Joe Peyser Book - Ambush & Revenge

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Ambush and Revenge: George Washington's Adversaries in 1754
Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville and Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers
by Dr. Joseph L. Peyser.
"Contrecoeur, having been informed that a large English force was moving into the vicinity, sent a detachment of about thirty men to confirm the report…"
Fort Duquesne, June 28,1754
Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville on May 28,1754 was acting as representative of the King of France on a mission to reconnoiter the strength of wilderness forces from the Virginia Colony. On the same day, George Washington, with the authority of the King of England, was in the same wilderness assessing the strength of armies of New France intruding on lands claimed by both powers.
Ambush and Revenge: George Washington’s Adversaries in 1754 by Joseph L. Peyser, a professor and scholar of the French language and Colonial American history, provides an insightful look at two famous characters from New France who made and changed world history.
Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers and his brother, Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville, are introduced in the context of the tragic event near Great Meadows and the fire of war that followed. Through Dr. Peyser, we see our common understandings of New France changed through well-researched documents, some untouched since the events were recorded.
How did a family of French noble lineage find its way to the absolute frontier of North America in 1700?
What were the rewards for a French colonial officer?
What was life like in the colony of New France: birth and death, love and marriage, education, career and more?
Joseph Peyser surrounds us with new information from the Canadian and French archives about the lives of two characters once lost in the footnotes of history. Every page of the book draws you back to be reread. Peyser provides a great platform for knowledge of our early history.
"One month after Jumonville’s "murder", Jumonville’s older brother requested and received orders to lead a strong detachment… assembled to pursue Washington’s forces to avenge "their foul behavior"…"
Fort Duquesne, June 28,1754

Review by Steve Nuckles, Curator, Jumonville Rindfuss Museum
September 1, 1999

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