May 1, 1756: The First Treaty of Versailles is signed. France and Austria form a military alliance.

May 2, 1756: Admiral Byng’s squadron, after having encountered much bad weather, arrived at Gibraltar, where Byng learnt the strength of the French squadron; and that it had already escorted a large body of troops to Minorca, and obtained possession of the whole island, with the exception of Fort St. Philip.

May 8, 1756: Sir Edward Hawke, with part of his squadron, arrived at Spithead.

May 8, 1756: On the 8th of May the British squadron sailed from Gibraltar and on the 16th reached Majorca, where intelligence was received, fully confirming that which had been obtained at Gibraltar.

May 11, 1756: A message was sent by his Majesty to both Houses of Parliament, signifying, “That his Majesty being desirous to be prepared against all attempts and designs whatsoever that may be formed by his enemies, in the present critical juncture, and considering that sudden emergencies may arise, which may be of the utmost importance, and be attended with the most pernicious consequences, if proper means should not be immediately applied to prevent or defeat them; his Majesty hoped, that he should be enabled by his parliament, to concert and take such measures, as should be necessary to disappoint or defeat any enterprises or designs of his enemies, and as the exigency of affairs may require.” For which message both Houses voted l loyal and dutiful address to his Majesty.

May 11, 1756: The new commander of New France, Marquis Louis Joseph de Montcalm, arrives in North America along with much needed reinforcements.

May 15, 1756: The Queenborough man of war with forty-five sail of transports will the Hessian troops on board, consisting о 5500 foot, and 800 horse, arrived at Southampton.

May 16, 1756: “Amsterdam, May 16. We have advice, that 16 men of war belonging to Sweden and Denmark, and some frigates, have joined near Elseneur, and that the admirals of the two nations have received orders from their respective courts to draw lots, when they come to a certain latitude, which shall command in chief the combined fleet. It is reported, that these ships are all double manned. Their destination is variously talked of.  Some pretend that they are designed to hinder the transporting of any Russian troops to Great-Britain. Others day, that this squadron is only intended to protect the navigation of the two crowns.”

May 17, 1756: His Majesty in council was pleased to order, that a commission should be prepared, to authorize and empower the lords of the Admiralty to grant letters of marque or commission to privateers.

May 17, 1756: Early in the morning, the 50-gun ship Colchester, and 20-gun ship Lyme, Captains Lucius O’Brien and Edward Vernon, being off the Isle of Oleron, chased two sail. At 5h. P.M., the Colchester arrived up with the sternmost, which was the 50-gun ship Aquilon, and engaged her very closely; while the Lyme brought to action her consort, the 32-gun frigate Fidelle. After an action of six hours’ duration, the French ships made off, leaving the Colchester and Lyme much damaged in hull and rigging, with the loss of a great many men.

May 18, 1756: War was declared against the French king, and notice was given at the post office, that no mail would go between these kingdoms and France.

May 19, 1756: [Off Minorca] At daybreak, having had a fine wind during the preceding night, the fleet comprising 15 ships of the line and 3 sloops arrived in sight of Minorca, and the admiral dispatched the Phoenix to reconnoiter Port Mahon, and ascertain the possibility of throwing supplies into Fort St. Philip, as also with a letter to General Blakeney, the commandant of the garrison. In the meanwhile the squadron made every effort to get inshore, but the appearance of the French fleet quickly changed the nature of the British admiral’s movements. His first object was to strengthen his weakest-manned ships from the crews of the smaller vessels, and he converted the Phoenix into a fire-ship.  Towards night, the French squadron of Admiral de la Galissonière had neared the British squadron within a few miles, when they tacked, to obtain the weather gage, but Byng possessing at that time this advantage, tacked also. The two fleets therefore continued working to windward all night, with light variable airs of wind, and at daybreak on the 20th, they were not visible to each other.

