Musket & Tomahawk: A Military History of the French & Indian War, 1753-1760 (Regiments & Campaigns)

Product Information

British and American troops, ordnance, ammunition, and supply wagons moving on Forbes Road, built across Pennsylvania during the summer and fall of 1758. (Painting by Nat Youngblood. Fort Pitt Museum, Pittsburg. Author’s photo.) Pennsylvania was much better in that respect and Forbes, who rightly considered that the operation depended crucially on good logistic support, decided to stay in that province. There was another possibility: the Old Trading Path used by Indians and fur traders that went right across western Pennsylvania. It started at Harris Ferry on the Susquehanna River and progressed west through the Alleghany Mountains to the headwaters of the Ohio River where Fort Duquesne stood. It would have the advantage of good logistical support thanks to ample means of transportation that were available in Pennsylvania. A stretch of the trail called Burd’s Road, going west up to Raystown (later Fort Bedford), 36

European war 15–16 Forbes’ campaign (1758) Aubry’s raid 60–68, 62–63, 66–67 Forbes’ army 4, 18, 25–34 Grant’s raid 4, 49–59, 50–51, 52, 53, 54–55, 59, 70, 73 Lt. Corbière’s patrol 68–69 routes to Fort Duquesne 24, 35–40, 42 strength of Fort Duquesne garrison 42–43, 46–48 see also Indian nations; strategy Forbes, Gen John 4, 23, 24, 32, 74 on artillery 27–28 on Aubry’s raid 68 Vaudreuil, Governor-General 53, 56, 59, 71, 72 Virginia 11, 13, 14, 15, 17 Ward, Capt Edward 39 warfare (Anglo-American forces) 13, 37–38, 70 warfare (French/New France forces) 7, 8, 10, 15, 46–47, 70, 72–73 Washington, Col George 13, 16, 75 conflict with Forbes 40, 42 Jumonville Glen 11–12 Lt. Corbière’s patrol 69 Virginia Provincials 29, 30, 31 weapons 7, 27–28, 30, 31, 34 A view of Fort Bedford’s northwest side, summer of 1758. As can be seen in this painting by Nat Youngblood, there is a lot of activity outside of the fort. (Fort Pitt Museum, Pittsburg. Author’s photo) In terms of military command and of the ability to marshal forces, the far less populous New France had the advantage. It was, since the 1660s, administered by the royal French government and therefore generally organized, with various allowances for place and distance, like a French province. The capital was Quebec City, the port of entry to Canada, and the place of residence of the governor-general, who was both the highest official in New France and the governor of Canada, the most important part of the domain, going from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the western prairies. On the east coast, Acadia and southern Newfoundland had been lost to Britain by the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, but France had built the sizable fortress city of Louisbourg on Isle Royale, as Cape Breton Island was then called, and this area was set up as a separate colony with its own governor. Louisiana had been settled from the early 18th century on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico 6Montour, the “Enemy’s strength both as to Indians, French and Canadians and the present situation of their fort be infinitely stronger than any thing I ever could have imagined… [Croghan and Montour] sending me positive accounts that their numbers exceed greatly 4000, in and about the Fort…” By October 8, Croghan was still insisting that there were about 4,000 enemies, but Forbes now informed Abercromby that “This I cannot believe” and now thought that “their whole force are not more than 1200 men which is in their fort…” A week later, on October 15, Forbes wrote to Bouquet informing him that the Ohio Indians had told the participants at the meeting going on in Easton at the time that “the French will have in those parts near four thousand men French, Canadians, & Indians. That they have provisions in plenty as yet; That the Canadians are not at all in the Fort but that they as well as the western Indians were scattered about in the Indian villages where they help the inhabitants to build huts & houses and were ready at a Call” (Forbes: pp. 217, 227, 230). Thus plagued with obviously dubious information, General Forbes was rightly suspicious about American intelligence services. On the French side, everyone knew in Fort Duquesne that major reinforcements amounting to thousands of troops would not be coming to the Ohio Valley to face a large Anglo-American army. The defense resources of New France were already stretched to the limit and its few thousands of regular soldiers could be concentrated on only one front. In the summer of With Musket and Tomahawk is a vivid account of the American and British struggles in the sprawling wilderness region of the American northeast during the Revolutionary War. Combining strategic, tactical, and personal detail, historian Michael Logusz describes how the patriots of the newly organized Northern Army defeated England’s massive onslaught of 1777, all but ensuring America’s independence. militiamen listed in the muster rolls. Some of these were occasionally called upon for guard duties and in emergencies. No accurate figure is known as to how many mustered, but it is certain that their numbers dwarfed the New France militiamen called on duty because of the huge difference in population in favor of the American colonies. By then the French had only about 7,000 regulars to defend Canada and Louisbourg. Essentially Side Plots are just that, side missions mostly undertaken by the force commander which do things like help break ties, mitigate losses or make victories that much more satisfying. It gets even better though because if you choose to roll for a side plot then you randomly get one of ten Gifts which are once a game special actions that make your Commander that much more superior to those lesser men who choose to play games without Side Plots. Tomahawk and Musket – French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 road was dubious to say the least in America’s wilderness. The general therefore cut down the ordnance accompanying the army to: • • • • • • •

There are three universal scenarios in the main rulebook that can be used for any time period, all of them are classic, basic games that we’re all used to, Seizing objectives, steal the loot and exit the board. Fort Duquesne – the objective of General Forbes’ army in 1758. Model at the Fort Pitt Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Author’s photo)

Sign up for Osprey membership for access to thousands of plane profiles, maps, battle scenes and more. Plus up to 30% off website purchases

Initial Strategy Brigadier-General John Forbes, c.1750. He is shown wearing the uniform of 2nd (Scots Greys) North British Dragoons. (Collection and photo: Fort Ligonier, Pennsylvania)