Term Paper on "Seven Years War"

Term Paper 15 pages (7157 words) Sources: 3 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

war broke out in 1756 between France and Great Britain. Along with that, difference between American and Canadian colonists had erupted two years before that began, which cased the war to lead to the fall of New France. From there, the conflict forced Great Britain against France. This was supported by Austria, Sweden, Saxony, Russia and Spain. In America and Asia, British colonies approached French colonies. New France and New England fought over possession of the continent and dictatorship of the fur trade. Even though the conflicts were separate, the two colonies were directly connected to the victories or defeats of the Motherland (the seven-year war).

Summary of Conflict

Even though the war began in 1756 in Europe, conflict started two years earlier in 1754, in North America when George Washington was ambush trapped in the Ohio Valley. From that, both Motherlands dispatched troops were not in equal numbers (the seven-year war).

"For France, the war in Europe was the top priority, so the country sent just a few troops. It also considered it was more important to protect its colonies in the West Indies, since sugar cane was more lucrative than the fur trade in New France. But Great Britain was determined to destroy France's colonial empire, and it sent more than 20,000 soldiers to America. It must also be noted that American colonists were unable to defend themselves against their Canadian counterparts, who excelled in the art of the guerilla warfare. For New England, it was imperative to obliterate New France and its Native allies, which were preventing the States from acquiring and occupying new land (New England had a very large population and sought new land to occupy and farm.) Although New France did well in the war until 1757, the tide proceeded to turn - in favour of the British troops, who won several victories right up until the battle on the Plains of Abraham in 1759, when James Wolfe defeated the army of Montcalm" (the seven-year war).

Within the next year, Vaudreuil was forced to surrender in Montreal, which meant things were far from over. Due to the fact that the final result depended on whether or not France was victorious, in the end, France was defeated on all fronts. In an attempt to redeem the colonies which brought in the most money, France conceded New France in a Treaty signed in 1763 in exchange for keeping the West Indies, which angered the Native allies, who were the Canadians' allies. Due to this, some of them regrouped under the leadership of Pontiac and attempted to continue the war (the seven-year war).

"On learning of these movements the French ordered 6 battalions under Baron Armand Dieskau to be sent to reinforce LOUISBOURG and Canada. Vice-Admiral Edward Boscawen was then ordered to sail with his squadron to intercept and capture the French convoy, although war had not been declared. He captured only 2 ships. The British had even less success on land. The army advancing on Lake Champlain was stopped by the French near Lake George but Dieskau was wounded and taken prisoner. The proposed assault on Niagara collapsed through military ineptitude, and Braddock's 1500-man army was destroyed by a small detachment of French and Indians. Only in ACADIA did the British enjoy success. Fort Beausejour with its small garrison was captured. The Acadian settlers were subsequently rounded up by the New England forces and deported" (the Canadian Encyclopedia).

Within April 1756, there were more French troops and a new commander, which included the marquis de MONTCALM, arrived in Canada, and the next month Britain declared war. The strategy of marquis de MONTCALM was to keep the British on the defensive and as far from Canadian settlements as possible. From there, he captured the British forts at Oswego on Lake Ontario and gained control of the Great Lakes. On the other hand, Canadian and Indian war parties ravaged the American frontier settlements which the Americans could not cope with these attacks. However, Britain was forced to send over twenty-three thousand troops to commit most of its navy to blockading the French ports. The French aim was to tie down these large British forces with a small army. From there, the Canadians and Indian allies spared more valuable colonies from attack (the Canadian Encyclopedia).

"In 1759, 2 British armies advanced on Canada while a third captured Niagara. The Royal Navy brought Major-General James WOLFE with 9000 men to Quebec and General Jeffery AMHERST advanced up Lake Champlain only to halt at Crown Point. After maneuvering fruitlessly all summer Wolfe induced Montcalm to give battle on September 13 outside Quebec, and inflicted a shattering defeat in the Battle of the PLAINS of ABRAHAM. The city surrendered a few days later. The chevalier de LEVIS took over command of the French army and the following April soundly defeated the British on the same battlefield (see Battle of STE-FOY). On May 16 he had to raise the siege of the city when British frigates arrived to dash all hope of French reinforcements. Retiring to Montreal, the French army was forced to capitulate to Amherst on 8 September 1760 (see CONQUEST), freeing the British forces for service elsewhere. In 1762 Martinique was taken and only the intervention of Spain that year saved the other French islands in the West Indies" (the Canadian Encyclopedia).

In Quebec, the garrison had their attention by the Levis batteries. From there, the bulk of the French army still had to remain in these entrenchments. This was due to the fact they covered the only open ground near Quebec and the movements of the fleet in the basin looked as if designed for a renewed attack on them. On the 12th,Saunders distinctly threatened a possible landing by laying in-shore buoys and firing as if to draw the enemy. He also did this by sending all his boats, manned and armed to manoeuvre for the supposed spot at midnight (the Battle of the Plains of Abraham).

Reasons for the seven years war

Britain did actually try to stop the war from happening and to isolate France diplomatically.

"King George II of Britain was Elector of Hanover in northwestern Germany. If France occupied Hanover, Britain would be forced to exchange any colonial conquests to regain it. Further, Britain's safety from invasion relied on friendly or neutral occupation of the North Sea ports. Britain had a defensive alliance with the Netherlands and Austria for the protection of the Austrian Netherlands, now Belgium. Because Britain had planned to commit its troops to colonial conquest, they refused to help defend the Barrier Forts protecting the area, which weakened their ties to their two former allies. Britain's interception of the Canada convoy, and not French expansion in North America was interpreted as aggression by the European powers. Since the alliance with Holland and Austria was doomed, Britain approached Russia for assistance against potential attacks on Hanover from the French or France's ally from the last war, Prussia. Austria interfered with these efforts by exploiting Czarina Elizabeth's hatred of the Prussian king Frederick. Frederick was in desperate need of an ally and successfully made an alliance with Britain for the protection of Hanover" (Part of John's Military History Page).

The illustrations and maps that support the text are also quite good. The only troubling aspect of this volume is the author's not-too subtle bias against the participation of American colonials in the war. Although Marston was born in the United States, his attitudes reflect the contempt that arrogant British officials held toward the colonies in circa 1770. This bias is demonstrated in consistently inaccurate descriptions of battles in which colonials were engaged. In the Battle of Ticonderoga in 1758, the author states that, "the provincials attacked in the first wave and were easily repulsed. Abercromby then committed his regular troops." This description is false, because the provincial units pushed in the French pickets but were not "easily repulsed." Nor did Abercromby commit his regulars, because they attacked without orders and he lost control of the battle. The author's contention about the Black Watch's attack, that "after an hour of hard hand-to-hand fighting, the attack was called off," is also misleading. Only a few Highlanders made it to the French entrenchments and the attack failed because the unit was virtually destroyed. A similar example occurs during the Forbes expedition, when the author states that "on 14 September the British suffered a setback when the French garrison attacked their position, causing their provincial units to disperse (Marston).

Recent decades have seen a number of excellent scholarly studies of the war, most of which have focused on the "French and Indian War" campaigns in North America. Comprehensive studies of the entire conflict are relatively few, however, and most date from the early twentieth century. In the French Navy and the Seven Years' War, the historian Jonathan R. Dull goes for the big picture, picking a high vantage point and giving his readers a remarkably detailed look… READ MORE

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