Fort Necessity at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

Visitors to Fort Necessity National Battlefield can tour a reconstruction of a fort originally built in June 1754 under the command of George Washington, then a lieutenant colonel in the Virginia militia, in a hurried attempt to defend against an eminent French attack. The fort is a 300-yard walk from the Visitor Center along a paved path. Guests can tour the fort on their own or, in the summer, on one of the daily Ranger-guided tours. The tour is usually followed by a historic weapons firing demonstration. Combined, the program lasts one hour. Tours begin at the Visitor Center. There is no need to register, so just show up at the appropriate time. For the current schedule, see the National Park Service’s official Ranger Program web page for the park.

Musket firing demonstration at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

Fort Necessity is rather small, so there’s not much to see. Inside the stockade walls is a small hut where gunpowder was stored. That’s it. If on your own, the walk to the fort takes longer than the time you’ll spend at the fort. Thus, the best way to see it and learn something at the same time is to attend a Ranger tour.

Storehouse inside Fort Necessity at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

Inside the Fort Necessity storehouse at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

In the fall of 1753, the lieutenant governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, sent George Washington and a small company of men from Virginia to the northeastern region of the Ohio River Valley (western Pennsylvania) to meet with the French and demand that they vacate the area, as the land was claimed by England. The French, who also claimed the land, refused, and Washington returned home in November.

In the meantime, Dinwiddie also sent Virginia militiamen to build a fort on the Monongahela River at the Forks of the Ohio (present-day Pittsburgh). This is where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers merge to form the Ohio River, and at the time it was a key position to controlling the area. No sooner had they completed the fort than a superior force of French troops arrived, prompting the Virginians to retreat. The French then built their own fort at the Forks of the Ohio, Fort Duquesne. 

In April 1754, Dinwiddie sent Washington and his Virginia militia back to the Ohio River Valley, this time to build a road to the new British fort on the Monongahela so that men and supplies could get there more easily. Because news traveled slowing, neither Dinwiddie nor Washington were aware that the French now occupied the fort. Upon learning of the situation, Washington set up headquarters in a marshy area known as the Great Meadows, the area now occupied by Fort Necessity National Battlefield. The camp was located on a rise in the terrain that elevated it above the surrounding wetlands and forest. There was grazing land for the militia’s cattle, and fresh water was supplied by Indian Run and Great Meadow Run, two small streams.

Three days later, on May 27th, word arrived that the French (mainly French Canadians) were just seven miles away. Washington felt that a clash was inevitable, so he decided to strike first. He and approximately 50 men, both militiamen and Iroquois Indians who allied with the British, set off to find the French camp. The next day, the two sides met. According to the French, they were ambushed while sleeping. According to Washington, the French fired first. The skirmish lasted about fifteen minutes, and when done, most of the French were either killed (10), wounded (1), or captured (21). This included the death of the French commander, Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville. The location of the battle, and the battle itself, were later named for Jumonville. Only one of Washington’s men were killed and a couple were injured.

Knowing that the French would retaliate, Washington returned to Great Meadows and hastily began building a fort which he called Fort Necessity. The fort itself was small and round with nothing more than a storehouse inside. Trenches were dug around the fort and fortified with log walls, and Indian Run and Great Meadow Run provided some protection as natural barriers. However, Washington, only 22 years old and without much experience, built the fort too close to the forest, which allowed the enemy to hide behind trees and yet still be within effective musket-firing range.

Forest surrounding Fort Necessity, Fort Necessity National Battlefield

On June 28th, 700 French soldiers, Canadian militia, and Indian warriors departed the Forks of the Ohio on a mission to find the British. The army was commanded by Louis Coulon de Villiers, the brother of Jumonville. By then Washington’s Indian allies had abandoned him, for they felt he had no chance of winning, plus Washington did not have enough gifts for them when they gathered to discuss a further alliance. Reinforcements from Virginia and South Carolina did arrive, bolstering Washington’s army to around 400 men.

The two sides clashed on July 3rd around 11 AM in what is called the Battle of the Great Meadows (aka the Battle of Fort Necessity). Outnumbered and fighting in the pouring rain, Washington was forced to surrender, the only time he surrendered in his military career. The French allowed the British to withdraw with honors, meaning they could take their weapons with them, but they had to leave the area and could not return for a year. In addition, the British had to leave two men as prisoners and release the prisoners taken at Jumonville. Once the British left, the French burned Fort Necessity. The Battle of Fort Necessity and the fighting at Jumonville are considered the opening battles of the French and Indian War.

Model depicts the July 3, 1754, battle at Fort Necessity

In 1935, Fort Necessity State Park opened to commemorate the 200th birthday of George Washington. It featured a reconstruction of Fort Necessity, a large, square fort. At the time, nobody really knew what Fort Necessity looked like, so a fort common to the era was built. However, eyewitness accounts going back to 1759 described the fort as round, so beginning in 1952, archaeologist J. C. Harrington was hired to head an excavation of the site to learn more about the fort. He discovered evidence that Fort Necessity was indeed round and much smaller, so the original fort reconstruction was torn down and a new one was built in its place. This is the fort that stands today.

Reconstructed Fort Necessity at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

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