Fort Great Meadows

Fort Great Meadows, also known as Fort Necessity, was the site of a significant early skirmish in the French and Indian War in 1754. This battle was the only one that George Washington ever surrendered.1

Washington fortified his camp at Great Meadows, which he named Fort Necessity, while awaiting reinforcements. The fort was poorly located on low ground, making it vulnerable. On July 3, 1754, a French and Native American force attacked. After several hours of fighting, with heavy rain flooding the fort and many casualties, Washington surrendered. The French commander's terms, written in French, led Washington to unknowingly confess to the "assassination" of a French officer from an earlier encounter, which solidified both sides' commitment to war.1

The following year, General Edward Braddock led an expedition to attack Fort Duquesne, but his army was decisively defeated in the Battle of the Monongahela. Braddock was mortally wounded and died at Great Meadows.2