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John Forbes (5 September 1707 – 11 March 1759) was a Scottish professional soldier who served in the British Army from 1729 until his death in 1759. During the 1754 to 1763 French and Indian War, he commanded the 1758 Forbes Expedition that occupied the French outpost of Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
John Forbes (5 September 1707 – 11 March 1759) served in the British Army during the French and Indian War. In 1758, he commanded an expedition, with Lieutenant-Colonel George Washington leading a provincial militia, that occupied the French outpost of Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Brigadier General John Forbes (or Fforbes) lived from 5 September 1707 to March 11, 1759. He was a British Army officer best known for his role in the French and Indian War, the North American end of the Seven Years' War.
- Sent to North America
- Advances Toward Fort Duquesne
- Claims The Ohio Country For The British
- Dies Shortly After Completing His Mission
- For More Information
John Forbes was born in 1710, in Fifeshire, Scotland. Little information is available about his early years. It is known that he trained to be a physician before joining a unit of the British army called the Scots Greys in 1735. Forbes fought in Europe during King George's War (also known as the War of the Austrian Succession), and was promoted qui...
Forbes was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and given command of a major military operation against Fort Duquesne. This French fort was located at a strategic spot known as the Forks of the Ohio, where the Allegheny andMonongahela Rivers joined to form the Ohio River. Both the British and the French considered the Forks so important that t...
Forbes's troops had their first encounter with the enemy on September 14. The general had sent out an advanceparty of eight hundred men under Major James Grant (1720-1806) to scout the strength of the French forces defending Fort Duquesne. As the British troops approached the fort, French soldiers and Indian warriors came pouring out of the woods a...
Forbes immediately sent a letter to Pitt informing him of the successful capture of Fort Duquesne (as noted in Letters of General John Forbes Relating to the Expedition against Fort Duquesne in 1758): "I do myself the Honor of acquainting you that it has pleased God to crown His Majesty's Arms with Success over all His Enemies upon the Ohio, by my ...
Dictionary of American Biography. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center.Detroit: Gale, 2002. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. James, Alfred Proctor, ed. Writings of General John Forbes Relating to His Service in North America. New York: Arno Press, 1938. Reprint, 1971. Letters of General John Forbes Relating to the Expedition...
Jun 12, 2006 · On November 11, 1758, Brigadier General John Forbes convened a council of war at his headquarters in Fort Ligonier, about 40 miles east of the French stronghold of Fort Duquesne. His staff represented a distinguished collection of experienced and battle-hardened colonels.
Aug 5, 2024 · John Forbes (5 September 1707 – 11 March 1759) was a Scottish professional soldier who served in the British Army from 1729 until his death in 1759. Contents. Life; Career; The Forbes Expedition; Legacy; Footnotes; References; Sources; External links
Dec 12, 2021 · Vice-Admiral Sir John Forbes, who has died aged 96, was a gunnery officer, one of a race of men who were as renowned for being stern and intimidating as they were admired for their...