The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-09
TODAY in HISTORY
Braddock's Defeat.
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 1910.

To-day is the date of tho defeat of
General Edward Braddock. the British
country In 1866. AT the timo the. French
possessed tho valley of the Ohio, and
with the assistance OF their Indian allies,
they devastated tho English frontier.
the necessity Of vigorous measures 10
rescue the endangered section. cam
Ns paGneS to GTpel fp the
portion of their Canadian territory. The
execution Of this great design was, In
trusted TO General Braddock. with a
force which il was deemed would over
bear all resistance.
Braddock was "A brave and experienced
soldier. He had learned the rules OF war,
but had no capacity TO comprehend Its
principles. In the pathlcss forests OF
America he could do nothing better than
strive to give literal effect TO those
In the well-trodden backgrounds OF Ell
rope.
The English general had heard such &C
counts OF Washington as a soldier that
he invited him TO join his stan. The
latter, eager to efface the memory OF 8
recent defeat. accepted the offer. The
from Alexandria. Braddock's object was
to reach Fort Duquesne. the great center
| of French influence on the Ohio. This
fort had been built by the English and
at the confluence OF the Allegheny and
| Monongahela, which forms the Ohio river
| at tIIlS point.
Fort Duquesne was rude piece OF for
| tihcatlon. The English commander had
| no doubt that the fort would yield TO him
directly he showed himself before It. Ben
with his shrewd. cynical eye, He told
| Braddocls he would assuredly take the
| fort IL he could only reach 1t, but that
| the long, slender line which his army
hostile Indians. ' Brsddock IS said to To- have ave
Smiled at his ignorance"
Franklin was engaged to collect horses
and carriages for the use OF the expedi-
ton. and no did what was required OF
him in silence. The expedition crept
| than three or four miles day, stopping.
as Washington said tto level every mol,
| hill. to erect a bridge over every brook.
The expedition had left Alexandria on
| that Braddocl. with half his army. was
| near the fort. There was yet no evil
dence that resistance was intended. The
army marched along a. road twelve feet
wide, in ravine, with high ground in
| front and on both sides, Suddenly the
| Indian warwhoop burst from the woods.
The provincials, not unused TO this war
fare. sheltered themselves behind trees
and fought with steady courage. Brad
dock, clinging to his old rules, strove TO
maintain his order OF battle on the open
ground A carnage. most grim and la
mentable was the result. His undefend-
ed soldiers were Snot down by an un-
seen foe. For three hours the struggle
lasted: then the men broke and fed in
utter rout and panic,
Braddock. yainly, fighting. fell NOR
tally wounded, and was carried of the
field by some of his soldiers. The poor.
pedantic man never got over his aston
lshment at defeat so inconsistent with
the established rules of war. who
would have thought it2" he murmured. as
they bore him from the field He scarce
ly spoke again. and died on July IL. Near
ly 500 men, killed and wounded, were lost
In this disastrous encounter-about one
half OF the entire force engaged.