Before the start of that war, there were some disputes between the colonies, and one involved Thomas Cresap. Cresap, who later lived at Long Meadow north of Hagerstown before he moved west to Old Town in Allegany County, was running his ferry on the Susquehanna in 1730. He was located a few miles south of the 40th parallel, which was to be the boundary between William Penn's land of Pennsylvania and the Calverts' colony of Maryland. The book is full of maps, of excerpts from letters, of drawings of the main characters and of battle strategies. It details the frontiersmen's struggles with Native Americans and the cruelties each inflicted on the other.

"It is true, Maryland did not . . . contribute its proportion, but it was, in my opinion, the fault of the Government, and not of the people." ~Benjamin Franklin During the French and Indian War the American colonies contributed to the imperial war effort like never before, Maryland included. Maryland's involvement in the war saw colonial governor Horatio Sharpe and the elected delegates of the Lower House in near constant struggle over Maryland's role. They battled over the deployment of Maryland's militia, over raising troops, and over wartime funding. Meanwhile, frontier settlements burned and Maryland's soldiers joined the effort to defend Great Britain's claims to lands west of the Appalachians. Britain's colonies in North America expanded substantially as a result. Local historian Tim Ware details the political as well as the military conflicts Maryland faced in this unique war.

Contains information about the men and women from Md. and De. who served in the military or in civil service and rendered aid to British and American soldiers during the war against the French and Indians. Approx. 6,000 soldiers, sailors and civilian supporters have been identified.