Braddock's Road Historical Marker

This historical marker designates the starting place of General Braddock's march to Fort Duquesne on June 10, 1755. Braddock was a British officer and commander during the French and Indian War. The expedition ended with General Braddock being fatally wounded at the Battle of the Monongahela.

General Braddock was in charge of the British expedition to Fort Duquesne with a mission to capture the French fort and several others in the area. The expedition concluded with a major defeat for the British as they lost several hundred men along with their commander.  The British struggled to build alliances with area Native Americans, with many tribal leaders deciding to wait to see whether the French or the British would take the upper hand as they understood the consequences of aligning with European powers in colonial struggles even as they hoped to secure trade alliances.

Braddock went on to cross the Monongahela about 10 miles away from Fort Duquesne. George Washington warned Braddock of the Native American and French fighting style, but Braddock continued with his traditional European style of campaigning. The British outnumbered the French by numbers of 1300 to a number estimated between 300-900. Even with the greater numbers, the battle ended with Braddock being shot and a British retreat. The general died on his horse and was buried along the road. 

Busta-Peck, Christopher. Braddock's Road. The Historical Marker Database. February 29, 2008. Accessed April 01, 2018. https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=11246 

"General Braddock Defeated." History Today. Accessed April 02, 2018. https://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/general-braddock-defeated.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Battle of the Monongahela." Encyclopædia Britannica. July 25, 2014. Accessed April 02, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Monongahela.