The French and Indian War in Western Pennsylvania by Robert M. Dunkerly
Written by Brady Crytzer in the Book Review category and the Fall 2024 issue Topics in this article: Braddock's march, Forbes expedition, French and Indian War, George Washington, Native Americans, Robert M. Dunkerly
The French and Indian War in Western Pennsylvania
by Robert M. Dunkerly
History Press, 208 pp., paperback $24.99
The French and Indian War in Western Pennsylvania is an accessible and user-friendly introduction to the commonwealth’s role in the Seven Years’ War. Beginning with an overview of the region’s Native American history, Dunkerly employs a tried-and-true approach to guide the reader through the tumultuous politics of the pre-Revolutionary frontier. Chapter 2 explains the critical ambitions of New France in the Ohio Country, and Chapter 3 introduces a 21-year-old George Washington into the narrative. Pivotal moments like Braddock’s 1755 march and the 1758 Forbes Expedition each receive their own chapters. Throughout the book, Dunkerly leans on Washington to serve as a valuable beacon for beginners who would otherwise be intimidated by the subject matter.
Dunkerly, who has a 14-year career in public history, is currently a ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park, and it shows. He writes with an easy and authoritative tone and presents the period’s complex history in a disarming way. Throughout the book he regularly features critical primary source materials and balances them with uncomplicated maps. Dunkerly concludes each chapter with a section entitled “Sights to Explore” and provides readers with names, addresses and GPS coordinates for nearly every French and Indian War site in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. As the book concludes, Dunkerly provides brief descriptions of Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763–65), the Black Boys Rebellion (1765), the Whiskey Rebellion (1791–94), and the development of the National Road (1806–37). Though his intentions were good, the hasty inclusion of these additional events muddles an otherwise focused and effective book.
In The French and Indian War in Western Pennsylvania, Dunkerly does not break new ground for experienced historians. Instead, he has written a highly readable overview for the weekend warrior that was sorely needed.
Brady J. Crytzer
Robert Morris University