From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Braddock expedition
Part of the French and Indian War
Route of the Braddock Expedition
Date May-July 1755 Location Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio Country Result Decisive French & Indian victory
Belligerents
[1] France Indian Tribes	Great Britain
Commanders
Liénard de Beaujeu † Jean-Daniel Dumas Charles de Langlade	Edward Braddock † George Washington
Strength
637 natives, 108 regulars 146 militia[2]	2,100 regulars and militia 10 cannon[3][2][4]
Casualties and losses
30 killed 57 wounded[5]	500+ killed[2]

The Braddock expedition, also called Braddock's campaign or, more commonly, Braddock's Defeat, was a failed British military expedition which attempted to capture the French Fort Duquesne (modern-day downtown Pittsburgh) in the summer of 1755 during the French and Indian War. It was defeated at the Battle of the Monongahela on July 9, and the survivors retreated. The expedition takes its name from General Edward Braddock, who led the British forces and died in the effort. Braddock's defeat was a major setback for the British in the early stages of the war with France and one of the most disastrous defeats for the British in the eighteenth century.^[4]

Background

Braddock's expedition was just one part of a massive British offensive against the French in North America that summer. As commander-in-chief of the British Army in America, General Braddock led the main thrust against the Ohio Country with a column some 2,100 strong. Braddock's command consisted of two regular line regiments, the 44th and 48th with about 1,350 men also, about 500 regular soldiers and militiamen from several British American colonies and artillery and other support troops. With these men Braddock expected to seize Fort Duquesne easily, and then push on to capture a series of French forts, eventually reaching Fort Niagara. Twenty-three year-old George Washington, who knew the territory, served as a volunteer aide-de-camp to General Braddock.^[6] Braddock's Chief of Scouts was Lieutenant John Fraser of the Virginia Regiment, who owned land at Turtle Creek and who had previously served as Second-in-Command at Fort Prince George at the confluence of the Allegheny and Mononghela Rivers, the site of Fort Duquesne by the time of the Braddock Expedition, and who had been at Fort Necessity.

Braddock's attempt to recruit Native American allies from those tribes not yet allied with the French proved mostly unsuccessful; he had but eight Mingo Indians with him, serving as scouts. A number of Indians in the area, notably Delaware leader Shingas, remained neutral. Caught between two powerful European empires at war, the local Indians who were committed to their lands could not afford to be on the side of the loser. Braddock's success or failure would influence their decisions.

Braddock's Road

Setting out from Fort Cumberland in Maryland on May 29, 1755, the expedition faced an enormous logistical challenge: moving a large body of men with equipment, provisions, and (most importantly for the task ahead) heavy cannon, across the densely wooded Allegheny Mountains and into western Pennsylvania, a journey of about 110 miles. Braddock had received important assistance from Benjamin Franklin, who helped procure wagons and supplies for the expedition. Among the wagoners, incidentally, were two young men who would later become legends of American history: Daniel Boone, and Daniel Morgan. Other members of the expedition were Ensign William Crawford (soldier) and Charles Scott (governor of Kentucky). Among the British were Thomas Gage; Charles Lee, future American president George Washington, and Horatio Gates.

The expedition progressed slowly because Braddock considered making a road to Fort Duquesne a priority (in order to effectively supply the position he expected to capture and hold at the Forks of the Ohio), and largely due to the lack of sufficient healthy draft animals. In some cases, the column was only able to progress at a rate of two miles a day, creating Braddock's Road—an important vestige of the march—as they went. To speed up movement, Braddock split his men into a "flying column" of about 1,300 men which he commanded and a supply column of 800 men with most of the baggage commanded by Colonel Thomas Dunbar. Dunbar's command lagged far behind. They passed the ruins of Fort Necessity along the way, where the French had defeated Washington the previous summer. Small French and Indian war bands harried Braddock's men during the march, but these were minor skirmishes.

Meanwhile, at Fort Duquesne, the French garrison consisted of only about 250 regulars and Canadian militia, with about 640 Indian allies camped outside the fort. The Indians were from a variety of tribes long associated with the French, including Ottawas, Ojibwas, and Potawatomis. The French commander, after receiving reports from Indian scouting parties that the British were on their way to besiege the fort, realised that his fort could not withstand Braddock's cannon, decided to launch a preemptive strike: an ambush of Braddock's army as he crossed the Monongahela River. The Indian allies were initially reluctant to attack such a large British force, but the French commander Liénard de Beaujeu, who dressed himself in full war regalia complete with war paint, convinced them to follow his lead.

