The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-06-24
BRADDOCK'S REMAINS REST
IN FAYETTE COUNTY SOIL
All Evidence Tends to Show That Enc
Iish Generals Remains Repose
There.

Braddock Memorial Park ap-
pears to be an assured fact. The
enthusiasm of the people has at
last been aroused, and funds are
forthcoming to purchase the
grounds and form a park that will
be Of great historical interest and
a source of attraction not only to
the people of this county but 10
the public in general.
The inquiry is often made, WAS
Braddock ever buried there? Were
his remains ever removed or are
they still there?"
1t will be remembered that
Washington was sent out in 1854
to drive the French from the Ohio
valley but met his defeat at Fort
Necessity, short distance east of
Braddock's grave, but England
was not disposed to forfeit her
claim to the vast and fertile terri
tory west of the Allegheny noun
tains, and sent an army of English
regulars under the command of
Gen. Edward Braddock who land
ed on the shores Of Virginia with
two regiments of we'll disciplined
troops in the spring Of 1855.
The march was slow and diff
cult over the mountain passes
toward the forks of the Ohio river
where the French had erected
their fort with the intention Of
holding the territory against the
English.
Braddock's march was 50 slow
that his every movement was
watched by the Indian allies of
the French, and when within about
ten miles Of the fort, into which
he expected to march in triumph
the following day, he fell into an
ambuscade and the greater part of
his army was destroyed.
Here he received a mortal wound
! at the hands of one OfhiS own men
and he was carried back with his
retreating army and died at the
Old Orchard camp, Sunday, July
IS. He was wrapped in his cloak
as winding sheet and was buried
at daybreak on Monday morning
near the camp, in the middle Of
the road, that the army in passing
over the grave might obliterate
every trace of its whereabouts, and
thus avoid any desecration of the
body by the indians. The chap
lain having been wounded, Wash
ington read the Episcopal funeral
services and the dead general was
buried in the honors of war.
Abraham Stewart, father of
the late Hon. Andrew Stewart,
was road supervisor in Wharton
township in 1872, and while re-
pairing the old road at this place
Tom Fausett, who was in the en-
gagement at the defeat and who
fired the shot that caused the death
OF BraddoCk and had settled in the
neighborhood Of Old Orchard camp
came along where the men were at
work repairing the road and re-
marked, 1T you will dig right
there, " indicating You will find
the bones Of Gen. Braddock," and
sure enough, Mr.. Stewart dug as
directed and exhumed the bones
Of the unfortunate general and his
military trappings.
Mr.. Stewart reinterred the bones
at some little distance from the
place where they were found at
the foot of an oak tree and caused
board to be marked "BraddoCk' 5
Grave" which was nailed to the
tree. This tree was broken off by
storm about 1868. Mr.. Josiah
King, then editor Of the Pittsburg
Gazette, had the fence now inclos-
ing the grave erected and a willow
whose parent stem dropped over
the grave Of Emperor Napoleon at
St. Helena, planted over the grave
! of General Braddock. This will
low soon died and he then planted
the group of pine trees which still
mark the grave,
Far from the land he called