The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1867-11-21
BRADDooK's GRAVE.


The place where Braddock was buried
is 10 Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and
between fifty-ihree and fifty~four miles
from Cumberland, Maryland, a few rods
north of the National road, There had
long existed tradition in this region that
Braddock was killed by one Of his own
men, and more recent developments leave
little or no doubt of the fact. A eommu-
nication some time since appeared in
Washington paper, written by a gentle
man whose authority is good on such
points, and says: when my father was
removing with his family to the West, one
of the Eausetts kept public house near
where Unontown now stands, the county
seat of Fayette, Pa. In this mans house
we lodged about the 10Th of October,
1881, twentyasix years and few months
after Braddock' 3 defeat, and there 1t was
made anything but a secret that one of
the family dealt the death blow TO the
British General.
Thirteen years after I met Thomas
Fausett in Fayette county, then, as he
told me, in his 10th year. To him | put
the plain question, and received the plain
OH to insist that, by doing SO, be contri>
buted to save what was left of the army.
In brief, in my youth | never heard the
fact either doubted OF blamed, that Faue
6ett shot Braddock." "
Hon. Andrew Stewart, of Uniontown,
Pa, says bis father knew and often con-
versed with Tom Eausett, who did not
hesitate TO avOw, In the presence OF lis
friends, that he shot General Braddock.
Fausett was a man Of gigantic frame, OF
unciy yilized, half-savage prOpensilies, who
spent most of his life among The noun
tains as a hermit, living on game which
he killed. He would occasionally come
into town and get drunk sometimes he
would repel inquiries into the affairs OF
Braddock's death, by putting his fingers
to his lips, and uttering a sort of buzzIng
sound at other times he would burst into
tears, and appear greatly agiiated By con>
| f1icting passions.
In spite of Braddock's silly order that
the troops should not protect themselves
/ behind the trees, Joseph Fausctt had
taken such position, when Braddock rode
! up III a passion, and struck him down
with his sword. Tom Fausett, who was
but a short distance from his brother, saw
| the whole transaction, and Immediately
I drew ~ his aafe-.liid -I5faIi9ck
through tue lungs, partly in revenge Tor
/ the outrage upon his brother, aud partly,
as he always alleged, to get the General
out of the wav, and thus save the remain
der of the gallant band who had been sac
rificed to his obstinacy and want Of eX>
perience in frontier warfare.
After Braddock fell, the retreating sol
diers carried their wounded General for
four days until they reached ''seven miles
beyond Dunbar'S camp, where be ex-
pired" He was buried in the centre OF
the road which his advancing army hac
cut and to prevent the discovery of thi
grave, and to save the body from savage
dishonor, soldiers, horses and wagons
were passed over it. Some of the soldlcli
so marked the trees near the spot IL
those who visited there many years atte
could point out the spot wltli5ceeaInty
Some twenty mine years since, while
party of laborerS were repairing this roa
and digging away the slope of the hill
they disinterred some bones, with sundr
military trappings, which were at one
known by the old settlers to be those c
Braddock One and another toJk son.
of the most prominent bones, and the 9th
ers were reinterred under a tree on til
hill. Mr.. Stewart afterwards collected Il
I scattered bones from the individuals VIII
Q had taken them, and sent them to Peale
G Museum in Philadelphia,
e A plain shingle marked ''Braddock
r Grave" nailed to the tree where part
a the bones are inferred, is the only mont
ment to point out to the traveller the res
ing place of the proud and brave but III
- fortunate hero of the French war.