The French and Indian War formed part of the Great War for Empire, a global conflict from 1754 to 1763 that began as a struggle between France and England and spread to their colonies, drawing thousands of Native Americans and colonists into a bloody war. Its repercussions were far-reaching: the expense doubled England's debt, and Parliament's decision to tax the colonists without their consent helped spark unrest that eventually led to the American Revolution. Moravians settled Bethabara just before war broke out in the colonies, and although most major battles were fought farther north, the town still felt the war's effects as local militia trampled crops, caused drunken disorder during musters, trade with surrounding settlements declined, and supplies grew scarce as threats of attack neared. After a rumor that the Cherokee had switched alliance to the French, the Moravians built a defensive palisade around Bethabara and the mill site. During the next few years, many refugees along the Yadkin River took shelter there, especially in 1759 when Cherokee raids during the Cherokee War drove people from their homes. Overcrowded conditions in the forts allowed disease to spread rapidly, culminating in a deadly typhus outbreak in 1759 that killed refugees and Moravians alike, including Bethabara's physician, Dr. Kalberlahn. When the war ended in 1763, tensions eased and the fort was demolished in 1764, and Salem, intended to be founded much sooner, was finally established in 1766.