Robert Dinwiddie, lieutenant governor of Virginia

Robert Dinwiddie (1693 – July 27, 1770) was a British colonial administrator who served as lieutenant governor of colonial Virginia from 1751 to 1758, first under Governor Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, and then, from July 1756 to January 1758, as deputy for John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1770 ( MDCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Friday The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the Virginia Colony and occasionally as the Dominion and Colony of Virginia) was the English colony Year 1751 ( MDCCLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1758 ( MDCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Lieutenant-General Willem Anne van Keppel 2nd Earl of Albemarle KG, KB, PC, ADC ( 5 June 1702 &ndash 22 December Year 1756 ( MDCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1758 ( MDCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common John Campbell 4th Earl of Loudoun ( 5 May 1705 &ndash 27 April 1782) was a Scottish nobleman and military leader Since the governors at that time were largely absentee, he was the de-facto head of the colony for much of the time.

Dinwiddie's actions as lieutenant governor are commonly cited as precipitating the French and Indian War. The French and Indian War (1754&ndash1763 was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War. He wanted to limit French expansion in Ohio Country, an area claimed by the Virginia Colony and in which the Ohio Company, of which he was a stockholder ^[1], had made preliminary surveys and some small settlements. French colonization of the Americas began in the 14th century and continued in the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western The Ohio Country (sometimes called the Ohio Territory) was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains The Ohio Company, formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, was a land speculation company organized for the colonization of the Ohio Country.

In 1753, Dinwiddie learned the French had built Fort Presque Isle near Lake Erie and Fort Le Boeuf, which he saw a threatening Virginia's interests in the Ohio Country. Year 1753 ( MDCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Fort Presque Isle (also Fort de la Presqui’le) was a Fort built by French soldiers in 1753 along Presque Isle Bay at present-day Lake Erie (ˈɪəriː is the fourth largest Lake (by surface area of the five Great Lakes, and the tenth largest globally Fort Le Boeuf was a Fort established by the French in 1753 on a fork of French Creek, near present-day Waterford, in northwest He sent an eight-man expedition under George Washington to warn the French to withdraw. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Washington, then only 21 years old, made the journey in midwinter of 1753-54. The French refusal to withdraw set the stage for the events that took place at Fort Necessity. See also Battle of the Great Meadows Fort Necessity National Battlefield, located

In January 1754, even before learning of the French refusal, Dinwiddie sent a small force of Virginia militia to build a fort at the forks of the Ohio River, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers merge to form the Ohio (present-day Pittsburgh). Year 1754 ( MDCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. The Allegheny River is a principal Tributary of the Ohio River and is located in the Eastern United States. The Monongahela River (məˌnɒŋɡəˈheɪlə also known locally as the Mon /ˈmɒn/ is a River on the Allegheny Plateau in North-Central The French quickly drove off the Virginians and built a larger fort on the site, calling it Fort Duquesne, in honor of the Marquis de Duquesne, who had recently become governor of New France. Fort Duquesne (originally called Fort Du Quesne) was a Fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny Other topics that could fall under Marquis Duquesne can be found at Marquis Duquesne (disambiguation Ange Duquesne de Menneville Marquis The Viceroyalty of New France (Nouvelle-France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the

In early spring 1754, Dinwiddie sent Washington to build a road to the Monangahela and to then help defend the British fort. Learning that the French had taken the fort, Washington pressed on and built a small stockade, Fort Necessity, at a spot then called "Great Meadows", by the Youghiogheny River, eleven miles southeast of present-day Uniontown. See also Battle of the Great Meadows Fort Necessity National Battlefield, located The Youghiogheny River, or the Yough River for short is a Tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately 122 mi (195 km A former pioneer fort at Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, 50 miles (80 km southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Here he encountered the French in a skirmish on July 3, 1754 and was forced to surrender. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1754 ( MDCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or The Battle of the Great Meadows, also known as the Battle of Fort Necessity was a battle of the French and Indian War fought on July 3, Dinwiddie was subsequently active in rallying other colonies in defense against the French and ultimately prevailed upon the British to send General Edward Braddock to Virginia with two regiments of regular troops. General Edward Braddock (January 1695 &ndash July 13, 1755) was a British soldier and commander-in-chief for North America during the actions at the start of the

Dinwiddie's administration was marked by frequent disagreements with the Assembly over finances. In January 1758 he left Virginia and lived in England until his death at Clifton, Bristol.

References

1. ^ Anderson, F. : "Crucible of War", page 37. Vintage Books, 2000.

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition article "Robert Dinwiddie", a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

Anderson, Fred (2001). Crucible of war: the Seven Years' War and the fate of empire in British North America, 1754-1766. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-375-70636-4.