Guns at the Forks

by Walter O'Meara

Guns at the Forks is a special reissue commemorating the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War.  In a spirited, intelligent, and informative history, O’Meara tells the story of five successive forts, particularly Fort Duquesne and Fort Pitt, and the dramatic part they played in the war between 1750 and 1760. He describes Washington’s capitulation at Fort Necessity, Braddock’s defeat at the Monongahela, and Forbes’s successful campaign to retake Fort Duquesne.  Although most of the action in the book takes place at the strategically important forks of the Ohio, where present-day Pittsburgh stands, O’Meara’s narrative relates the two forts to the larger story of the French and Indian War and elucidates their roles in sparking a global conflict that altered the course of world events and decided the fate of empires.

Genres: History, Military History, American Revolution

280 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 1965

Reviews

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guns At The Forks tells the story of the five forts that were built at the forks of the Ohio River (modern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) - Fort Prince George, Fort Duquesne, Mercer's Fort, Fort Pitt and Fort Fayette, and the struggle to control this key bit of real estate that was crucial to the control of the whole inner continent. It keeps a tight focus on the story line of the struggle for this bit of land, and relates only the details of The French and Indian War and Pontiacs Uprising that bear directly on the fate of the forts at the fork.

The fascinating events that surrounded this struggle include George Washington's first entrance onto the world stage as a young man sent on a dangerous winter mission, and the following year bungling his first military mission and precipitating the start of the French and Indian War. Braddock's Massacre, the greatest British military defeat up to that point in history, happened while attempting to wrest the forks from the control of the French and capture Fort Duquesne. The subsequent years of Indian raids that terrorized the Pennsylvanian and Virginian frontiers were all launch from Fort Duquesne, until the relentlessly plodding Forbes expedition finally put an end to French power at the forks. The English then built their greatest North American fortress, Fort Pitt, at the forks, which was one of the only forts on the frontier to withstand the native attacks during Pontiac's Uprising, with an assist from Colonel Bouquet and his highlanders at the Battle of Bushy Run. The book relates all of these riveting stories in fascinating detail.

If you have an interest in The French and Indian War, Pontiac's Uprising, Pennsylvanian regional history, or the colonial frontier, consider this book a must read. It is extremely well written, and reads smoothly while weaving its history as a riveting tale - highly recommended.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lively, vivid history of the struggle for the Ohio Valley, focusing on the five forts that were built at the forks of the Ohio River. O’Meara covers Washington’s mission to the Forks, events at Jumonville’s glen and Fort Necessity, Braddock’s defeat, the Indian raids in the area, the capture of Fort Duquesne by John Forbes, and the construction of Fort Pitt.The narrative is balanced and readable.

Overall, it doesn’t reveal anything new and often seems a bit melodramatic. Also, there aren’t any citations.

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent account of the complete military history of the forks of the Ohio from the 1750’s until end of the century. What I really liked about this book was the equal focus on the French perspective. Every other book I’ve read is from an English perspective, with the French just appearing out of nowhere to build Fort Duquesne. Their efforts to reach the area in 1753 and 54 were very interesting. Walking across the frozen Great Lakes and struggling to build forts down the Allegheny River in particular. It was also my first book that featured the Battle of Bushy Run and the attack on Fort Pitt during Pontiac’s War. A great resource for students of this era.

[James (JD) Dittes]

The tiny sliver of land where the Monangahela and Allegheny rivers meet to form the Ohio was, over a span of ten years, more than an empty spot of wilderness nearly 100 miles from the nearest settlement or fort. It was the obsession of leaders in Williamsburg, Montreal, London and Paris. The French got there first, setting up Fort Duquesne and defending ably against attacks by George Washington and doomed General Braddock. Eventually, an American-British force took the point in the climactic year of the French & Indian War.

O'Meara ably describes the wilderness fighting of those years and the depradations faced by American settlers of the frontier. I'm not sure that O'Meara's use of terms like "savages" is very welcome 45 years after publication (I read an earlier edition of the book), but overall he provides a clear look at the historic frontier outposts that preceded the city of Pittsburgh.