In spring 1754, Major George Washington led an expedition of 300 Virginians toward Fort Duquesne to force the French to abandon the site. In May, Washington’s men, along with the Seneca tribe led by Tanacharison (also known as the Half King), found a campsite of about thirty Frenchmen and their commander, Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville. They ambushed the French, and the battle ended with one Virginian and fourteen Frenchmen dead, including Jumonville.(Fort Duquesne)
