Jul 4, 2007 By Lori Ann Goodwin 3 min read

It was a beautiful day to remember a very ugly event that took place at the Fort Necessity Battlefield in Farmington 253 years ago. A group of about 50 people showed up Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the battle between George Washington’s Virginians and the French force and their American Indian allies. The battle at Fort Necessity was George Washington’s only surrender.

“This was a very ugly place on July 3, 1754, 253 years ago,” said Brian Reedy, historic weapons supervisor and park ranger at Fort Necessity. “Thirty-three men lost their lives here.”

Reedy, dressed in historic costume, went on to talk about the events that took place on July 3, 1754, as Washington and his men fought the French and American Indians on a very rainy and damp day. After an eight-hour battle, Washington and Capt. James Mackay agreed to the terms of surrender and were allowed to leave.

However, the surrender almost didn’t happen and had that occurred, things would have been very different in history, Reedy said.

Reedy also informed visitors about why the fort was there in the first place. He said Washington built a small cabin to protect supplies, food and artillery, essentially from his own men. And then he built a fence around the cabin for further protection.

“The fort was built out of necessity, hence how the name Fort Necessity came about,” Reedy said.

He also said Washington was not even going to fight the French at Fort Necessity, but his men were tired and hungry and could not go any further.

“So out of necessity, he fought here,” he said.

Reedy added that the battle at Fort Necessity was the beginning of the French and Indian or Seven Years War as it is called elsewhere.

“This was a very important place in history,” he said. “The battle here essentially set the stage for the American Revolution.”

Daniel Barr, an assistant professor at Robert Morris University, gave a presentation entitled “A Road for Warriors: Native Peoples and the Seven Years War in Pennsylvania.”

Barr discussed the role that the American Indians had in the conflict and how they came to be allies of the French for the battle of Fort Necessity.

Reedy and several soldier re-enactors also performed a swivel gun and musket demonstration.

“These were the principle weapons here at Fort Necessity,” he said.

The conclusion of the ceremony featured a roll call of the known men who died in battle at the fort followed by another musket and swivel gun salute.

“It’s a small fort, but a big story,” Reedy said.