By 1754, the stage was set for what would formally erupt into the French and Indian War, “the war that made America.” The major conflict between France and England centered around control of the Ohio Valley in North America. Upon learning that the French had been building forts and establishing settlements along the Ohio Valley, a key fur trading route, Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddle ordered Major George Washington of the Virginia militia to deliver a letter required the French to leave. During Washington’s journey, a couple entanglements escalated matters toward a formal declaration of war. The June, July and September 1754 issues of Gentleman’s Magazine contains reports on these early battles in the Ohio Valley.
