By 1749, convinced that settlements were essential to controlling lands, the English colony of Virginia was promoting western expansion by offering speculators 1,000 acres for every family they could place. That year, at the age of 17, an ambitious young George Washington was appointed as Virginia's Surveyor General by the College of William and Mary. The College had been charged with the examination and licensing of surveyors since February 8, 1693. Prior to that time appointments had been made directly by the King of England.
Washington's ambitions were evident as a very young man. His own writings indicate his desire to become a gentleman Virginia farmer, and his schoolwork was impeccable.
In the spring of 1754, 22 year old army Lieutenant Colonel Washington was given command of 200 troops from the Virginia Commonwealth. He was instructed to defend the northwestern boundary of Virginia against the encroaching colony of New France. Washington’s frontier surveying experience served him well in the mobilization of his army, as few men had as thorough knowledge of northwestern Virginia.
By the time Washington’s troops arrived, the French had already constructed Fort Duquesne at Washington’s chosen site - the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers (present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), and their forces outnumbered the Virginians by three to one. Nonetheless, the Virginians built their own fort nearby - Fort Necessity - and defended it to the best of their ability during the first battle of what came to be called the French and Indian War.
The war lasted until 1763 resulting in substantial territorial gains by the British and the colonists.Washington never forgot the lessons he learned during the war, side-by-side with the English, and he used this tactical knowledge over decade later when his country again required his leadership during the War for American Independence.