HISTORY

The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In the 1750s, France and Britain were fighting in Europe and the war spread to North America where the British Colonists wanted to take over French land in North America and take over the fur trade in the French held territory. British soldiers fought against French soldiers and Native Americans. Native Americans joined in the battle against the British because they were afraid the British would take over their land. In 1754 the French ousted a British force, including a colonial militia under Col. George Washington, at Fort Necessity, Pa. Until 1757 the French continued to dominate, but in 1758 Britain increased aid to its troops and won victories at Louisbourg, Fort Frontenac, and Fort Duquesne. The final British victory at the Battle of Quebec in 1759 led to the fall of New France in 1760. In the Treaty of Paris in 1763 France ceded its North American territory to Britain.

THE BOOK

Osprey Publications Ltd has released Tomahawk And Musket – French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 as Number 27 in their Raid series. It is a paperback book with 80 pages. Included with the text are black and white and color photographs, black and white and color illustrations, and detailed captions. It has a 2012 copyright and the ISBN is 978-1-84908-564-9. The book examines and discusses the French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 during the French and Indian War.

THE CONTENTS

Introduction

Origins

Initial Strategy

The Plan

Grant’s Raid on Fort Duquesne

Aubry’s Raid on Fort Ligonier

• Lt. Corbière’s patrol on November 12

Analysis

Conclusion

Further Reading and Bibliography

Index

THE TEXT

The text in the book is well written and extremely detailed. I didn’t notice and spelling or grammar errors as I read through the book. René Chartrand covers the French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 very well and goes into great detail in the various campaigns and the actions taken there and various related incidents. Anyone interested in the French and Indian War and the French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley in 1758 will find this book very informative and interesting.

THE PHOTOGRAPHS

There are a total of 6 black and white and 2 color photographs throughout the book.

The black and white photographs are of:

• A British brass light 12-pounder cannon
  
• Ammunition wagon, mid-18th century
  
• Small mortar and powder carts, mid-18th century with Coehorn mortars
  
• Forbes Road
  
• A model of Fort Duquesne
  
• Fort Ligonier

The color photographs are of:

• Regimental color of the 60th (Royal American) Regiment
  
• Regimental color of the 77th (Montgomery’s Highland) Regiment

Obviously the photographs are of reconstructed wagons, forts, etc. due to the fact that the camera had not yet been invented when the French and Indian War took place. None the less the photographs will be a big help to the military historian and the military scale modeler.

THE COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS

There are 11 black and white and 34 color illustrations throughout the book by period artists and also by contributing illustrators Peter Dennis, Donato Spedaliere and Johnny Shumate. The illustrations detail the combatants and the various conflicts that took place and they are very well done. They also cover things such as maps, fort scenes, wagon movements and key individuals. There are informative captions that accompany the illustrations that detail the individual uniforms and equipment shown. The military scale figure modeler will find the detailed illustrations very helpful for detailing purposes.

THE CAPTIONS

The captions that accompany the photographs are well written and are very detailed. I didn’t notice any spelling or grammar errors as I read through them. They give very specific information as to individuals, military units, uniform items, weapons and locations of conflicts, battles and actions shown.

CONCLUSION

All in all I am very impressed with the book. This is a very nice reference book that contains many interesting photographs and well detailed captions. It details the French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 very well. One thing I would have liked to of seen in this book would have been some photographs or illustrations of the individual small arms and other weapons used by the combatants. I would have no hesitation to add other Osprey titles to my personal library nor would I hesitate to recommend this book to others as it will be a welcome addition to one’s personal military reference library.



REFERENCES

Native American Clothing: An Illustrated History
Theodore Brasser
Firefly Books

Native American Hunting and Fighting Skills
Colin F. Taylor
The Lyons Press

Native American Weapons
Colin F. Taylor
The Lyons Press