Washington Surrenders Fort Necessity

July 4, 1754

Rain fell through the night and filled his hastily dug trenches. By morning Washington's powder was soaked and his men were drunk on the rum stores. He signed articles of surrender written in French he could not read - admitting, inadvertently, to Jumonville's murder. His only surrender ever. He marched his surviving men home to Virginia, humiliated but alive, and spent the winter learning from his mistakes.