The Seven Years’ War (commonly called the French and Indian War in the United States) is generally known for Great Britain’s defeat of France and their claim of the New World colonies. Ironically, this engagement lasted nine years from 1754-1763, contradicting its famous appellation. However, the beginning of this war nearly destroyed the strongest army in the world, Great Britain. Under the command of British General Edward Braddock, many potential Native American allies were overlooked and numerous colonial militia leaders opposed his command because of his incompetence (“French and Indian…”).
An expedition headed by Braddock, Fort Duquesne, failed due to his disregard for other soldier’s opinions. For example, George Washington warned Braddock about the French and the Indians’ open field fighting strategy but Braddock ignored Washington’s heed and faced a brutal defeat. After his failed attempt to capture Fort Duquesne, Braddock’s mortal injury spared him from seeing the British defeat in the Mediterranean at Minorca. A confused order sent many vessels out of cannon range and delayed the British attack on the French fleet (“French and Indian…”). The damage to his fleet forced Admiral John Byng to forfeit Minorca to the French and retreat to Gibraltar (“French and Indian…”). This combat nearly annihilated the British forces and almost ended the war. However, William Pitt, a rising man in British politics, adjusted the war to favor victory for Great Britain. Although the first half of the French and Indian War nearly obliterated the British Army, the British emerged victorious due to William Pitt’s political operations, but more importantly through his alterations of the army’s fighting tactics. William Pitt’s direct political influence in England emanated from his positions in the “Cobham’s cubs” and the Newcastle Ministry which later increased his military authority in the British Army. The “Cobham’s cubs”, a Parliamentary group created to challenge the proceedings of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole, gave Pitt his initial power in Parliament in 1734 (Cavendish).
This vigorous club helped Pitt attain popularity and approval from not only members in Parliament but also the English people. Pitt’s increase in reputation led to his appointment as postmaster general of the army where he then controlled the army’s finances; subsequently, increasing his influence in the British military. In addition, during the reign of the Newcastle Ministry as the British government, William Pitt held the office of Secretary of State. Through this governmental group, Prime Minister Thomas Pelham-Holme (the first Duke of Newcastle) utilized his important role in the House of Commons to persuade the members to support Pitt’s ideas (“Pitt- Newcastle Ministry”). Through Newcastle’s aid, Pitt assumed the responsibilities of the defense and the foreign policy of Great Britain after Parliament voted him into the position. In this even more influential position, Pitt applied his goals and diplomatic skills to aid the British Army and Royal Navy. By obtaining political support in the Newcastle Ministry and the “Cobham’s cubs”, William Pitt developed military missions and naval battle and put them into effect with his newfound power. In addition to his politics in England, William Pitt’s diplomatic arrangements with colonial armed forces increased nationalism among the colonies and enlarged the abundance of soldiers fighting against France.
During the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania, William Pitt utilized his role as Secretary of State in order to transmit a letter to the governors of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey. Pitt stated: …use your utmost Endeavours, and Influence with the council and Assembly of your Province, to induce them to Raise, with all possible Dispatch, as large a Body of Men within your Government, and the Numbers of its Inhabitants may allow… And the better to facilitate this service the king is pleased to leave it to you to issue commission to Gentlemen of your Province (Gard, 37). Pitt’s persuasive commision was well received especially in Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut who rallied nearly 17,000 troops for the British regiments. While increasing the amount of troops was significant, the more important aspect of this ordeal was the expanded colonial support and increased nationalism. In addition to this convention, Pitt offered colonial soldiers bounties, large sums of money and lowered expenses, in exchange for service in the British Army (“The Seven Years’ War…”). This unexpected reward for service increased the number of enlistments in the army and also changed how the colonists perceived recruitment.
Through Pitt’s bounties, the British Army appealed more as a lifestyle as it provided for the militia’s families and saved the soldiers from major financial issues. Pitt’s engagement of colonial fighting forces against France through his colonial bounties and the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania successfully solidified colonial support of the army and emphasized nationalism. However, not all fighting occurred in the colonies, as seen in the Anglo-Prussian Convention and Pitt’s blockade on French ships. In the Anglo-Prussian Convention of 1758, William Pitt not only secured a vital alliance with the kingdom of Prussia but also engaged the Prussian Army against French troops in Europe (“William Pitt, the Elder”). Prussia’s essential aid not only divided the attention of France’s army between two continents but also allowed the British Army to focus mainly on fighting in the French colonies. This singular focus allotted an advantage to the British by increasing their ability to thoroughly plan an intervention to subjugate the French and end the war. In India however, British Colonel Eyre Coote’s small naval force appeared insignificant in combat until Pitt and Parliament sent the Royal Navy to conduct a blockade off the coast of Pondicherry (Hickman). This successful succor supported Coote’s siege of Pondicherry due to France’s inability to fight off the blockade and receive more troops which obliterated French forces in this major territorial battle. The overlooked blockade at Pondicherry and the Anglo-Prussian Convention served a major purpose in limiting French power in vast parts of the world; therefore, allowing British forces to focus on terminating France’s influential occupation in the New World. Using these new diplomatic relationships, William Pitt’s input in the war led to multiple military triumphs that overwhelmed the French Army.
