and surrendered to the French. The conflict soon developed into a war at sea, with both French and English soldiers invading each other’s ships until the French were finally forced to flee back to Louisburg.

When the battles at sea had subsided and the conflict centered on the Atlantic seacoast again, the French continued to goad the Micmac Indians to attack the British forces, but the Micmacs were unsuccessful.  As a result, the British sent additional forces, continued to battle the French but ultimately did not succeed in taking Louisburg over so that they retreated in October of that year.

In 1745, an army of 4000 soldiers, led by a wealthy merchant from Maine named William Pepperrell, were charged with taking over Louisburg, widely considered the most secure location in North America.  The British navy assisted the colonists by providing warships as well as taking on the job of becoming obstacles to French reinforcements seeking to reach the fort.

In New England, colonists became aware that Louisburg would remain a threat to them as long as it was controlled by the French.  The French were aggressively moving to expand their territory, and attempted to capture Annapolis Royal, but were unsuccessful.  During the winter of 1744 through 1745, the Louisburg dilemma became a question by the colonists of whether or not to invade and then capture the fort.

Ultimately, in February 1745, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a motion that would allow them to attack Louisburg along with forces from the other Colonies. There had been much debate about whether or not to invade Louisburg because the colonists believed that the fortress was strongly guarded and would be unable to be penetrated.  The matter was settled when some of the American colonists who had visited the fort reported back that the French could be defeated.  According to these visitors, the walls that were built to protect it were poorly constructed, and the morale of those guarding the fort was low, making Louisburg vulnerable to attack.

The Colonies were motivated by strong hatred of the French, particularly in New England and New York.  Their presence at Louisburg was a threat; another source of dislike emanated from New England religious Protestants, who were prejudiced towards the French Roman Catholicism.

In May, 1745, the French were on guard, expecting an attack from the British, and did not know whether they would be able to prevail.  There was very little time to prepare for a battle when on May 11, the British Fleet landed, sending their troops to shore in smaller boats.  The New England militia was also attacking, and the French forces rushed to prevent them from advancing, but they were immediately pushed back and had to return to Louisburg.

Afterwards, the colonists, along with the British, advanced on the fort in a somewhat haphazard manner, and were more violently resisted by the French, causing a quick retreat.  The fighting stopped on that first day, but the following days allowed both sides to prepare for a major battle that was inevitable.  The British surrounded the fortress and moved canon into positions that left Louisburg isolated and unable to move in any direction.  They continuously attacked the fortress and although there were very few casualties among the New Englanders, many of them became ill from dysentery.

France tried to send its troops relief supplies but the ship which held the items was not able to enter the harbor at Lewisburg and returned to France without leaving any supplies for the fighters.  Afterwards, when another relief ship was sent to the colonies, it was also prevented from landing and unloading.  The fighting continued into June with constant fighting, resulting in the French becoming desperately in need of ammunition, as well as being exhausted from all the warfare and trying to fix the damage to the fort.

In late June, the British, led by Pepperrell, launched a huge assault, leading to the French realizing that their situation was hopeless, there was no relief ahead, and they had to negotiate a surrender.  Part of the agreement between the parties involved was that the French were able to leave Louisburg in an honorable manner, and their citizens were able to return to France.  In the home country, the French were unable to believe they had been defeated by the colonists, who they viewed as proxy of the British.  In Boston and London, however, the opposite reaction occurred; the joyous celebration was widespread.  The fact that the colonists had been so successful might have alerted the British to their determination to be free, but clearly this was not a lesson learned given what transpired in 1776 when the American Revolution began.

Two months after it had begun, the assault ended.  The French had been caught off guard because they completely underestimated the determination and the ability of the colonists to attack them with or without British involvement.  King George II made Pepperell a baronet, which was certainly a tremendous honor since he was the first American colonist to receive such a title.

Meanwhile, the quest to expand both France and England’s empire continued.  On the western frontier, the French were more successful because they held a position at Crown Point on Lake Champlain which they used as a base for Native Americans to strike English settlements.  On November 28, 1745, the village of Saratoga, New York, was invaded by the French along with their Native American allies, destroying the village, and either killing or capturing many of its residents.  Following that, north of Albany, New York, all of the settlements that the British had established were abandoned.

The following year, a combination of colonial forces along with the Iroquois fighters worked together in Northern New York to retaliate against Canada.  The attack was canceled, however, when the British troops failed to show up.  Instead, the colonial troops spent the winter in Albany and the next year, were also unsuccessful in pursuing this expedition.  In 1748, Schenectady, New York was attacked by Indian allies of the French.  In response, Sir William Johnson, a British lord, recruited the Native Americans to fight back against the French.

Meanwhile, the French continued to plan a significant battle that was meant to take back Louisburg, before moving to the south to attack Boston.  This attack was thwarted by bad weather when a major storm formed, forcing the French ships to flee to safety and abandon their plans to reclaim Louisburg.

In 1748, the British and the French finally decided to end the hostilities by signing the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.  The British agreed to return Louisburg to the French in return for taking control of Madras in India.  This treaty voided the great victory that the colonists had achieved in taking over Louisburg.  The Americans were so furious that the British attempted to pacify them by reimbursing the American governments for monies they had spent earlier when Pepperrell had waged his campaign.

Despite the signing of that treaty, however, King George’s War in no way eliminated the great competition and hostility in North America between the French and the British.  That would not be accomplished for another 15 years.

References

Bancroft, Hubert H. “King George’s War.” Public Book Shelf. 1900. (accessed June 24, 2010). http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/The_Great_Republic_By_the_Master_Historians_Vol_I/kinggeorg_ec.html

Caldwell, Norman W. “The Southern Frontier during King George’s War.” Journal of Southern History, 1941: 37-54.

Elson, Henry William. History of the United States of America. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1904 .

United States History. Wars and Battles, 1744-1748. (accessed June 24, 2010). http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h847.html