Battle of the Monongahela

By July 8, 1755, the Braddock force was on the land owned by the Chief Scout, Lieutenant John Fraser. That evening, the Indians sent a delegation to the British to request a conference. Braddock sent Washington and Fraser. The Indians asked the British to halt their advance so that they could attempt to negotiate a peaceful withdrawal by the French from Fort Duquesne. Both Washington and Fraser recommended this to Braddock but he demurred.

On July 9, 1755, Braddock's men crossed the Monongahela without opposition, about ten miles south of Fort Duquesne. The advance guard of 300 Grenadiers and colonials with two cannon under Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage began to move ahead, and unexpectedly came upon the French and Indians, who were hurrying to the river, behind schedule and too late to set an ambush.

In the skirmish that followed between Gage's soldiers and the French, the French commander, Beaujeu, was killed by the first fire of the Grenadiers' line. Although some 100 French Canadians fled back to the fort and the noise of the cannon had held the Indians off, Beaujeu's death did not have a negative effect on French morale as Dumas rallied the rest of the French and their Indian allies. The battle, known as the Battle of the Monongahela, or the Battle of the Wilderness, or just Braddock's Defeat, was officially begun. Braddock's impressive force was approximately 1,400 men. The British faced a French and Indian force, estimated to number between 300 and 900. The Battle of the Monongahela has often been described as an ambush. The encounter was actually a meeting engagement, where two forces clash at an unexpected time and place. The quick and effective response of the French and Indians - despite the early loss of their commander - led many of Braddock's men to believe they had been ambushed. However, French documents reveal that the French and Indian force was too late to prepare an ambush, and had been just as surprised as the British.

After an exchange of fire, Gage's advance group fell back. In the narrow confines of the road, they collided with the main body of Braddock's force, which had advanced rapidly when the shots were heard. The entire column dissolved in disorder as the Canadian militamen and Indians enveloped them and continued to snipe at the British flanks from the woods on the sides of the road. At this time, the French regulars began advancing from the road and began to push the British back.

Following Braddock's example, the officers kept trying to reform units into regular order within the confines of the road, mostly in vain and simply providing targets for their concealed enemy. Cannon were used, but in such confines of the forest road, they were ineffective. The colonial militia accompanying the British took cover and returned fire. In the confusion, some of the militiamen who were fighting from the woods were mistaken for the enemy and fired upon by the British regulars.

19th century engraving of the death of Major-General Braddock at the Battle of the Monongahela.

Finally, after between an hour to three hours of intense combat, Braddock was shot off his horse as effective resistance collapsed. Colonel Washington, although he had no official position in the chain of command, was able to impose and maintain some order and formed a rear guard, which allowed the remants of the force to disengage. This earned him the sobriquet Hero of the Monongahela, by which he was toasted, and established his fame for some time to come.

"We marched to that place, without any considerable loss, having only now and then a straggler picked up by the French and scouting Indians. When we came there, we were attacked by a party of French and Indians, whose number, I am persuaded, did not exceed three hundred men; while ours consisted of about one thousand three hundred well-armed troops, chiefly regular soldiers, who were struck with such a panic that they behaved with more cowardice than it is possible to conceive. The officers behaved gallantly, in order to encourage their men, for which they suffered greatly, there being near sixty killed and wounded; a large proportion of the number we had."^[7]

By sunset, the surviving British and American forces were fleeing back down the road they had built. Braddock died of his wounds during the long retreat, on July 13, and is buried within the Fort Necessity parklands.

Of the approximately 1,300 men Braddock had led into battle, 456 were killed and 422 wounded. Commissioned officers were prime targets and suffered greatly: out of 86 officers, 26 were killed and 37 wounded. Also, of the 50 or so women that accompanied the British column as maids and cooks, only 4 survived. The French and Canadians reported 8 killed and 4 wounded; their Indian allies lost 15 killed and 12 wounded.

Colonel Dunbar, with the reserves and rear supply units, took command when the survivors reached his position. He ordered the destruction of supplies and cannon before withdrawing, burning about 150 wagons on the spot. Ironically, at this point the defeated, demoralised and disorganised British forces still outnumbered their opponents. The French and Indians did not pursue and were engaged with looting and scalping. Dumas realized the British were utterly defeated and he didn't have enough of a force to continue organized pursuit.