Although France had previously captured the fort of Madras, India, the British rebuttal for their territory came as an additional six British ships and 600 soldiers journeyed to reclaim their and (“Siege of Madras”). This decisive battle not only forced the French to retreat and forfeit the fort, but it also paved the way for British supremacy in India. More importantly, this counter-offensive demonstrated Britain’s exasperation with France’s constant victories and introduced their devotion to terminate these conquests. With this newfound dedication to winning the war, William Pitt pressured King George II to aid Prussia and attack other French forces, specifically at Minden, North Germany (“Battle of Minden”). With aid from Great Britain, Prussian King Frederick the Great commanded their combined troops to defeat the two French armies that previously threatened Western Germany (“Battle of Minden”). This international support highlighted the alliances formed to guarantee France’s demise; ultimately, revealing France’s dwindling chance of success. As seen in the Battle of Minden and the Siege of Madras, France’s goal of victory started to dissipate as Britain’s winning streak improved with Pitt’s diplomacy and war tactics. In addition to Britain’s victories in India and the coast of France, the British navy snagged their own victories off the coasts of France and Spain in the Battle of Lagos and the Battle of Quiberon Bay. As the French navy followed their king’s order to attack England, their fleet accidentally separated and forced French commander, la Clue, to stop his pursuit and wait for his troops (“Battle of Lagos”).
Only a couple hours later, la Clue became stunned as he discovered the massively approaching Royal navy and fearfully ordered a retreat (“Battle of Lagos”). This intense fear of British naval forces provided Great Britain with the upper hand in other naval battles, which then led to their superiority in the sea. Despite this proudful victory, the final defeat of this French naval force occurred at the Battle of Quiberon Bay. The 23 ships directed by British Admiral Sir Edward Hawke challenged the 21 vessels of the French, headed by Marshal de Conflans, and emerged triumphant due to their effective combat (“Battle of Quiberon Bay”). Here, Britain’s defeat of the French navy resulted not only from the fear created in the Battle of Lagos but also because of Britain’s superior naval fleet.
Conclusively, this decisive battle marked the day that the French navy suffered defeat due to their lack of strength; therefore, Britain won half of the Seven Years’ War in this single battle. The naval victories of Quiberon Bay and Lagos terminated France’s naval offensive and altered the war in favor of the British Army. However, before the naval victories of Lagos and Quiberon Bay, Pitt instituted naval descents, a new naval tactic adopted to infiltrate hostile shores by sending army men on naval vessels to attack the shore. After a previous string of losses for the British Navy, William Pitt proposed a quick attack on Rochefort, France, with minimal casualties in order to seize their port. By using his new naval descents technique, a dispatch of the British Navy and Army were launched and seized an island fortress off the coast of France (Hackmann). Even though Rochefort was not conquered since British forces neglected to continue the assault, Pitt’s naval tactics emerged in a later campaign and encountered a larger notable outcome–France’s downfall. Similarly to Pitt’s humiliation at the loss of Rochefort, James Wolfe, an officer during the Raid on Rochefort, felt disappointed by the lack of victory as observed in his declaration: “We blundered most egregiously on sea and land… [But] one may always pick up something useful from amongst the most fatal errors.” (Qtd. in “We Blundered Most…”).
Wolfe’s optimistic opinion on the outcoming of the battle was notably recognized by William Pitt, which then led to Wolfe’s assignment as the commander in charge of capturing Quebec. Even through this miniscule battle, William Pitt discovered an important soldier that consequently impacted the entire war for the British forces at the capture of Quebec. James Wolfe and Rochefort appeared insignificant during the entirety of the war, but this soldier and these naval tactics reappeared in a major battle that led to France’s downfall–the Battle of Louisbourg. After gaining a military advantage from these previous victories, William Pitt claimed the major conquests from the Battle of Louisbourg and the Capture of Quebec, ultimately defeating the French. Pitt placed an importance on the capture of Louisbourg in the French colonies to gain access to the St. Lawrence River and a direct path to French capital Quebec (Green, 33). The use of Pitt’s naval warfare also made an appearance at Louisbourg as the British fleet fired on the French and, with the help of the wind, burned the French fleet (Green, 33). Pitt’s influential tactics prompted the surrender of Louisbourg not exclusively because of his strategy to capture the citadel but also due to the amount of bloodshed during the naval attack. Despite its importance in the French and Indian War, the Capture of Quebec resembled a political decision rather than a battle. After the drastic defeat at Louisbourg and continuous shelling of the city, most residents of Quebec demanded the government surrender the city to the British (“Quebec Surrenders”).
During the council of war that was called to order, 13 out of the 14 representatives agreed to surrender the town to the British forces in order to limit the death toll of their citizens (“Quebec Surrenders”). This simplistic conquest utterly destroyed France’s hope for redemption and concluded their campaign in the New World, leaving Great Britain the victor of the French and Indian War. The siege of Quebec, due to the capture of Louisbourg, was the final straw that stripped France of their last shred of power in the New World. On February 10, 1763, Britain claimed the victory of the Seven Years’ War when the Treaty of Paris (or Treaty of 1763) was signed by Great Britain, France, and Spain. This treaty not only acknowledged Great Britain’s victory but also validated Britain’s total control of the seas and shipping trade around the world. However, despite emerging victorious, Britain’s national debt nearly doubled over the course of the war.
During major combat engagements, the British government borrowed immense amounts of money from the British and Dutch bankers in order to fund the troops. As a result, the national debt almost doubled from 75 million euros to 133 million euros over the course of nine years. This debt then plagued the colonies of Britain through taxes on sugar, tobacco, salt, beer, spirits, and more. However, these series of taxes infuriated the colonies, thus sparking the American Revolution. Furthermore, France’s support of the colonies during the revolution directly resulted from their bitterness from their defeat during the French and Indian War. All in all, Britain’s victorious pride from the Seven Years’ War perished as their despised rival country assisted their colonies in revolting and developing their own country.
