Forbes Road

Forbes Road was a main land route which was used a lot during the French and Indian war. It was constructed in the year 1758. Its primary focuses were having aroute for supply delivery though the Appalachian Mountains during the peak of the war. General John Forbes also wanted a clear and direct route to transport heavy artillery as well as supplies with ease. Braddock's campaign is also very important for this because it was his driving factor to get rid of the French who were stationed near Pittsburgh. Though Braddock himself proved to have some shortcomings during the war, his influence on the road was immense. John Forbes was a Scottish man serving for the British army during the French and Indian war.  He was the commander of the 1758 expedition to seize fort Duquesne from the French on what became known as Forbes Road. Leading the expedition is what ultimately gave him rights to having the road named after him. Through his efforts the British were more than capable to seize Duquesne away from French hold and that’s exactly what they did. The campaigns were the main influences behind wanting to get the road built.

The road was initially constructed starting in Carlisle Pennsylvania , and eventually extending its way all the way through to the French occupied (at the time) Fort Duquesne near present day Pittsburgh Pennsylvania . The two men behind the initial construction of the road were Major General John Forbes and Edward Braddock. These roads were proven to be very useful as they cut through the wilderness and provided a direct way for supplies and artillery to reach the target. Though Forbes and Braddock are credited with the road, the one man who oversaw and directed most of the construction was Colonel James Burd, who many don't know about. Before the road was constructed they struggled in getting in supplies in a timely and productive manner. Mainly due to geographical difficulties such as large mountains, woodsy forests, and lots of rough roads. These factors had to become overcome in order to construct the road. Steep Ascents in roads and mountains were very common. Before the area was initially turned into an official road, it was within the surrounding area of the Shawnee tribe of Native Americans. It also followed a path which was known to the tribe and those who were regulars in terms of passing through it as the “Raystown Traders Path”. Once it became a constructed road, it became an even bigger method of trade due to the help of both Forbes and even Braddock. Around it is what had become known as the Northwest Territory of the United States. 

Alexander, K. W. (2021, April). Forbes Road, Pennsylvania. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://www.legendsofamerica.com/forbes-road-pennsylvania/

Briggs, Reginald P. (1977). Conquest of the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania: The Engineering Geology of Forbes Road 1758-1764.https://pittsburghgeologicalsociety.org/uploads/pubs/1997_Conquest_of_the_Allegheny_Mountains.pdf: Pittsburgh Geological Society. p. 1.

McGrath, N. (2000). Forbes Expedition. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/forbes-expedition/

Shade, Robert J.. Forbes Road: Love, War, and Revenge on the Pennsylvania Frontier. United States: Sunshine Hill Press, 2012.

Cubbison, Douglas. The British Defeat of the French in Pennsylvania, 1758: A Military History of the Forbes Campaign Against Fort Duquesne. United Kingdom: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2010.