support for the fort increased considerably with the appointment of james glen as south carolina's governor in 1743. glen believed such a fort would not only help regulate trade, but would be a stepping stone for expanding the british empire into the interior of the continent. the fort had some support among british officials, as it was the height of king george's war (1744–1748), and the french were threatening to expand into the area from their base at fort toulouse (in modern central alabama). while the cherokee were initially cold to the idea, the overhill cherokee (i.e., the cherokees living on the western side of the appalachian mountains, in what is now tennessee), who had been suffering attacks from french-backed rival tribes, invited south carolina to build the fort in 1747. support for the fort faded at the end of the war, however.