The French Attack
July 3, 1754 dawned gray and drizzly. Mid-morning about 700 French and Indians approached from the far end of the meadow toward fewer than 400 British soldiers in and around Fort Necessity. French Captain Louis Coulon de Villers saw the British standing before their trenches, in battle lines typical of European tactics.
With a cry the Indians and French advanced. Strategies quickly changed as the British withdrew into their fortifications while the French and Indians dispersed into the woods to surround the fort. Most of the French and Indians concentrated in the woods behind you where, protected by trees and within accurate firing range, they held the advantage. As rain fell throughout the day, the French exchanged musket fire with the British, most of  whom were lying in water filled trenches.