Steve Frey
This was an important week in North American history. On May 18, 1756, Great Britain officially declared war against France. Of course, France and Britain had been fighting over sovereignty on the American frontier since 1754 in what was known as the French and Indian War – the first truly world war, as it ended up being fought in North America, Europe and on the high seas.
This was important in American history, of course, because the French and Indian War ended France’s influence in eastern North America, marked the rise of British control of this part of the continent and, eventually, led to the emergence of the United States of America.
During that time, Virginia’s declared boundaries extended far beyond the current border and, in fact, well into the Ohio Valley. Traders from Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as land speculators, were moving west beyond the Alleghenies and into the Ohio Valley at the same time as the French and their Indian allies were moving south.
Conflict soon followed, and a 21-year-old George Washington led Virginia militia and a group of British regulars stationed in North Carolina to create Fort Necessity near present-day Confluence, Pennsylvania. Washington was soon attacked and, outnumbered two-to-one by the French and their Indian allies. He surrendered and headed back across the mountains.
Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia appealed to Great Britain for support, and in 1755 General Edward Braddock was sent to expel the French from Fort Duquesne – present-day Pittsburgh – and Braddock was killed and his forces dispersed at the Battle of the Monongahela on July 9, 1755.
July 1755 was also notable in this part of Virginia. While the militia was with Braddock to the north, Shawnee raiding parties (the Shawnee were French allies) were wreaking havoc on the Virginia frontier. One of those parties attacked the Draper’s Meadow settlement in current Blacksburg during that same July, taking several hostages including Mary Draper Ingles, two of her children, and her sister-in-law, Bettie Draper.
Most folks in the NRV know the story of Mary Ingles, her capture, her escape from the Shawnee and the courageous trip back to her New River Valley home and family. In fact, Mary Draper Ingles is not only an NRV heroine, but a Virginia state icon, also. There is a beautiful bronze statue dedicated to Ingles in the park behind Glencoe Mansion and Museum in Radford, and this coming October there will be a new state statue dedicated to her in Richmond.
This summer, you can observe life on the Virginia frontier, witness the courage of the early settlers in our area, and experience for yourself the trials and perseverance of a strong frontier woman in “Walk to Freedom: The Mary Draper Ingles Story.” The acclaimed outdoor drama will be held this year on the grounds of Radford University, right beside the same New River that guided Mary home over 250 years ago.
The performance dates are July 14, 27, 28 and Aug. 4, and tickets can be purchased through marydraperinglestrail.com. Mary Draper Ingles Weekend is celebrated beginning on July 27 and will include tours of the Ingles Farm in Radford, other historical sites, as well as exhibits in celebration of Mary Draper Ingles Remembrance Day.
The Ingles family did eventually settle in what is now Radford and established a ferry over the New River for the Wilderness Road that carried ever more settlers, ever-farther west. The French and Indian War, or Seven Years War (really nine years), ended in 1763, and upon defeat, the French lost their territories in North America east of the Mississippi, leaving Britain the dominant force on the continent.
Interestingly, the French and Indian War and the need for additional troops in America prompted the British government to raise taxes on the colonists to pay for it all, which was a factor leading to the American Revolution in the next decade. Things were moving very quickly during these formative years.
Also, many young militiamen, colonial frontiersmen and future generals like George Washington participated in the French and Indian War as a precursor to the American Revolution. Their training proved invaluable!
Of course, Mary Draper Ingles saw it all, living to the ripe old age of 83 when she died in 1815. But her legend lives on, along with so many early frontier men and women who carved out new lives from a dangerous and unforgiving wilderness—now known as the New River Valley.
Steve Frey is a writer and CEO of Ascendant Educational Services based in Radford.