<P> Fighting took place primarily along the frontiers between New France and the British colonies , from Virginia in the south to Newfoundland in the north . It began with a dispute over control of the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers called the Forks of the Ohio , and the site of the French Fort Duquesne within present - day Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . The dispute erupted into violence in the Battle of Jumonville Glen in May 1754 , during which Virginia militiamen under the command of 22 - year - old George Washington ambushed a French patrol . </P>
<P> Fighting took place primarily along the frontiers between New France and the British colonies , from Virginia in the south to Newfoundland in the north . It began with a dispute over control of the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers called the Forks of the Ohio , and the site of the French Fort Duquesne within present - day Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . The dispute erupted into violence in the Battle of Jumonville Glen in May 1754 , during which Virginia militiamen under the command of 22 - year - old George Washington ambushed a French patrol . </P>
who led the colonial troops at the beginning of the french and indian war
who led the colonial troops at the beginning of the french and indian war
George Washington
George Washington