George Washington, the first president of the American nation, the commander of American forces in the Revolutionary War, and the legendary figure who could not tell a lie, first experienced the lands that would become Pittsburgh in the summer of 1753. As a twenty-one year old Major in the British Colonial Army, he was sent by the governor of Virginia to the river junction to meet with a French contingent to kindly ask the French to abandon their quest to settle in the region.

Both the French and the English had claimed the Ohio River territory, and quarrels were beginning to erupt. English settlers had been moving into the region and the French, along with their Indian allies, were beginning to react with force to defend what they considered an unlawful incursion.

When Major Washington reached the forks of the Ohio River, he noted in his journal that the land was "extremely well situated for a Fort, as it has absolute command of the rivers." He also commented that someday there would rise a great city.

Washington soon arrived at the French encampment at Venango and delivered his message to the French commandant Legardeur St. Pierre. It was December 12, 1753. The French commandant kindly refused, and Washington returned to Virginia with the discomforting news.

On his way back to Virginia, Washington was met by a group of Virginia militia, along with some settlers, who had set out for the river junction establish a presence and build a fort. They were attempting to beat the French to the prize. Upon his return, Major Washington immediately raised a regiment and rushed to join the detachment that were encamped at the new Fort King George.

The French were also mindful of the English presence at the forks, and they also rushed a force of soldiers and Indians to capture the new fort. The French won the race, and on April 17, 1754, persuaded the small English force to abandon the site and retreat back to Virginia.

On April 2, Washington set out with two advanced companies toward the forks. On the way he met the remnants of the Virginians who had left the fort and was informed of that the French had command of the area and that they were erecting a much larger fortification.

Undaunted by the news, Major Washington continued onward to the English settlement at Great Meadows. He was determined to meet and engage his French counterparts and regain control of the forks. On May 28 his command met with a small French reconnaissance force led by Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville. Washington's troops quickly dispatched of the small French force and Ensign de Jumonville was killed. This incident was refered to as the "Jumonville Affair" and was the formal beginning of the French and Indian War.

Washington soon learned that a retaliatory force of 1000 French and Indians were on the warpath and headed in his direction. He retreated back to Great Meadows and began construction of a stockade, Fort Necessity. There, his small army awaited the French onslaught.

At noon on July 3, 1754, during a drenching rain, the French force struck. It was a unequal struggle from the start. Washington's half-built stockade offered little protection. The trenches filled with water, ammunition ran low and their powder was wet, but Washington's force continued the struggle.

"We continued this unequal fight," wrote Washington, "with an enemy sheltered behind trees, ourselves without shelter, in trenches full of water, and the Enemy galling us on all sides incessantly from the woods, until 8 o'clock at night."

The French then offered to discuss terms and Washington accepted. His soldiers retreated with honors back to Virginia. The French burned the settlement at Great Meadows and all other British encampments in the region. The Indians flocked to the victorious Fleur-de-Lis and it seemed that French control of the Ohio River Valley was secure.

The English had other ideas. Although no formal declaration of war was signed, the British ministry planned elaborate counteroffensives to remove the French presence from the entire Northeast. When news of the fall of Fort Necessity reached Benjamin Franklin, he published his famous cartoon of the snake cut into thirteen pieces: "Unite or Die."

General Edward Braddock was named supreme commander of British forces in North America and one of his aides was now Colonel George Washington. Braddock's immediate aim was to strike back at the French Fort Duquesne and wrest control of the river junction with a powerful blow.

In February an army was raised for the task, and in June they were ready to make the march over the Great Divide and into the Ohio River Country. By July they had reached a point nearly eight miles from the forks, where McKeesport is today. The French knew of the British force and sent 250 soldiers and 600 Indian savages to intercept them. Note: Among the Indians was an Ottawa chief named Pontiac, who in 1763 would lead an unsuccessful Indian rebellion against the British.

The battle began on July 9 at two o'clock. The British force, numbering nearly 3000 men, where ambushed and routed by their French adversaries. General Braddock was mortally wounded and Colonel Washington took charge. The Colonel had two horses shot out from underneath him during the struggle. He then ordered a general retreat and the British force stumbled back to Virginia. British casualties totalled 456 dead and 421 wounded. Those unfortunate enough to be taken prisoner were roasted at the stake by the savage indians.

When Washington returned to Virginia with the battered army, he was officially named Commander-In-Chief of the Virginia regiment. At only 23 years of age, the veteran officer was to begin preparations for a third assault on the forks. During the next three years, plans were designed to send an overwhelming force to capture Fort Duquesne. In that time span, several small incursions were made into the Ohio River Country by small British forces, and although he was not present, many of these incursions were attributed to le General Washington, a sign of respect shown by his French opponents.

By 1758, the British were ready to launch their third attempt to regain control of the forks. George Washington was not present during this campaign, when a force of 6000 British and colonial troops under the command of General John Forbes decisively defeated the French at Fort Duquesne, taking control of the river junction once and for all.

The British then erected a new fort, Fort Pitt beside the ruins of Fort Duquesne. The village of Pittsborough was chartered in 1759 and the history of the city of Pittsburgh began.

George Washington returned to Fort Pitt briefly in 1770 on his way to Ohio to inspect land holdings. In 1776 he was named commander of the American forces in the Revolutionary War and his legendary winter stay in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, could be considered a turning point in the American struggle for freedom.

In 1783, the esteemed General Washington was named the first president of the United States of America. Some wanted him to be King, but the modest man accepted only the title of president. Eight years later he became the first head of state to voluntarily relinquish his power.