Debate

The debate on how Braddock, with professional soldiers, superior numbers, and artillery, could fail so miserably began soon after the battle and continues to this day. Some blamed Braddock, some blamed his officers, some blamed the British regulars or the colonial militia. George Washington, for his part, supported Braddock and found fault with the British regulars.^[7]

Braddock's tactics are still debated. One school of thought holds that Braddock's reliance on time-honoured European methods, where men stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the open and fire mass volleys in unison, was not appropriate for frontier fighting and cost Braddock the battle. Skirmish tactics that American colonials had learned from frontier fighting, where men take cover and fire individually, "Indian style", was the superior method in the American environment.^[8]

However, in some studies, the interpretation of "Indian style" superiority has been argued to be a myth by several military historians.^{[citation needed]} European regular armies already employed irregular forces of their own and had extensive theories of how to use and counter guerilla warfare. Stephen Brumwell argues just the opposite stating that both Forbes and Bouquet, at the time, recognized that "war in the forests of America was a very different business from war in Europe."^[9] Russell argues it was Braddock's failure to rely on the time-honoured European methods that cost him the battle.^[10] The British had already waged war on the irregular forces of the Scots. And Balkan irregulars, such as Pandours and Hussars, had already made their impact on European warfare and theory by the 1740's. Braddock's failure, according to proponents of this theory, was that he failed because he did not adequately apply traditional military doctrine (particularly by not using distance), not the lack of use of frontier tactics.^[11] Peter Russell, in his study, shows that on several occasions before the Battle of the Monongahela, Braddock successfully adhered to standard European tactics to counter ambushes, and as a result had been nearly immune to earlier French and Canadian attacks.

Footnotes

1. ^ George Ripley, Charles Anderson Dana, The American Cyclopaedia, New York, 1874, p. 250, "...the standard of France was white, sprinkled with golden fleur de lis...". *[1]The original Banner of France was strewn with fleurs-de-lis. *[2]:on the reverse of this plate it says: "Le pavillon royal était véritablement le drapeau national au dix-huitième siecle...Vue du chateau d'arrière d'un vaisseau de guerre de haut rang portant le pavillon royal (blanc, avec les armes de France)."[3] from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: "The oriflamme and the Chape de St Martin were succeeded at the end of the 16th century, when Henry III., the last of the house of Valois, came to the throne, by the white standard powdered with fleurs-de-lis. This in turn gave place to the famous tricolour."
2. ^ ^{a b c} Borneman p.55
3. ^ History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, Duncan, Major Francis, London, 1879, Vol. 1, p.58, Fifty Royal Artillerymen, 4 brass 12 pounders, 6 brass 6 pounders, 21 civil attendants,10 servants and six "necessary women".
4. ^ ^{a b} John Mack Faragher, Daniel Boone, the Life and Legend of an American Pioneer, Henry Holt and Company LLC, 1992, ISBN 0 8050 3007 7, p.38.
5. ^ Borneman p.55—French:28 killed 28 wounded, Indian:11 killed 29 wounded
6. ^ Some accounts state that Washington commanded the Virginia militia on the Braddock Expedition, but this is incorrect. Washington did command the Virginia militia before and after the expedition. As a volunteer aide-de-camp, Washington essentially served as an unpaid and unranked gentleman consultant, with little real authority, but much inside access.
7. ^ ^{a b} George Washington, July 18, 1755, letter to his mother. Similarly, Washington's report to Governor Dinwiddie. Charles H. Ambler, George Washington and the West, University of North Carolina Press,1936, pp. 107-109.
8. ^ See, for example, Armstrong Starkey's European and Native American Warfare, 1675-1815 (University of Oklahoma Press, 1998).
9. ^ Stephen Brumwell, Redcoats, The British Soldier and War in the Americas 1755-1763, Cambridge University Press, 2002, ISBN 0 521 80783 8, pp. 198-205.
10. ^ See the in-depth study of Peter Russell: "Redcoats in the Wilderness: British Officers and Irregular Warfare in Europe and America, 1740 to 1760", The William and Mary Quarterly > 3rd Ser., Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oct., 1978), pp. 629-652
11. ^ This argument is most recently presented in Guy Chet's Conquering the American Wilderness: The Triumph of European Warfare in the Colonial Northwest (University of Massachusetts Press, 2003).

