1. Write on the following topics, using a paragraph for each: George Washington's early home; his school-training; George and his mother; the boy soldier; the young athlete; the truthful boy.
2. It would be well for you to commit to memory George's rules of conduct.
3. Give an account of the young surveyor's life in the woods out in the Shenandoah Valley. Imagine the two young fellows riding alone through the forest, and the scene in the woods when the Indians danced by the huge fire.
4. Trace on your map Washington's perilous journey to the French forts. What was the purpose of this journey? Travel in imagination with Washington on his return to Williamsburg, and tell, in the first person, some of your experiences.
5. What do you think of General Braddock? In what way was he defeated? This was one of the battles of the Last French War. What caused this war?
6. Find as many words as you can that describe George Washington.
We have just seen how the English and the French struggled to get control of the Ohio Valley. But the fighting in the Last French War was not confined to this region. Many of the battles were fought to secure control of two waterways. One of these was the route to Canada, including Lakes George and Champlain, and the other was the St. Lawrence River. Indeed, the crowning feature of the Last French War was the heroic effort made by a young English general to capture Quebec.
This young general was James Wolfe. He was born in the southeastern part of England in 1727. From his father, who was an officer in the English army, he inherited a love for the soldier's life. But in all the trials and dangers to which he was exposed in his short and stormy career, he continued to be a devoted son, his love for his mother being especially tender and sincere. With her he kept up a regular correspondence, in which he freely expressed his inmost thoughts and feelings.
When only sixteen years of age he was sent to Flanders as an adjutant in a regiment of the English army. Here, by faithful and thorough work, he won promotion and soon, through bravery and skill, received an appointment as brigadier-general. At the age of thirty-two he was sent to America to assist in an expedition to Louisburg, and played a large part in the capture of that stronghold.