The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-06-23


either stream, furnished promise
of future subsistence. The woods
all around had been cut down,
and hardly a stump remained
within musket shot to shelter the
approach of a foe.
The garrison was constantly
changing numbers, it having at
one time l, 100 men and 400 In
dians. During the winter of
1855 this was reduced to about
25O regular troops under the
veteran Coutrecoeur In April
there were scarce 200 French and
Indians to guard the place, and
had BraddOck been in a position
to have struck his success would
have been certain.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE MARCH.
Soon after anchoring Brad.
dock marched to Alexandria,
Virginia, and upon his arrival
there. a council of Colonial Gov
errors were summoned to meet
him at Annapolis on the 3rd of
April. The council con
sisted of Braddock, Governor
Dinwiddie. of Virginia, Commo
dore keppel, and the Governors
of New York and Pennsylvania.
The place of meeting having
beeu changed, these gentlemen,
together with Governor Sharpe,
of Maryland, proceeded to Brad
docks headquarters at Alexan-
drla. In the council there three
expeditions were determined on;
the first against Fort DuQuesne,
under Braddack himself, rein
forced by the Maryland and Vir
glnia militia; the second against
Niagara and FrOntenac and the
third against Crown Point.
THE ADVANCE COMMENCED.
1t is impossible to give a de-
tailed description of this memo.
rable march of Braddock that
would fill an ordinary volume.
A brief review is all that is pos
sible. BY st. Clair'S advice the
army was to start from Alexan-
dria i'll two divisions: one regi-
ment and a portion of the stores
to Winchester, Virginia, where
road had been completed to
Fort Cum berlaud, and the other
regiment with the remainder, by
the way of Frederick, Md. Ac-
cordingly on the 9th of April
the provincalS and six companies
of the Forty fourth pnder the
command of Sir Peter Halkett.
set out for Winchester; Lieuten.
ant-ColOnel Gage and four com
panieS remaining to escort the
artillery On the 18th Of April.
the Forty eighth under the com
mand Of Colonel Dun bar. set ont
for Frederick.
1t was while at Frederick that
BraddOck had conference with
Benjamin Franklin, aud not
withstanding the confidence the
former had in himself and his
trained regulars, Franklin rely
ing upon his better knowledge of
the difficulties of the country
and the peculiar character of In
dian warfare, modestly remarked
to the General "that if he arrived
before Fort DuQuesne with his
troops and artillery the fort could
make bur a short resist.
ance, bat he himself feared the
ambuscade of the Indians
Braddock smiled at what he
thought Franklin's ignorance,
and replied; 'These savages may
indeed be formidable enemy to
raw American militia, but upon
the Kings regular and discip.
lined troops, sir, it is impossible
for them to make any impress
SION" On the first of May Dun
bar was again in motion, and
there being no road through
Maryland to Willis Creek, he was
compelled to cross the Potomac
at the mouth of the Con0cheague,
and strike the Winchester route.
On the 9th he crossed the Little
Capacon and on the Sth was
again ferried over the Potomac
10 the Maryland side from a spot
close to the mouth of the Capa-
con, thence along the river side |
Shawnee Old Town, the
dwelling place of the celebrated |
Michael Cresap. Dunbar passed |
through the narrows at the foot
Of Will's Mountain.
At noon on the 18th of MAY |
while Halkett's command was
encamped at their com
mon destination, the Forty
eighth was startled by the pas
sage OF Braddock and his staff
their ranks, with a body
guard of light horse galloping on
either side of his travelling
coach, in haste to reach Fort (
Cumberland. This coach, which
he had purchased from Governor