May 20, 1756: [Off Minorca] The Defiance, a little after daybreak, captured a tartan containing a reinforcement of men from Minorca for the French fleet, and shortly afterwards the latter was discovered to leeward, but at so great a distance that it was 2 P.M. before Byng considered it necessary to form his order of attack. The signal was then made for the British squadron in two lines to bear away two points, and engage the enemy. Rear-Admiral West, whose division was leading, misinterpreting the signal, bore up seven points; and at 2:45 P.M. the Defiance, in the most spirited manner, engaged the van ship of the enemy. The other ships of Rear-Admiral West’s division engaged with equal gallantry, and the action soon became general with the British van, and the French van and centre. The French ships were under topsails only, with their main-topsails to the mast. Byng, with his division, shortly afterwards bore up to the support of his rear-admiral; but the Intrepid, the last ship of the leading division, had not been long in action ere her foretopmast was shot away, and, in a manner wholly unaccountable, threw the centre division astern of her into confusion. The loss of a foretopmast to a ship sailing with the wind on her quarter ought not to have been attended with any material consequences, and the only effect it would have had upon experienced seamen would have been, that the ships astern would have passed the disabled ship to leeward, and have continued to close the enemy. It is impossible to justify the proceedings of Admiral Byng, and the ships of his division. The Intrepid rounded to, and threw all a-back, but not before she was in such a position as to engage the ship opposed to her in the line with effect. The Revenge, the ship next astern, luffed up, in order to pass the Intrepid to windward, but did not in fact pass her at all, as she remained upon the Intrepid’s weather quarter. The Princess Louisa and Trident were also brought to by the same cause, as well as the Ramillies, bearing the admiral’s flag. The latter ship did not get into action at all, although her crew wasted much ammunition by firing when out of gun-shot;  neither did the Revenge, Trident, Culloden, or Kingston. The division of Rear-Admiral West, which led, suffered most; and had the French not filled, and made sail after about three hours’ cannonading, his ships must inevitably have fallen into their hands. The four 74-gun ships of the French fleet mounted 42-pounders on the lower deck, and the 64-gun ships, 36-pounders. The conduct of M. De Galissioniere, therefore, was surprising; for, with such ships, he ought to have captured every ship of the British fleet. But this does not exonerate the British admiral, whose indecision is softened only by the severity of the penalty he paid. Byng quitted Minorca and returned to Gibraltar, where he was soon afterwards superseded by Sir Edward Hawke.
May 20, 1756: Nineteen transports, having on board 9000 Hanoverians, arrived at Chatham.

May 25, 1756: The States General came to a resolution, to observe exact neutrality in respect to the war in America, between Great-Britain and France.

May 27, 1756: “A very bold action was performed on the 27th of last month by capt. Cockburne, in the Hunter-cutter, a little thing with only forty men, and a few swivels. He kept loitering about Brest all day, and at night went in, in his boat, with only five men; when, after having rowed round all the men of war, and taken a particular account of them, he cut the cables of a French snow, boarded her, and carried her away from among the men of war. She was loaded with wine, which hath been distributed to all the fleet. We have got eighteen hogsheads ; and yesterday, after having taken every thing out of her, sunk her.”

May 29, 1756: Commodore Spry took a French dogger with provisions and stores of all kinds for the garrison of Louisbourg.

