Designing a Campaign Forbes' March to Ohio

Brigadier General John Forbes’ march from Carlisle to the Ohio River in 1758 was the first successful campaign in North America. Furthermore, it became one of the major operations during the Seven Years’ War that decided control of the continent in favor of the British at the expense of the French. Winston Churchill later referred to this conflict as the first global war. As such, this campaign is worthy of further study. This paper analyzes the Forbes campaign through the lens of the elements of operational design as explained in Joint Publication 5-0 to determine the reasons for success. It also looks to synthesize some of the lessons of the campaign to apply them to contemporary operations. While the definitions of the elements of operational design are adequate, they offer no historical examples so that a reader can grasp more fully their application. The Forbes campaign – a coalition operation conducted over more than 200 miles of wilderness that required significant planning and preparation - is an excellent case study in designing a successful campaign.

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