The defeat of the British at the Battle of Fort Duquesne sparked the French and Indian War. The British attacked the French trading fort known as Fort Duquesne on September 14, 1758 (not 1755). This fort, and others, had been constructed in 1754 by the French in the Ohio River Valley as part of their strategy to expand their profitable fur trade, which was based in present-day Canada. The British, however, objected to this usurpation of what they considered was their territory, and, as a result, the Prime Minister, William Pitt, sent General John Forbes and 6,000 soldiers to gain control of the fort. During a reconnaissance mission, Major James Grant and his soldiers tried to attack the fort, but they were defeated by the French and his Indian allies. Aware of their numerical disadvantage, the French decided to retreat, not without burning Fort Duquesne first. Once they eventually left the Ohio Valley, the British built Fort Pitt on the site.