May 31, 1756: “Extract of a Letter from Philadelphia, dated May 31. ‘Pursuant to agreement some months ago, the four governments of New-England, in conjunction with New-York, (which last furnished 1,300) have new assembled 8,000 men for the attack of Crown-Point, at Albany, 150 miles N. of New-York, and about 130 from Crown-Point, under general Winslow; and as men continually join them, there will soon be 9,000. We are well assured by fishermen that a French fleet with soldiers on hoard crossed the banks of Newfoundland 20 days ago, bound for Canada; hence, as these troops may get to Crown-Point, and reinforce the forts before our army will go up thither, you may judge the bad consequences of this delay.  The 44th, 48th, 50th, and 51st regiments of Great-Britain, with three independent companies, and the Jersey Provincials, are destined for the campaign on the great lake Ontario, and mostly marched for Oswego, thence to be carried over in 200 whale boats, which are now at the lake, and were built last winter at Schenectady on Mohawks river, and are Jong, round, and light, for the batteaus being flat-bottomed and small would not answer the navigation of the lake, were the waves are often very high: They are to attack Fort Frontenac and the other French forts on the lake. Upwards of 2000 batteau men are employed to navigate the batteaus, each a ton burthen, loaded with provisions and stores from Albany, up the Mohawks river, then through Oncyda lake and river, down to Oswego. There are 300 sailors hired and gone up from New-York to Oswego, to navigate the four armed ships on the lake, built there last year for the king’s service, which are about 150 tons each, and two others are now building, smiths, carpenters, and other artificers having arrived there some weeks ago. The troops already mentioned for this service are about 3600 men, besides officers.  In this province, 1500 men are new raised, and yet we act only on the defensive, owing to party disputes and our own inexperience 400 of them are going to build a good fort at Shamakin, up the Susquehanna in the Allegheny mountains, a noted pass about 150 miles N. W. of this city. Besides the 60,000l. currency, given this this province last winter, 40,000l. more is just voted by a land-tax on lands and estates, etc. Maryland likewise has voted 40,000l. and Virginia 45,000l.”

March, 1756: “Thirty French prizes have been carried into Jamaica by his majesty’s ships upon that station. Many have also been carried into Barbados by the ships of commodore Frankland’s squadron.”

March, 1756: “Boston in New-England has voted 3000 men, and the province of New-York 1000, to be raised for the expedition against Crown-point. Governor Morris has drawn a line, upwards of 400 miles in length, on the back of Philadelphia, and fortified it is such a manner as to secure the inhabitants from the attempts of the enemy on that side.”

March, 1756: “About the beginning of last month a squadron of French men of war, with a number of transports, under the command of M. Perrier de Salvert sailed from Brest, having a number of troops on board, and great quantities of arms and ammunition; but whither bound is as yet a secret; All we know is that two English merchant ships have been taken by them in their passage, one of which was sent into Morlaix in France, and the other, which was taken 100 leagues to the westward of Cape Finisterre, has been sent into Cadiz in Spain.  Ever since the middle of February we have had accounts, by every mail from France, of great preparations making at Toulon, for some naval expedition, in which a strong squadron, and a great number of troops, were to be employed, and it was generally said to be designed against the island of Minorca, which was looked on as a French gasconade, as no squadron was sent from England for preventing it. But by the last mails we have an account that this squadron, with a body of 17 or 18,000 land forces, and all materials necessary for a siege, actually sailed the 9th inst, but were obliged by contrary winds to come to an anchor off the islands of Hieres, from whence they sailed again the nth, and were out of sight when the last letters came from thence. This makes some people apprehend that important island to be in danger, at our squadron tinder admiral Byng did not sail from Plymouth till the 6th inst, so that the French troops may be landed, and the fort invested several days before he can reach the island.”

March 1, 1756: “His royal highness the duke of Cumberland arrived at Chatham, and examined the fortifications carrying on at that place: At five in the afternoon he entered Canterbury, and reviewed the three regiments quartered there. The next day, between one and two in the afternoon, he reviewed lord Robert Bertie’s regiment at Dover-castle, and there lodged. The next day he visited Folkstone, Hythe, Dymchurch, New Romney, Lydd, and Rye. On Sunday night, the 7th, he returned from his tour to St. James’s.”

March 3, 1756: Orders were sent to the commissioners of the customs, to lay an embargo on all the shipping in the ports of England and Ireland, and at night there was the hottest press for seamen, on the river Thames, that has been known for many years. An embargo was also laid on the ships in the ports of Scotland. [This embargo was, in part, taken off again before the 20th.]

March 11, 1756: The Chev. d’Aubigny in the Prudent of 74 guns, together with the frigates Atalanta M. de Chaffault, and Zephyr M. le Touche de Treville, took the Warwick of 60 Guns Captain Shouldham, near Martinico.

March 11, 1756: Sir Edward Hawke with ten ships of the line, and under his convoy three East Indiamen sails from St. Helens westward.