References

• Borneman, Walter R. (2007). The French and Indian War. Rutgers. ISBN 978-0060761851. 
• Chartrand, Rene. Monongahela, 1754-1755: Washington's Defeat, Braddock's Disaster. United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-84176-683-6.
• Jennings, Francis. Empire of Fortune: Crowns, Colonies, and Tribes in the Seven Years War in America. New York: Norton, 1988. ISBN 0-393-30640-2.
• Kopperman, Paul E. Braddock at the Monongahela. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1973. ISBN 0-8229-5819-8.
• O'Meara, Walter. Guns at the Forks. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1965. ISBN 0-8229-5309-9.
• Russell, Peter. "Redcoats in the Wilderness: British Officers and Irregular Warfare in Europe and America, 1740 to 1760", The William and Mary Quarterly > 3rd Ser., Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oct., 1978), pp. 629-652

External links

• Braddock's Road
• The French Army 1600-1900
• WikiTravel Itinerary tracing the route of the expedition

Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War 1754 Battle of Jumonville Glen · Battle of the Great Meadows 1755 Braddock expedition · Battle of the Monongahela 1756 Kittanning Expedition 1758 Battle of Fort Duquesne · Battle of Fort Ligonier · Treaty of Easton Frontier Forts Fort Augusta · Fort Bedford · Fort Deshler · Fort Duquesne · Fort Halifax · Fort Le Boeuf · Light's Fort · Fort Ligonier · Fort Loudoun · Fort Machault · Fort Necessity · Fort Pitt · Fort Presque Isle · Fort Prince George · Redstone Old Fort · Fort Venango

From Wikitravel

This article is an itinerary.

This itinerary attempts to follow, as closely as possible by car, the original route of the Braddock Expedition through Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania up to the crossing at the Monongahela River where General Braddock's ill-fated expedition ended and the young Colonel George Washington earned his fame.

Approximate route of the Braddock Expedition

In 1755, General Edward Braddock, Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty’s Forces in North America, was commissioned with expelling the French from the Ohio Valley by taking Fort Duquesne in present-day Pittsburgh. Additionally, Braddock's expeditionary force would clear a road from Fort Cumberland (Cumberland, Maryland) to Fort Duquesne. This action was performed in conjunction with several other campaigns against the French in North America that year. From April 9th to July 9th, Braddock's force of nearly 1,500 men marched approximately 250 miles. On July 9th, Braddock's force of British regulars, continental regulars, and militiamen fought a meeting engagement with 900 French soldiers and Indians just after crossing the Monongahela River south of Fort Duquesne.

The Battle of the Monongahela resulted in a tragic defeat for General Braddock. The British soldiers' poor discipline resulted in a panic-stricken route allowing the French and Indians to easily pick them off. Washington was recognized as Virginia's war hero as he was able to form up a defense and save the remainder of Braddock's force. Braddock, however, did not survive the battle.

Washington also played a key role as an advisor to General Braddock. Washington spent his early adulthood surveying the lands granted to the Fairfax family. This gave him valuable information on the best route to From Alexandria, Virginia to Cumberland, Maryland. He also held a deep interest in settling the Ohio Valley. Washington believed that the future of America lay in the fertile farm lands of the Ohio and a trade route to this area was key.

While Fort Duquesne was not taken, the trail blazed by Braddock's expedition proved to be a major commercial link to the West and provided part of the basis for the construction of US Highway 40 - the National Road, one of the first major improved highways in the US. The road also proved valuable during Washington's term as president—in 1794, he led 13,000 men up the Braddock Road to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion.

Today, the trails followed by Braddock's men is much different than in 1755. In Northern Virginia from Alexandria to Leesburg, much of the original route has been broken up by housing developments and strip malls. However, there are still some fragments of the trail in original condition, such as the span in Claude Moore Park in Sterling, Virginia. As you travel further west, many of the roads traveled follow the same roads used in 1755. You will witness the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains, discover a country that George Washington spent much of his time traversing and speculating on, and discover the road that opened the Ohio Valley to a rush of settlement.

Prepare

The route follows some city roads and mostly rural roads. Part of the route traverses the Appalachian Mountains. A typical first aid kit in your trunk will do. While a typical trip from Alexandria to Pittsburgh takes 4 hours, this trip will take from 6 to 10 hours. Plan on a whole day to allow time for all of the sites. A good road atlas of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania is highly recommended. A detailed road map (such as those published by ADC [1]) of Northern Virginia is also good to have.

