Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766

Do you think you know what the Seven Years’ War was about? Do you really understand it influence on shaping the colonies as a precursor to the American Revolution? After reading The Crucible of War you may just change your mind.

Winston S. Churchill called the Seven Years’ War the first world war. North Americans associate it primarily with the British conquest of Canada. But the conflict — in which Britain and Prussia opposed France, Austria and Spain — spread to Europe, the Caribbean, West Africa, India and the Philippines. Though it formally lasted from 1756 until 1763, the war’s first shots were fired in the spring of 1754 between French troops asserting their country’s claim to the Ohio Valley and Virginians commanded by the 22-year-old George Washington. Two of America’s most eminent historians devoted years of research and writing to the great contest for empire. In the 20th century Lawrence Henry Gipson published a three-volume history. In the 19th century Francis Parkman considered his ”Montcalm and Wolfe” to be his crowning achievement. Now Fred Anderson, a professor of history at the University of Colorado, has written a panoramic narrative of the North American phase of the Seven Years’ War, an ambitious undertaking he discharges superbly. ~ CHARLES ROYSTER, New York Times Book Review (New York Times on the Web; Article Link)

Fred Andres is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Colorado, Boulder. His goal, like that of many historians, was to write a “book accessible to general readers that will also satisfy [his] fellow historian’s scholarly expectations.” In the Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766, Fred Anderson succeeded marvelously. This book is an historical narrative describing the events, people, and politics associated with what the colonists called the French and Indian War. In these pages you learn how and where many future leaders of the American Revolution developed their political view points and honed their military skills.

“Histories of the American Revolution tend to start in 1763, the end of the Seven Year’s War, a worldwide struggle for empire that pitted France against England in North America, Europe, and Asia. Fred Anderson, who teaches history at the University of Colorado, takes the story back a decade and explains the significance of the conflict in American history. Demonstrating that independence was not inevitable or even at first desired by the colonists, he shows how removal of the threat from France was essential before Americans could develop their own concepts of democratic government and defy their imperial British protectors. Of great interest is the importance of Native Americans in the conflict. Both the French and English had Indian allies; France’s defeat ended a diplomatic system in which Indian nations, especially the 300-year-old Iroquois League, held the balance between the colonial powers. In a fast-paced narrative, Anderson moves with confidence and ease from the forests of Ohio and battlefields along the St. Lawrence to London’s House of Commons and the palaces of Europe. He makes complex economic, social, and diplomatic patterns accessible and easy to understand. Using a vast body of research, he takes the time to paint the players as living personalities, from George III and George Washington to a host of supporting characters. The book’s usefulness and clarity are enhanced by a hundred landscapes, portraits, maps, and charts taken from contemporary sources. Crucible of War is political and military history at its best; it never flags and is a pleasure to read. ~ JOHN STEVENSON, Professor/Dean at the University of Colorado

Few people have a true appreciation for the role of The Seven Years’ War in both America as well as the world at large. Few historians have the knack for narrative that Anderson excels at within these pages. The pages turn as easily as those in a favorite novel.

Here is more praise for this historical work:

“A wonderful book. Fred Anderson brings to life a war that irrevocably shaped our nation. I wish all history were written this well.” ~ SEBASTIAN JUGER, author of The Perfect Storm.

“Reading Crucible of War is an enriching experience…Anyone who thinks that individuals have no significant effect on the fate of nations should ponder Mr. Anderson’s cast of characters.” ~ The Wall Street Journal

List of Illustrations

Introduction: The Seven Years’ War and the Disruption of the Old British Empire

Maps

Prologue: Jumonville’s Glen, May 28, 1754

Part I: The Origins of the Seven Years’ War, 1450-1754

Iroquoia and Empire
The Erosion of Iroquois Influence
London Moves to Counter a Threat
Washington Steps onto the Stage…
…And Stumbles
Escalation

Part II: Defeat, 1754-1755

The Albany Congress and Colonial Disunion
General Braddock Takes Command
Disaster on the Monogahela
After Braddock: William Shirley and the Norther Campaigns
British Politics, and a Revolution in European Diplomacy

Part III: Nadir, 1756-1757

Lord Loundoun Takes Command
Oswego
The State of the Central Colonies
The Strains of Empire: Causes of Anglo-American Friction
Britain Drifts into a European War
The Fortunes of War in Europe
Loudoun’s Offensive
Fort William Henry
Other Disasters, and a Ray of Hope
Pitt Changes Course

Part IV: Turning Point, 1758

Deadlock, and a New Beginning
Old Strategies, New Men, and a Shift in the Balance
Montcalm Raises a Cross: The Battle of Ticonderoga
Amherst at Louisbourg
Supply Holds the Key
Bradstreet at Fort Frontenac
Indian Diplomacy and the Fall of Fort Duquesne
Educations in Arms

Part V: Annus Mirabilis, 1759

Success, Anxiety, and Power: The Ascent of William Pitt
Ministerial Uncertainties
Surfeit of Enthusiasm, Shortage of Resources
Emblem of Empire: Fort Pitt and the Indians
The Six Nations Join the Fight: The Siege of Niagara
General Amherst Hesitates: Ticonderoga and Crown Point
Dubious Battle: Wolfe Meets Montcalm at Quebec
Fall’s Frustrations
Celebration of Empire, Expectations of the Millennium
Day of Decision: Quiberon Bay

Part VI: Conquest Completed, 1760

War in Full Career
The Insufficiency of Valor: Levis and Vauquelin at Quebec
Murray Ascends the St. Lawrence
Conquest Completed: Vaudreuil Surrenders at Montreal
The Causes of Victory and the Experience of Empire
Pitt Confronts an Unexpected Challenge

Victory Recollected: Scenographia Americana

Part VIII: Vexed Victory, 1761-1763

The Fruits of victory and the Seeds of Disintegration
The Cherokeet War and Amherst’s Reforms in Indian Policy
Amherst’s Dilemma
Pitt’s Problems
The End of an Alliance
The Intersections of Empire, Trade, and War: Havana
Peace
The Rise of Wilkes, the Fall of Bute, and the Unheeded Lesson of Manila
Anglo-America at War’s End: The Fragility of Empire
Yankees Invade Wyoming—and Pay the Price
Amherst’s Reforms and Pontiac’s War
Amhert’s Recall

Part VIII: Crisis and Reform, 1764

Death Reshuffles a Ministry
An Urgent Search for Order: Grenville and Halifax Confront the Need for Revenue and Control
The American Duties Act (The Sugar Act)
The Currency Act
Postwar Conditions and the Context of Colonial Response
An Ambiguous Response to Imperial Initiatives
Pontiac’s Progress
The Lessons of Pontiac’s War

Part IX: Crisis Compounds, 1765-1766