Tag Archives: Berkshire County History

King George’s War (1744-1748)

Colonial Claims
Colonial Claims

In King George’s War, New France (Canada) Continued to Use Indian Allies to Terrorize New England and Upstate New York

In Europe this was known as The War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). It was the third of four wars between English and French colonists along with their Indian allies.  As with earlier French and Indian wars,

-Europe was the focus of the conflict

-There was no major change in who held what in North America

-It was not a modern war in the sense of impacting the majority of the population; however, it effected New England and continued to retard settlement.

Upstate New York and the borders of Northern New England were again fighting locations.  Massachusetts colonists led an effort to successfully capture Louisburg (which guarded entrance to the St. Lawrence).  However, in the treaty negotiations that ended the war, Great Britain returned Louisburg to the French in return for Madras in India.

Fort Massachusetts (Now North Adams) Attacked

Replica of Fort Massachusetts (now North Adams)
Replica of Fort Massachusetts (now North Adams)

Massachusetts colonists were also largely on their own in their attempts to defend Fort Massachusetts (modern day North Adams.)

The Berkshire towns that were beginning to be settled (i.e. Sheffield and Stockbridge) would have called for their citizens to both defend their towns and come to the aid of nearby towns that were attacked.

The war had cost the lives of 8% of the Massachusetts adult male population and the victories they achieved (with little help from the mother country) added to their sense of identity and interests independent of Great Britain.

The French and their Indian allies raided and destroyed Saratoga and attacked other New York settlements playing into the English colonists’ stereotypical fear of Indians despite the fact that the Mohawks remained steadfastly loyal.

Google 2014 “King George’s War”,  A Few Acres of Snow, A Saga of the French and Indian Wars by Robert Leckie