But it
was their turn to be surprised, and they quickly sprang to their feet
and grasped their weapons.
Washington gave his men the order to fire--the first of many such
orders that were to come in the stormy days of two successive wars--and
in a sense this was the opening gun. A lively but brief skirmish
followed. The French lost their commander, Jumonville, and nine
others. The English lost only one man, killed, and two or three
wounded. The remainder of the French, twenty-two in number, were taken
prisoners.
The affair made a great stir, and was the forerunner of extended
hostilities. Washington foresaw the results immediately, and set his
men to constructing a fort which was called Fort Necessity. He had won
his first battle and it greatly inspired his troops. Writing
afterwards to his brother, Lawrence, he said: "I heard the bullets
whistle; and, believe me, there is something charming in the sound."
Their fort, however, was well-named. For presently the French and
Indians marched down upon them, nine hundred strong, and as Washington
had, all told, but three hundred poorly equipped men, they were
compelled to surrender. The terms of surrender were liberal enough,
permitting the English to return home with their light arms.
Thus did Washington's first campaign come to a somewhat inglorious
close.
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