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"Ambush in the Wilderness" by Kris Hemphill offers a close-up view of a dramatic battle in the French and Indian War. The story begins in western Pennsylvania in 1753, two years before the battle, when then thirteen-year-old Patrick Egan witnesses the murder of his father by enemy Indians. Orphaned-Patrick's mother had died of disease years earlier-Patrick must leave behind the life of a traveling... More

"Ambush in the Wilderness" by Kris Hemphill offers a close-up view of a dramatic battle in the French and Indian War. The story begins in western Pennsylvania in 1753, two years before the battle, when then thirteen-year-old Patrick Egan witnesses the murder of his father by enemy Indians. Orphaned-Patrick's mother had died of disease years earlier-Patrick must leave behind the life of a traveling fur-trader he knew with his father. He must also leave behind his best friend, Gwayo, a Mingo Indian. Patrick is sent east to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to live with his Aunt Netta and Uncle Friedrich, his only remaining relatives. A Quaker and a farmer, Uncle Friedrich's pacifist religion and agrarian occupation would seem strong enough ties to keep him on the farm. Nevertheless, he feels compelled to help in the coming war against the French, if only to contribute much needed supplies to the effort. Patrick, too, volunteers his services, and the two go off together. It is long, slow-going, traveling from Pennsylvania German country to the Forks of the Ohio, (present-day Pittsburgh). British, colonial, and some Indians friendly to those groups are all traveling to the Forks to try to capture the strategically placed French Fort Duquesne, which had been a British fort. But the French have their Indian allies, too, and unlike the British, the French listen to and learn from their allies. While the British doggedly stick to the European style of fighting they know and trust, the French force has learned well from their Indian instructors on how to use the wooded terrain to their advantage. In two hours' time, all the traveling, training, and anticipation of the British-allied forces is brutally ended. The Battle of the Monongahela is a resounding failure for the British. While the English and colonial forces did suffer a devastating defeat-nearly two-thirds of their men were killed, wounded, or lost-for Patrick Egan the battle was a chance to test his mettle, and to meet another young volunteer who fought bravely under demanding battle conditions: George Washington.

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