March 13, 1756: “The preceding week, there was a very smart press for seamen and land men, in all the ports of the kingdom, as well as this city and suburbs, as also for soldiers; to which purpose the peace officers searched all the publick houses, and secured every idle person that could give no good account of themselves ; the roads into Essex, Surrey, Hertfordshire, &c. were guarded by marines, who took all those that were thought capable of serving his majesty either by land or sea. Orders were likewise dispatched from the privy council to the lord’s lieutenants of the several counties, to enjoin the justices and deputy lieutenants to exert themselves in causing all the straggling seamen to be taken up, for his majesty’s service. Many noblemen gave bounties in their respective counties, to those who enlisted in the new regiments, over and above the usual entrance money; by which those corps were speedily completed.”

March 23, 1756: “The King sent a message to the two Houses of Parliament, wherein his Majesty informed them, that he had received repeated advices, that a design had been formed by the French court to invade Great Britain or Ireland; and that the great preparations of land forces, ships, artillery, and warlike stores, now making in the ports of France, left little room to doubt of the reality of such a design: that his Majesty had therefore judged it necessary to acquaint them with intelligence of such high importance to the safety of these nations, and to inform them, that he had taken proper measures for putting his kingdom in a posture of defence against so unjust and desperate an enterprise, projected in revenge for those just and necessary measures which had been taken for maintaining his rights and possessions in North America; and that, in order further to strengthen himself, his Majesty had made a requisition of a body of Hessian troops to be forthwith brought over hither and that, trusting in the Divine protection, and in the good affection, zeal, and fidelity of his people, which he had so often experienced, his Majesty was determined to exert all the force God had put into his hands, to repel so daring an attempt; and doubted not of their support and concurrence.”

March 27, 1756: Attack on Fort Bull, North America. This English fort at the “Oneida carry” in New York is taken by storm by a 362-man body of French troops commanded by Lt. Chaussegros De Lery.  The fort, after it was taken, blew up by accident, with its magazine of Powder, (of 40,000 pound weight) bombs, bullets, grenades, other utensils of war, and a considerable quantity of provision.  This threatens the supply line to Fort Oswego on the shore of Lake Ontario.

February, 1756: “From the Hague we are cold, that the deputies of the admiralties have resolved to fit out 40 ships of war against the spring, besides the 11 that are now at sea, in order to protect not only their Mediterranean trade against the Algerines, but also that of the ocean, in case there should be occasion; and that a placard has been lately published in the province of Holland, for raising the 100th and 200th penny, at two separate patients, half on the 15th of May, and the residue on the 1st of July.”

February, 1756: “The house of commons of Ireland have waited upon the lord lieutenant with an address to the king, to assure his majesty of the just sense of that house of his majesty’s constant care and protection of that kingdom, and of their determined resolution to do everything in their power for the support of the dignity and honour of his crown, and the defence of his majesty’s dominions at this time threatened with invasion: And to pray that he would be graciously pleased to increase the number of forces in that kingdom to 12,000 men complete.”

February: A bill is submitted to Parliament for the raising a regiment of four battalions for service in North America to be partly officered by foreign Protestants and under the overall command of a British officer.  The bill passes in March and the 62d or Royal American Regiment is raised.

February 3, 1756: “Tuesday, Feb. 3. At a council held at St. James’s it was resolved to issue a proclamation (which was accordingly published in the London Gazette) setting forth, that the king being resolved, by the assistance and blessing of God, not to be wanting in his care for the defence of this kingdom, in case of any hostile attempt to land upon the coast thereof, hath thought fit strictly to charge and command all officers and ministers, civil and military, within their respective counties, &c. that they cause the coasts to be carefully watched, and, upon the first appearance of any such hostile attempt, immediately cause all horses, oxen and came, which may be fit for draught of burthen, and not actually employed in his majesty’s service, or in the defence of the country, and also (so far as may he practicable) all other cattle and provisions, to be driven and removed 20 miles at least from the place where such attempt shall be made, and to secure the same, so that they may not fall into the hands or power of those who shall make such attempt. Wherein nevertheless it is his royal will and pleasure that the respective owners thereof may suffer as little damage loss or inconvenience as may be consistent with the publick safety.”

