Setting the stage

I mentioned last time that I had been unable to find information on Col. Thomas Prather Jr.'s service during the French and Indian War. I dug around a little more and found a the Prather Genealogy website, which has a listing for Thomas. It states that Thomas served as a 2nd Lt. in Capt. A. Beals Co. from 1757-58 and as a 1st Lt. in Capt. Ware's company in 1759. The listing also mentions that Thomas commanded the militia of Frederick County, Md. during the French and Indian War, though it lists no dates. 

No citations are given as the source of this information, and a limited search of the Maryland State Archives online turned no extra information. I may not have looked in the proper place, though. 

An interesting note in his listing states that he received several letters from George Washington that are archived in the Library of Congress genealogy department. I note that some material is available online, and I'll try to see if I can find anything.

One other note: I mentioned that Capt. Washington offered his only surrender at the outset of the conflict between France and Britain over the territory in the Ohio River Valley. I should point out that some histories available online start with Washington coming on some French troops before establishing his small fort and defeated them. Some of these conveniently omit his subsequent defeat. To me, this serves as a warning to us about how we handle history. 

Though I have no way of knowing for sure, this anomaly in the accounts of the beginning of the war could well have to do with a desire to keep an icon of American history in a positive light. Much is made in discussions of history about facts being facts. What is not always mentioned is that facts can be used selectively to paint differing portraits of historical events. This is an important concept to keep in mind when arguing about what children should be taught in public education, especially when politicians, not historians, write the rules for what should be taught and which textbooks best teach the narrative of our states and nation. 

Though the hostilities between the two nations began in 1754, many histories place the French and Indian War within the conflict known as the Seven Years War, which ran from 1756-1763. These dates mark the start and end of the conflict in Europe when the English formally declared war on the French and other nations who sided with the French.

As mentioned last time, the conflict was over control of the Ohio River Valley, and a map of the disputed area shows the territory involved was primarily west of the Allegheny mountains and stretched from the New York-Canada border to the Carolinas. The French were well settled and had treaties with several of the native American tribes. The British sought to expand their territory, and even though treaties recognized French sovereignty, that didn't stop the English from slipping across the mountains and establishing settlements. 

It's important to note that while the name given the war, which makes it sound like only the French had allies among the tribes, the Brits had support from tribes as well. 

The whole thing came to an end in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris. France yielded to Britain its claim for all North American territory east of the Mississippi, which is how Britain took over Canada, along with islands in the Caribbean and some territory in India. Britain returned control to France of several other Caribbean Islands and some other territory off Canada. Spain, which had sided with the French, received control of Cuba, Manila and Florida. 

The war had been costly, as wars usually are. As a result, the British parliament began passing a number of tax measures to recoup some of their costs from the Americans. In addition, the king took the occasion to quarter troops in the colonies as a "protective measure." All these actions would backfire over next decade, as no one really likes taxes, especially if they believe they had no say in the matter. 

As discontent rose, protests began. The king wasn't having any of that and forcibly suppressed the protests. This, of course, stirred new resentments and new conflicts until leaders in the colonies decided they'd had enough. The course was set for revolution, and the Americans took it.