The French Attack

The French Attack. Fort Necessity National Battlefield. , July 3, 1754 dawned gray and drizzly. Mid-morning about 700 French and Indians approached from the far end of the meadow toward fewer than 400 British soldiers in and around Fort Necessity. French Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers saw the British standing before their trenches, in battle lines typical of European tactics., With a cry the Indians and French advanced. Strategies quickly changed as the British withdrew into their fortifications while the French and Indians dispersed into the woods to surround the fort. Most of the French and Indians concentrated in the woods behind you where , protected by trees and within accurate firing range , they held the advantage. As rain fell throughout the day, the French exchanged musket fire with the British, most of whom were lying in water-filled trenches., [Sidebar:] , The French and Indian force approaching along Washington's unfinished military road until they reached the Great Meadows. They briefly appeared in this part of the Great Meadows, before following their scouts into the woods., The French commander, de Villiers, positioned his troops "so as to continue the English in their fort and entirely prevent them from leaving.", You Are Here , The majority of the French troops and their Indian allies then fought from this position in the woods within musket range of Fort Necessity. , [Caption:] , When not firing at the British in and around Fort Necessity, the French and Indians shot the British army's horses, cattle, and dogs in this meadow.