February 3, 1756: On the third instant the French king’s orders were published at Dunkirk, for all British subjects to leave his dominions before the first of next month, except such as may obtain his permission to remain. Another edict was published at the same time, inviting his most Christian majesty’s subjects to set out privateers, promising a premium of 40 livres for every gun, and as much for every man they take on board the enemy’s ships; with a further promise, that in case peace should be concluded soon, the king will purchase the said privateers at their prime cost.

February 4, 1756: “Extracts of a Letter from Virginia, Feb. 4. ‘We are marching 200 white men and 100 Cherokees from a fort on the Newriver against the Shawnees, who live at a place that runs into the Ohio. Shirley and Johnson are to proceed in the spring against Crown-point and Niagara; and governor Sharp of Maryland is to proceed with 1000 men from Philadelphia, 1000 from his own government, Washington’s regiment of 1000 from Virginia, and 1000 Cherokee Indians against fort Dushen.’  By the last Gazette from Philadelphia there is an account of 78 people being killed at a place called Ninisinks, and 43 plantations burnt by the Delawar Indians, who live in the New York government. The government of Philadelphia has offered a reward of 350 dollars for each of the officers heads.”

February 13, 1756. “Vice-admiral Watson arrived the 11th of this month in Geriah harbour, on the coast of Malabar in the East Indies, with the Kent, Cumberland, Tiger, Salisbury, Bridgewater, and King’s Fisher stoop; and the following ships belonging to the Company, viz. the Protector of 40 guns, the Revenge, Bombay, Grab, and Guardian frigates, the Drake, Warren, Triumph, and Viper bomb-ketches where he was informed Tulagee Angria was treating with the Mahrattas to surrender the place to them. In consequence of this intelligence, the Vice-admiral sent him a summons the next morning to surrender the town and fort to him; but receiving no answer in the time he proposed, and finding the Mahrattas (from whom he had received no assistance) were trifling with him, he weighed in the afternoon, and stood into the harbour in two divisions, in the order as he directed. The enemy fired at the ships as they passed their batteries; but as soon as they were got by them, and were properly placed, they began such a fire as soon silenced their batteries, and likewise the fire from the grabs. Soon after four o’clock a shell was thrown into the Restoration, an armed ship which Angria some time before look from the East which set her on fire and after his whole fleet shared the same fate in were all entirely destroyed. In the night the Vice-admiral landed all his troops, suspecting the enemy would endeavor to let in the Mahrattas, which supposition was confirmed by a deserter, who informed Mr. Watson that Angria (who himself was not in the fort) had sent orders to his brother-in-law, who commanded the garrison, on no account to suffer the English to come in.   On the 13th in the after several messages had passed for so purpose, the Vice-admiral renewed the attack and in about twenty minutes they flung out a flag of truce, but the Admiral insisted that his troops should be let in and their colours hauled down, and they not complying with his demand, he repeated his attack with great vigor, and the enemy very soon called out for mercy, which out troops were near enough to hear distinctly. Captains Forbes and Buchanan, with sixty men, marched into the fort that night, and the next morning the rest of our forces. The Vice-admiral reported that all his officers and men behaved with great valour; that our loss was inconsiderable, as well as with respect to men as to damage done to the ships.  An officer, with sixty men, marched into the fort that night, and the next morning all our forces. The Vice-admiral reported that all his officers and men behaved with great valour; that our loss was very inconsiderable, as well with respect to men as to damage done to the ships, insomuch that he could have been able to have proceeded to sea again in twenty-four hours, had there been a necessity for so doing. The Vice-admiral left about 300 of the a company’s European troops in the garrison and as many Sepoys, and three or four of the companies armed vessels in the harbour, for the defence of the place.”

February 16, 1756: The Convention of Westminster is signed. England and Prussia form a military alliance.