Get in

The trip begins at Founders Park in Alexandria, Virginia.

From points north (ie. Baltimore), take I-95 south, cross the Wilson Bridge and take the Route 1 exit north into Alexandria. Take a right on King Street and follow it to the water's edge.

From points south (ie. Fredericksburg, Richmond), take I-95 north and take the Route 1 exit north into Alexandria. Take a right on King Street and follow it to the water's edge.

From points east (ie. Annapolis), take Route 50 west to I-495/I-95 (Capital Beltway) going south toward Richmond. Cross the Wilson Bridge and take the Route 1 exit north into Alexandria. Take a right on King Street and follow it to the water's edge.

From points west (ie. Winchester), take I-66 east to I-495 (Capital Beltway) going south toward Richmond. Follow the Beltway around to the Route 1 exit north into Alexandria. Take a right on King Street and follow it to the water's edge.

There is usually plenty of parking near the water's edge. You can walk to Founders Park by walking to the left when facing the river. The park is past the wharf area (where the Torpedo Factory and Charthouse restaurant are).

Alexandria Harbor

The tour begins in Alexandria, Virginia where King Street meets the Potomac River. This area used to be Alexandria's port. It was the main point of entry and departure for merchants shipping tobacco and food to the Old World and importing luxury goods into the New World. As shipping focused more on the port at Norfolk, Alexandria became the central marketplace in Northern Virginia for slaves. In the years leading up to the civil war, only slaves that were born in America were sold here as importing slaves from abroad was illegal. From 1790 to 1846, Alexandria was part of the District of Columbia but was retroceded to VIrginia as the Alexandrians across the river from DC shared little interest with those in the District. During the Civil War, Alexandria was heavily fortified in order to repel a Confederate assault on Washington and was occupied by Union troops for the duration of the war. As the Federal government grew in the 20th century, Alexandria has become a wealthy city home to government contractors but it has maintained its links with the past by keeping the "Old Town" area's shops and old homes intact.

Braddock's journey started in Cobh near Cork, Ireland. He sailed into Hampton, Virginia and then into Alexandria. It was here in this port where he arrived with his two regiments and began planning his march.

The Carlyle House in Alexandria

In Alexandria, Braddock established his headquarters at the John Carlyle house. To get to the Carlyle House from the port of Alexandria, travel West (away from the river) on King Street for two blocks and take a right onto North Fairfax Street. The house is on the right. Here at the Carlyle House, Braddock met with five colonial governors and tried to convince them to support his campaign against the French. The governors were unable to convince their colonial assemblies to support the mission. This incident highlighted the divide that was growing between the United Kingdom and the American colonies.

Braddock stayed three weeks at the house, and was reported by the house's owner to be "too fond of his passions, women and wine...” and that the general had “abused his house and furnishings...”

With the campaign planned and the army assembled, it was time to march on Fort Duquesne.

At the outset, General Braddock sent his two regiments on different routes to meet at Fort Cumberland, Maryland, the final staging point of the expedition. Braddock sent his 48th regiment under Colonel Thomas Dunbar across the Potomac, through Maryland, and up to Frederick. The 44th regiment under Sir Peter Halkett was sent to Cumberland through Northern Virginia. Since the roads past Frederick were unable to support a marching army, the 48th regiment was forced to head south and meet the 44th just northwest of Winchester, Virginia.

For the present, this tour will focus on Halkett's route through Northern Virginia.

Halkett's Route Through Virginia

Sir Peter Halkett led his regiment from Alexandria along a route roughly following today's Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) up to Leesburg. From Leesburg, he travelled across the Shenandoah, through Charles Town, and through the mountains of West Virginia to a ferry on the Potomac near present-day Paw Paw, West Virginia. After ferrying the Potomac, the regiment stopped at Fort Cumberland.

Alexandria to Old Fairfax Courthouse

Site of the Old Fairfax Courthouse

From North Fairfax Street in front of the Carlyle House, continue north. Turn left onto Wythe Street. Follow Wythe Street until you veer left onto East Braddock Road. This road roughly follows Route 7, and is supposedly the road followed by Braddock's men. There are other braddock roads in Northern Virginia (including Route 620 through Springfield/Fairfax and its old continuation through Loudon County) but these roads do not actually follow the route of Braddock's troops.

