"George Washington, Confessed Assassin" Topic

"On July 3, 1754, a young British colonial officer named George Washington surrendered Fort Necessity to the French in Pennsylvania. While the loss of a relatively small fort was not an uncommon occurrence in warfare of the time, it was certainly not a feather in then-Lt. Col. Washington's tri-cornered hat. However, this seemingly minor battle on the far-off frontier would have major consequences. Before the affair was through, Washington would prove himself to be a capable scout and an intelligence-gathering diplomat. He would also be captured by the French and sign a document in which he "confessed" to assassination, written in a language he did not speak. This document is available in both the original French and translated into English thanks to the U.S. National Archives. Washington thereby helped spark what some call the first true world war. The future commander-in-chief of the American Continental Army and first president of the United States would learn a harsh lesson during his first field command: Those in command of soldiers who commit atrocities can bear the responsibility for their actions.

In 1753, the British anxiously took note of rising French activity in the Ohio Country. The lieutenant governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, saw French actions as a violation of treaties that had placed the valuable territory as part of the Virginia and Pennsylvania colonies. Lacking crucial information on the strength of the French, Dinwiddie tapped George Washington for a special mission. The 21-year-old major was to deliver what amounted to a cease-and-desist order, demanding that the French abandon their newly constructed forts in the Ohio Country. As we see from records held at the Library of Congress, he was ordered to observe the disposition of French forces and take note of the number and design of the forts.

Washington returned from the expedition with grim news and a wealth of information. Going above and beyond the instructions given him by Dinwiddie to obtain basic information, he had interrogated French deserters, carefully observed the forts, and meticulously noted French military capabilities. However, possibly the most important intelligence gathered was at a diplomatic meal with the French commander at Fort Le Boeuf. Wine flowed freely at the event, and while Washington wisely abstained, the French indulged, giving what he described in his journal as "License to their Tongues." He shrewdly pressed his tipsy hosts for crucial information. In his report to Lt. Gov. Dinwiddie — available to us thanks to the University of Nebraska — Washington wrote, "from the best Intelligence I could get there [are] 6 or 700, who were left to garrison four Forts, 150 or there abouts in each." Perhaps most provocative was the French claim that "it was their absolute Design to take Possession of the Ohio, and by G— they would do it." Armed with Washington's report, Dinwiddie notified the Board of Trade in London of what he believed to be impending French encroachment…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Unfortunately one must sign in to something to see the rest of the review, oh well, off to better threads.

It is all there, did you scroll all the way down.

Fundamentally, "assassiner" in French simply means 'murder.'

Murder or assassination, the two countries were not at war at the time. Should have hung him.

Hanged. Tapestries are hung. People are hanged.

The two countries were not at war at the time

Tell that to the Iroquois!

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Murder or assassination, the two countries were not at war at the time. Should have hung him.

A state of unofficial war had been going on between the French and English colonists and their surrogates since the WAS ended. It continued on for a couple of years after Jumonville before the monarchs at home got around to making it official. However I am guessing that once "official" forces started coming into contact with each other the sides realized that it wasn't to their advantage to push legal niceties.