King George's War (Governor Shirley's War) - The War of Austrian Succession Fought in America, 1744-49 - by Samuel G Drake & Herbert M Sylvester

Book Synopsis

A Particular History of the Five Years French and Indian War in New England,1744-49 & Indian Conflict during Governor Shirley's War

The Struggle for Possession of America in the middle years of the 18th century

King George's War (1744-48) was the North American theatre of the War of Austrian Succession and the third of four major colonial conflicts between Great Britain and France and their indigenous allies for control of the settled continent. The struggle embraced control of Nova Scotia, northern New England, and the Ohio River Valley which was destined to become an infamous bloody ground for decades. The besieging and capture of the allegedly 'impregnable' French fortress of Louisbourg by colonial forces supported by the Royal Navy was a significant victory, but brutal French and Indian retaliatory raids were launched on frontier settlements where homes were burned and their occupants put to the hatchet, whilst many British settlers were forced to flee to safety. This conflict ended inconclusively, to the frustration of the colonists, by the returning of all captured territory to its pre-war owners. Whilst the war demonstrated the competency of colonial militias, it also exposed the growing divide between the British Government and colonial interests. Very few years would elapse before the principal, 'French and Indian War', broke out which would in turn pave the way for the struggle to achieve American independence.

Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.