1758

1758 was a pivotal year in the global conflict known as the Seven Years' War, a widening struggle among major European powers that also played out in the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. The year saw a number of campaigns in North America that altered the balance of colonial power and set the stage for peace negotiations to come.

In North America, British forces achieved several important objectives. The siege of Louisbourg began in June and ended with the French surrender on July 26, 1758, giving the British control of the vital fortress that guarded the approaches to Canada. On Lake Champlain, the Battle of Carillon on July 8 resulted in a costly French defensive victory, as Abercrombie’s expedition failed to take Fort Carillon (Fort Ticonderoga). Later in the year, the British captured Fort Frontenac on August 26, allowing greater movement along the Great Lakes. The Forbes Expedition concluded with the capture of Fort Duquesne on November 25, 1758; the site would be renamed Fort Pitt in honor of William Pitt.

In other theaters, the war continued to shift influence in India as part of the Third Carnatic War, with British efforts expanding their reach at the expense of French positions. The global conflict in 1758 thus contributed to a widening British strategic advantage in North America and beyond, a trend that would influence the terms of peace when the war concluded in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris.