George Washington
Forward Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Returning to Virginia from his historic visit at Fort Le Boeuf, Washington used the adjacent Venango Indian Trail. In this locality, on Dec. 27, 1753, he narrowly escaped death, being shot at by an Indian less than fifteen paces from him.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In December 1753, a young George Washington passed through this region on his return from Fort Le Boeuf, where he had carried a British demand that the French withdraw from the Ohio Country. Traveling the Venango Indian Trail, he came close to death here on December 27, 1753, when an Indian fired at him from less than fifteen paces. The perilous mission helped ignite the imperial struggle that became the French and Indian War.
Why it matters
It marks a brush with death for the man who would become the nation's first president, at the very outset of the conflict that opened the American interior.
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Related people
- · George Washington
Related events
- · French and Indian War
Themes & tags
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