Once on Braddock Road, follow it west through several suburban neighborhoods and across Route 7 and I-395. Suddenly, you will come to a college campus at N Beauregard Street. Take a detour left onto Beauregard and then right onto Seminary Road. You will need to veer left to stay on Seminary Road and avoid turning right onto George Mason Drive. Continue west on Seminary Road until you loop around and meet Route 7 again at Bailey's Crossroads. Take a left to head west on Route 7. Follow Route 7 through Seven Corners and Falls Church, and across I-66 and I-495. Just before you reach the intersection with Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road), take a left onto Aline Avenue and follow it until it becomes Old Courthouse Road. Just after you cross Route 123 you will be at the site of the Old Fairfax Courthouse. The 44th camped here their first night.

The area from Alexandria to Tysons Corner (Old Fairfax Couthouse) has changed drastically since 1755! It is now a jumble of old DC suburbs, strip malls featuring stores and restaurants from nearly every ethnicity, and skyscrapers housing government contractors and other businesses. This is life inside the beltway. In Braddock's time, this area was a collection of plantations growing tobacco, staple crops, and livestock. Important road junctions, such as Bailey's Crossroads and Tysons Corner usually were the site of inns and general stores (ordinaries). It's interesting to note that this area was largely rural until quite recently. The 1970's, 80's, and 90's saw incredible growth in this area. Despite all of the development, the roads that existed in 1755 are still somewhat intact in the form of Braddock Road, Seminary Road, and parts of Route 7.

Fairfax Courthouse to Coleman's Ordinary

Coleman's Ordinary to Mr. Minor's Inn

Leesburg to Keyes' Ford

On the way from Leesburg to Waterford

At this point, Halkett's regiment split into two groups. Halkett led his group through Waterford while the second group travelled along Dry Mill Road. The two groups rejoined on Charles Town Pike. This itinerary will focus on Halkett's route through Waterford.

From West Market Street, take a right onto North King Street. Travel two blocks and take a left on North Street NW. Veer right onto Old Waterford Rd NW. Along Old Waterford Road lies Morven Park. This grove may resemble the landscape that Halkett's men observed in 1755. Diaries described beautiful groves of oak and hickory.

Follow Old Waterford Rd until reaching a 3-way intersection with Hurley Lane. Take this right continuing onto Old Waterford Road. Approaching the village of Waterford, veer left onto Fairfax Street. Here is the town of Waterford. Take a right onto Butchers Row and an immediate left onto Main Street. Follow Main Street until it becomes Old Wheatland Road.

Waterford Quaker meeting house

Old Waterford Road and Wheatland Road roughly travel the original roads that existed in 1755. Along the Old Wheatland Road used to stand a large white oak at the northwest corner of Jack Evans's farm. The tree marked a way stop for Halkett's men and was known as the "Braddock Oak." The tree came down after Tropical Storm Agnes in June 1972. Two miles west of Braddock Oak was Mr. Thompson's farm. Mr. Thompson was a quaker and supplied Washington's troops on his earlier journey to Fort Necessity. Washington recommended Braddock's men stop at Thompson's farm.

When Old Wheatland Road meets Charles Town Pike, take a left. Follow Charles Town Pike past HIllsboro and over a pair of mountain ranges. Just over the second range, turn right onto Chestnut Hill Road. From Chestnut Hill Road, take a left onto Keys Ferry Access Road. Follow this road until you reach the end. This site may have been the actual site where troops were ferried across the Shendandoah River.

Keyes' Ferry to Middleway via Charles Town

Since you cannot ferry your car across the river, go back the way you came and take a right onto Charles Town Pike. To see the other side of the ferry site, you can take a right onto Bakerton Road just after crossin the Shenandoah, or just skip it and continue on Route 9 (Charles Town Pike) into Charles Town. The army did stay the night at the Gershom Keyes plantation after crossing the river.

Follow Charles Town Pike (Rte 9) into the center of Charles Town and take a left onto Route 51 (Summit Point Pike). As you leave the city, veer right onto Route 51. Just before you reach Middleway, veer left onto Old Middleway Road. Welcome to Middleway!

Braddock's Route Through Maryland

See The Braddock Expedition and Fox's Gap in Maryland by Curtis Lynn Older, published by Heritage Books.

Once Halkett's group met up with Braddock's group, they headed for Cumberland through present-day West Virginia.

Middleway to Brucetown

Braddocks' 44th and 48th regiments met in Middleway and continued their march to Fort Cumberland.

