That is Samuel de Champlain fighting in a small battle close Lake Champlain in 1609.

Champlain had formed an alliance with the Wendat, Algonquin, Montagnais and Etchemin peoples who requested that Champlain aid them in their war with the Iroquois. On July 29th 60 natives, Champlain and two French soldiers came across two hundred Iroquois. Our only source of information on what happened there comes from Champlain who said that he fired upon three native chiefs with his arquebus killing two (he had loading two balls in his gun) while a second Frenchman killed the other, and the battle ended after that.

The Europeans are French.

Specifically, they are Samuel de Champlain, founder of Quebec, and two of his companions. The engraving was made from a sketch done by Champlain himself.

The incident was a brief battle between Champlain and his Algonquian Indian Allies, and the Iroquois.

In 1609, Champlain with 9 French soldiers and about 300 Indian allies, was exploring south from Quebec along the Richelieu River.

On the way home, Champlain's group split up. Champlain and two French companions, together with about 60 Indian allies, encountered circa 200 Iroquois somewhere near present day Fort Ticonderoga. A brief battle ensued.

Champlain claims that he killed two of the Iroquois leaders with a single shot from his arquebus, and that one of his French companions killed a third. Thereafter the Iroquois fled.

In following times, the Iroquois were clever in playing the French, British and Dutch off against each other to further their own interests, but they most often sided with the Dutch or British, and against the French.