The French and Indian War, most commonly known as the Seven Years War in Europe, was a very violent and territorial war for trade across the Mississippi and Louisiana and for control over for the Ohio River Valley. In order to stop British forces, the French had already set up a series of forts in the Ohio Valley. The most important fort, Fort Duquesne, was located in what we call Pittsburgh today. During the early stages of the war, it was clear that the French had a HUGE advantage. One of the first people to attempt to capture Fort Dusquesne was George Washington, but he failed miserably. That was 1754. The following year, General Edward Braddock commanded a column of British soldiers to capture the fort. He and his soldiers were wounded, especially Braddock. He was mortally wounded. How did they lose that battle? While marching into battle, they were ambushed by the Indian allies of the French. Since their General was mortally wounded, the column was forced to retreat. The Indians saw this as an opportunity to strike back against the growing threats of settlements. So the many settlers of Virginia, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania were attacked by the Ohio Valley Indians. The British armies began to fall against the French and the Indians and Britain saw the great dangers of the French and Indian alliance. The turning point in the war began when William Pitt began his plan to increase the war effort. He first made the British army stronger by using prosecutions as answers. He also encouraged the employment of strong Indian allies. The importance of Sir William Johnson came into effect here. He was a good Indian relationships builder and managed to persuade the Iroquois to remain neutral for the war. In return, the Iroquois persuaded the Delawares to ceasefire against Britain. In the summer of 1758 a strong British force failed to capture the French fort, Fort Ticonderoga. That, however, was actually a decoy in order for another British force to capture Fort Frontenanc. After that successful operation, General John Forbes decided to have a crack at capturing Fort Duquesne by cutting a trail through the Pennsylvanian wilderness. The Treaty of Easton was forged during this time. What is said was in exchange for the support, the British will leave the Ohio Valley. Supplyless and surrounded, the French were overwhelmed and were forced to surrender. The fort was then renamed to Fort Pitt. After a couple more years of war, the French were beaten and the Treaty of France was signed, ending all warfare between Britain and France. Georgia's boundaries had expanded south to the St. Mary's River and western to the Mississippi River.