George Washington was sent to western Pennsylvania primarily to confront the growing French presence and to deliver a message demanding the French leave the region. In 1753, Virginia's Governor Robert Dinwiddie sent the 21-year-old Major George Washington on a diplomatic mission to the Ohio Valley (which includes western Pennsylvania) where the French were building forts to assert their control. The region was strategically important due to its rivers, which were key trade and transit corridors. Washington's task was to warn the French to halt their expansion and leave lands claimed by the British, specifically Virginia. This mission marked the beginning of tensions that led to the French and Indian War. Washington traveled through western Pennsylvania to places like Fort LeBoeuf and the forks of the Ohio (modern-day Pittsburgh), where he delivered the ultimatum to the French, who refused to retreat.
Later military engagements followed, including Washington's involvement in the early fighting of the French and Indian War and his command of forces to defend British claims in the region.
