France's War Success Secrets

While the British did win in the end of the French and Indian Wars, why were the French so successful at winning at the start?

First of all, there was a little factor called “Indians”. Both the British and the French had different Native American tribes as their allies, however, the French had much more. Why? In a word, the French were nicer to the Indians then the British were. For example, while the French used the land, they did not destroy it. They made friends with the Indians, and let the Indians use the land too. And the French left the forest and other lands pretty much the same as when they came. Since the French were trappers, they did not cut down trees or disturb the animal’s habitat. Naturally the Indians liked the lands staying the same. Perhaps most importantly, the French considered the Indians partners.

Britain, on the other hand, had an attitude about the Indians that was 180 degrees different than the attitude of France. When British settlers came to settle America, they chopped down the forests, planted grain fields, and in general totally destroyed the land. They did not befriend the Indians at all, and once a British colonist came to a spot of land, an Indian would never use that land again. While the French had used the land, they had never “owned” the land. The British, on the other hand, felt like they owned the land forever. Naturally the Indians had a very hard time understanding this concept. It goes without saying that the Indians were not at all friends with the British, on the contrary, these “savages” were considered enemies by England.

So when the French and Indian Wars came along, the Indians had about 150 years of pent-up rage against the English. It was an easy choice for most of the Indian tribes to ally with the French, who treated them much better.

In addition, the French and Indians were a lot better adapted to fighting a forest war. They knew how to hide behind trees, how to ambush. The stubborn English, on the other hand, were way to used to fighting on Europe’s wide open fields. In Europe, each army would line up in rows. Evidently the English didn’t realize that that method wouldn’t work in North American forests. Dressed in bright red coats, the French and Indians had a heyday shooting down these bright, lined-up targets. In terms of military planning and experience, the French and their Indian allies were a lot smarter on how to fight in a forest.

While Britain did eventually win the control of eastern North America in the end, the French had several advantages in the start of the wars between them and England. First of all, France had treated the Indians better and so many tribes allied themselves with the French. Since England had seriously mistreated the Indians, the Indians were more then willing to fight the English. And finally, the French and Indians were smarter and more adaptable when it came to fighting in the forest.