From Middleway, going south on Leetown Road, take a right onto Brucetown Road. Take a left to continue on Brucetown Road when you reach a T-intersection with Bunker Hill Road. Follow Brucetown Road around a left-hand corner and take a right onto Cr-1/11 (Hinton Road?). You will cross the Opequon at Abril's Ford. Follow C-1/11 as it becomes Sir Johns Road. Take a right (west) onto an entirely different Brucetown Road. Once you've reached this turn, you're in Brucetown! The army camped here at Widow Littler's Tavern.

Brucetown to Forks of the Cacapon

Going west on Brucetown Road, continue across I-81 by taking a left at US-11 and an immdiate right onto Hopewell Road. As you follow Hopewell Road, you will pass by the Hopewell Quaker meeting house. Take a left onto Welltown Road and a Right onto Hiatt Road. Where Hiatt Road meets Apple Pie Ridge Road stands an old, 18th-century springhouse now covered in ivy. Braddock's men camped here, however, it is unknown if this building predated the expedition. Continue straight onto Catalpa Road and take a left onto Old Baltimore Road. Cross over the ridge to Cedar Grove.

At this point, the trail is lost as it is now covered by Lake Saint Clair and there are no longer any passes over Hunting Ridge where the army marched. Instead, take a left onto Cedar Grove Road and a right onto Route 522 (North Frederick Pike). Follow it over Hunting Ridge and take a left onto Gainesboro Road. After passing through Gainesboro, the army camped for the night.

Continue on 522. You may veer off onto Cross Junction Road as it may have been the original road through the area and it loops back to 522. Take a left onto Red Oak Road. Take another left onto Redland Road. Follow Redland to the intersection with Old Mill Road. This is Whitacre, another campsite. Continue on Redland Road, and veer right, making sure not to get onto Whitacre Road. Readland Road becomes Il Pugh Road. Take a right onto Route 127 (Bloomery Pike). As you cross over Timber Ridge, you will enter West Virginia.

Where 127 crosses Cacapon River is the "Forks of the Cacapon". Henry Enoch owned land here and a fort was built here after Braddock's defeat. The army camped a mile south of the mouth of the Bloomery Run.

Just before you cross the Cacapon, you can take a right onto an unnamed road to visit the Bloomery iron furnace!

Forks of Cacapon to Fort Cumberland

After crossing the Cacapon, take a right onto Owl Hollow Road and cross the North River. Take a left onto an unnamed road at the T-intersection and an immediate right onto Route 29. Just after crossing the ridge, take a left onto Critton Hollow Road. Follow this road and veer right onto 2 3rd Street to cross over Spring Gap Mountain. This mountain was named for the spring located in the gap you are now crossing. Braddock's men camped here atop the ridge. 2 3rd Street becomes Anthoney Boher Road. Take a right onto Spring Gap-Neals Run Road. Follow it north all the way to the Potomac River.

Here, Braddock's army camped at Thomas Cresap's farm and ferried the Potomac. Since there is no bridge here, we'll head around through Paw Paw.

Head back south on Spring Gap Road and take a left onto Neals Run-Paw Paw Road. Follow the road into Paw Paw and take a left onto Winchester Street. Veer onto Route 9/51 going north and cross the Potomac. Follow 51 to Cumberland. Route 51 will take you straight into the heart of Cumberland. Take a left onto Baltimore Street to cross the bridge over Will's Creek. Just to your left is the former site of Fort Cumberland (now a church).

Fort Cumberland to Frostburg

When you cross Will's creek, Baltimore Street becomes Washington Street. Take a left on any block and then a right onto Greene Street. Follow Greene street out of Cumberland and it becomes Route 49. Follow 49 until you reach Route 658. Take a right onto 658 and then a left onto Route 40 - the National Highway. You will cross Great Savage Mountain.

Frostburg to Uniontown

Follow US 40 to Uniontown.

Uniontown to Mount Pleasant

Follow US 119 to Mount Pleasant.

Mount Pleasant to Greensburg

Follow US 119 to Greensburg.

Greensburg to Duquesne

Take a left on Lincoln Highway (US 30). Take a left onto Lincoln Way just past North Huntington. Cross the Green Belt bridge and take a right onto 837 (Duquesne Blvd) into Duquesne.

Duquesne to the Battlefield

Follow 837 to the Rankin bridge. Cross the bridge. Follow Green Belt/Braddock Avenue.