Out of Necessity: George Washington's Surrender of Fort Necessity to the French

History celebrates George Washington as the leader of the American Revolution and the father of his country. But what is rarely mentioned is Washington's life as a twenty-two-year-old colonel that led four hundred Virginia militiamen against a bigger, more experienced French army and paid a high price. Not only did Washington lose over a third of his men, but the Battle of Fort Necessity was also the spark that ignited the French and Indian War.
As a result of this incident, Washington was denied an appropriate commission in the British regular army during the French and Indian War that followed. Washington's humiliation from his defeat at Fort Necessity in 1754 would not be vindicated until his decisive victory at Yorktown in the American Revolutionary War in 1783. This book was written by the 7th great grandson of Robert Bell, Sr. who served with Colonel George Washington during the Battle of Fort Necessity.