Braddock's Defeat
In
January, 1755 an English fleet, with two regiments set sail from Cork for North America.
These under- strength regiments were to be brought up to strength with recruits from the
colonies. Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Peter Halkett commanded the 44th, with 700
regulars, 5 companies of Virginia Rangers: Capt. Adam Stevens Co., Capt. Peter
Hogg's Co., Capt. Thomas Waggoner's Co., Capt. Thomas Cocke's Co., and Capt. William
Perronée's Co. Captain Ely Dagworthy’s Maryland and New York, and some 50 carpenters.
Colonel Thomas Dunbar commanding the 48th, with 650 regulars, 230 Rangers from Virginia
and Captain Edward Brice Dobb’s North Carolina Rangers, plus 35 carpenters. Both
regiments also had one independent company from New York. To supervise the ferrying and
block and tackle work, Lieutenant Charles Spendlowe from H.M.S. Norwich was attached with
a landing party to the gunners. For the assault they brought four 12- pounders, six 6-
pounders, four 8-inch howitzers and fifteen mortars.
With
these 1,400 British regulars and 500 colonial troops, 45 year old General Edward Braddock
meant to drive the French out of Fort Duquesne, which they had built on the site of the
present city of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
After
drilling his combined force at Fort Cumberland, Braddock marched into the Allegheny
wilderness in June 1755. His advance was cautious and in good order, with the pioneers
(engineers) hacking a road 12 feet wide through the virgin forest. Built on an old Indian
trail, the road was widened and surfaced to accommodate both wagons and cannon. While the
axe-men hacked the road, clearing as they went, often no more than four miles could be
covered.
At far
off Michilimackackinac, Charles de Langlade had been gathering Ottawa, Huron and Chippewa
tribesmen to take up the hatchet against the English. With two hundred warriors in a fleet
of canoes, he headed southward, paddling from dawn till dark in fine June weather. Early
in June they arrived at Fort Duquesne and reported to Captain Lienard de Beaujeu, the
French commander.
Indian
scouts reported seeing Braddock s army advancing in three columns toward the Monongahela
River. Commander de Beaujeu decided to intercept them there. Along with six hundred
Frenchmen and Indians, Langlade marched to the Monongahela and concealed themselves in
dense ravines along the river.
By
July 7th, Braddock s army reached the Monongahela at a point about ten miles from Fort
Duquesne. The French and Indians were waiting when the English arrived and broke ranks for
their noon rations. Langlade wanted to attack at that moment, but Beaujeu hesitated: The
British outnumbered them more than two to one. Langlade persisted--they could not halt the
British in open battle, but they could stun them now from ambush.
On the
morning of July 9th, Lt. Colonel Thomas Gage was ordered to lead a strong advance party
across the river. The British had been forced to ford the river twice to avoid a narrow
defile and were in engaged in a short skirmish at the second crossing with some thirty
Indians who fled. Now they were in more open country, woods rather than thick forest. A
band played and redcoats and provincials stepped out, with Braddock and his men following
closely behind in two columns. Grenadiers were on the flanks, Virginians in the rear, and
cattle and packhorses were between the columns.
Waiting
for them was Beaujeu, who had great difficulty in persuading his Indians to stay. Like
them, he and his men were stripped for action and painted.
Braddock's
men marched on. Suddenly, Beaujeu appeared, turned and waved his hat to the men behind
him. He was killed almost at once, but the French and Indian losses were small. The
redcoats swung from their columns into line as bullets tore into them from the trees. The
French Canadians took to their heels, and only the prompt action of Captain Dumas and
Charles Langlade, leading the Indians, prevented them from following the French. Yet
despite this disarray in the enemy ranks, the British were doomed.
The
British advance party was soon driven back into the main body of the army, which had
advanced to meet it. With the enemy firing from cover, and the advance guard s attempted
retreat, the troops could not form ranks. Confusion turned to panic, orderly withdrawal
became a rout The British never saw their enemies; they fired blindly across the river.
Crouching in trees and thickets, the shadowy Indians cut down the British regiments. They
could not see their enemy and their whole training was foreign to the situation. So as the
provincials sensibly took cover, the redcoats became confused and fired at them by
mistake.
The
officers on their horses were soon picked off by Indian marksmen, and their men went out
of control. Braddock arrived and did his best with curses and the flat of his sword to
restore order. But his men were broken up into heaving groups, totally without purpose,
except for some of the colonials. The few British who tried to take cover, Indian fashion,
incurred their leader's wrath.
Braddock
had four horses shot from under him, while trying to rally his troops. He was shot through
the lungs while mounting the fifth horse, and while his troops scattered, the Indians
charged after them with tomahawks and scalping knives.
In
horrible pain Braddock lingered four days, then his body was buried in the
middle of the military road. The troops marched over the site so the Indians would
not find and mutilate the body. In the end 977 of the 1,459 British and Provincial army,
including 63 of the 86 officers, were killed.
The
Indians, as usual, were too busy with plunder to follow: the booty that they took included
Braddock s war chest. In it were all the British plans for the military operations in the
south and west. It was George Washington brought the news of the disaster back to Dunbar.
The fleeing redcoats met the supply wagons at Gist s Plantation, where they had been sent
by Dunbar, but the panic went on. At Dunbar s camp, Dunbar himself ordered the destruction
of everything: Cannons, ammunition, powder wagons and shells, a disgraceful miscalculation
although another attack seemed imminent.
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