The Virginia Regiment was reconstituted in August 1755, and Dinwiddie appointed Washington its commander, again

with the rank of colonel. Washington clashed over seniority almost immediately, this time with John Dagworthy,
another captain of superior royal rank, who commanded a detachment of Marylanders at the regiment's headquarters
in Fort Cumberland.[44] Washington, impatient for an offensive against Fort Duquesne, was convinced Braddock
would have granted him a royal commission and pressed his case in February 1756 with Braddock's
successor, William Shirley, and again in January 1757 with Shirley's successor, Lord Loudoun. Shirley ruled in
Washington's favor only in the matter of Dagworthy; Loudoun humiliated Washington, refused him a royal
commission and agreed only to relieve him of the responsibility of manning Fort Cumberland. [45]
In 1758, the Virginia Regiment was assigned to the British Forbes Expedition to capture Fort Duquesne.[46]
[f] Washington disagreed with General John Forbes' tactics and chosen route.[48] Forbes nevertheless made
Washington a brevet brigadier general and gave him command of one of the three brigades that would assault the
fort. The French abandoned the fort and the valley before the assault was launched; Washington saw only a friendly-
fire incident which left 14 dead and 26 injured. The war lasted another four years, but Washington resigned his
commission and returned to Mount Vernon. [49]
Under Washington, the Virginia Regiment had defended 300 miles (480 km) of frontier against twenty Indian attacks
in ten months.[50] He increased the professionalism of the regiment as it increased from 300 to 1,000 men, and
Virginia's frontier population suffered less than other colonies. Some historians have said this was Washington's "only
unqualified success" during the war.[51] Though he failed to realize a royal commission, he did gain self-confidence,
leadership skills, and invaluable knowledge of British military tactics. The destructive competition Washington
witnessed among colonial politicians fostered his later support of strong central government. [52]