The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-02-27
RouT OF RRADpocY's ARMY.
The Brave Effort wa.hinEto Made at
the Head Or YtrgiIita Troops.

The brave Effort Whshtn gtOn Made NJ
the Head Or Virginia Troops.
From Colonel Washington" by
Woodrow Wilson, in Harper's Maya
zine: on the 9th of July, at midday.
they waded the shallow Monongahela,
but eight miles from Duqucsne. making
brave show as the sun struck upon
their scrriad ranks, their bright uni
forms. their hutterlnG banners. and
their gllttering arms, and went straight
into the rough and Swallowed forest
path that led 10 the French post. Upon
sudden there came a man bounding
along the path to meet them, wearing
the gorget of French officer, and the
forest behind him swarmed with n great
host OF but discovered men. Upon
signal given, these spread themselves TO
right and left within the shelter OF the
forest, and from their covert poured
deadly fire upon Braddock's advancing
lines With good British pluck the
steady regulars formed their accus-
toned ranks, crying, God save the
EIng!" to give grace to the volleys they
sent back into the forest; the ordnance
was brought up and swung to Its work;
all the force pressed forward to tnke
what place II could In the fight; but
where was the use? Washington be-
sought General Braddock to scatter his
men, too, and meet the enemy under
cover us they came, but no would not
listen. They must stand In ranks as
they were hidden. and take the fire OF
their hidden foes like men. without
breach OF discipline. When they would
have broke In spite of him, In their
panic at being slaughtered there In
the open glade without sight of the
enemy, Rraddock beat them back with
his sword, and bitterly cursed them for
towards. He would have kept the Vir-
ginIans, too, back from the covert II he
could, when he saw them seek to close
with the attacking party In true forest
fashion. As II was, they were rs often
shot down by the terror-stricken regu-
lars behind them as BY their right foes
in front. They alone made any head In
the fight; but who could tell In such a
place how the battle Jared? No one
could count the enemy where they
they sprnng from covert to covert. They
were, in fact near thousand strong
at the first meeting In the way-more
than SIX hundred Indians, n motley host
gathered from far and near at the sum
mons OF the French. seven-score Cana
dian rangers, seventy odd regulars from
the fort, and thirty or forty French
officers, come out of sheer eagerness to-
have a hand In the daring game, Con-
trecoeur could not spare more French
men from his little gurrison his con-
nectlons at the lakes being threatened.
and he sorely straitened for men and
stores He was stalking everything, as
it was, upon this encounter on the way.
II the English should shake the savagcs
of. as he deemed they would. he must
no doubht withdraw as he could ere the
lines OF siege were closed about him.
He never dreamed OF such tRrGcss OF
good fortune rs came pouring in upon
him. The English were not only
checked but beaten. They had never
seen business like this, Twas pitiiul,
shameful slRughter--men shot Ike
beasts In pom there where they cow
cred close in their scarlet ranks. Their
first blazing vOlieys had sent the craven
Canadians scamperlnE back the way
they had come: Bcaujeau. who led the
attack, was killed almost at the first
onset: but the gallant youngsters who
led the motley array wavered never an
instant, and readily held the Indians
TO their easy work. Washington did all
that furious energy and reckless cOur-
age could to keep the order Of battle
his commander had no madly chosen. 10
hold the regulars TO their blind work
and hearten the Virginians TO stay the
threatened rout, driving his horse cN-
erywhere into the thick Of the mur.
derous firing. and crying upon all alike
] 10 keep to Il steadily like men. He had
but yesterday rcjoined the advance.
having for almost two weeks lain
stricken with fever In Dunhar'S camp.
He could hardly sit his cushioned sad
die for weakness when the fight began
but when the blaze OF the battle burst
his eagerness was suddenly like that OF
one possessed and his immunity from
harm like that of one charmed. Thrice
horse was got under him, many bull
lets cut hts clothing. but he went with
out n wound a Ike mad energy droH"
| Brnddnck stOrming up and down the
breaking lines: but lie was mortnliy
stricken at last, and Washington alone
remained to exercise such control ms
| was possible when the inevitable reut
came
II was lmrossIblc to hold the ground
IN SuCh fashion. The stubborn Brad
dock himself had ordered Il retreat ere
the fatal bullet found him. SiXty-three
out OF tho eiRhty-gix officers OF his force
were killed or disabled: less than Ave
| hundred mon out Of all the thirteen
hundred who had hut lust now passed
10 CALAMITY through the ford remained
unhurt. tho deadly slaughter must have
gone on to utter destruction, Retreat
was incvltnble--'twas blessed good for
tune that II was still possible, When
once II began 1t wHs hendlOnG and.
| reckless. franzied The mon ran wildly,
blindly, as II hunted by demons whom
no man might hope to rPsist-hnunted
by the friEhtful cries. .mRldened by the
searching and secret iirc OF their foes.
now coming hot upon their heels.
Wounded comrades military stores
baggage. their very arms. they left
upon the ground. abandoned Far into
the night they ran mndty on. tn frantic
search OF the camp Of the rear division,
crying. Ms they ran, for help; they even
| passed tho camp In their uncomfortable
terror OF pursuit, and won't desperately
on towards the settlements Washing
ton and the few 0iiiCorB md provlnciHla
who Rcnrned the terror found the ut
most dlHlculty In bringing of thnIr
stricken general, where he lay wishing
to die. Upon the fourth day after the
battle he died lonthng the sight OF II
rcdcoat. they Bnid. and murmwlnE
praises OF "lhc blues" thC once de-
SpTscd VirgInlNns. They buried his body
In the rond that the army wagons
] might pass over the place and oblltcrnt0
every trace OF u grave their savage
enemies might rejoice to find and desc
crate
Results Tell the story.
| .tt,.n.t ~, q. 1, Ia