The French and Indian War of 1754-63 was the culmination of 
French efforts to drive British fur traders out of the Ohio Valley. In 
1755, Major General Edward Braddock, the British commander-in-
chief in North America, planned to seize Fort Duquesne in 
Pennsylvania from the French. His party  was ambushed by French, 
Canadian, and Indian forces. Braddock, accustomed only to the 
European style of fighting and ill-equipped to do battle in the 
wilderness, could not effectively command his troops. He was killed 
in the struggle. By the war's end, however, the British emerged 
victorious and gained control of all territories previously owned by 
the French outside Louisiana.