Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

this time-growing in the mast Oh d
refuse pile where tin cans. some IN au-
vanced stages of rust and some newer ao-
dtions still displaying stained and faueo
labels are heaped in unpicturesque dlsor-
der. Tin boilers. tin basins, tin pots anu
broken crockery have been thrown there.
This dunn of outcast tins surrounds a
rectangular pit about five feet deep
walled with brick The walls which rise
a few inches above the level of the ground
are topped with a cement coping. NO pro-
tecting pickcts have been built there Yet,
though this Improvement will probably
come In the bottom of this brfcked-up
pit is a bowlder. II is all that is left OF the
Braddock rock, endeared by tradition as
the place where at least a part OF Brad
docks army. bound from Alexandria to
their fate in the wilderness. landed on the
Maryland shore in the spring of 11o"
Local historians have expended much
time and effort over the story of the Brad
dock rock. A paper was read before the
National Society of Colonial Danes in the
District of Columbia. April IL. 1899. by
Marcus Benjamin. in which he said:
Among the many striking incidents in
our colonial history the story of the UNI
fortunate expedition led by Braddock
against the French in 1855 is the one that
appeals to us who have our homes in the
District of Columbia most strongly. OF
those events that have to do with the
long struggle between the French and
English for supremacy in the new world
and which terminated early in the autumn
of 17l9 when on the plains of Abraham
the brave Montcalm lowered the lilies of
France to- the victorious Wolfe. the only
one. so far as l am aware in which the
forces of either nation came within the
territory of the federal district, is that the
memory of which we meet to perpetuate
II is therefore most fitting that your So
ciety. which has among it's objects the
preservation of traditions OF colonial his
tory, should lend it's aid toward saving
from dissertation the only existing me-
mortal of that event.
Great Britain. aroused by the surrender
IF Fort Necessity at the Great Meadows.
commissioned Sir Edward BraddOck. com
mander of all the kings forces in Ameri-
"a. He left England in the fall of 1154.
reached the Chesapeake in February, 100
and sent his transports to Alexandria
where the troops debarked and encamped
IN the heights west of the town. Brad
dock himself came up from Hampton
roads in March, 1135.
Various authors, including Francis
Parkman. comment on the apathy of the
Americans in lending assistance to the
English commander. 1t was Benjamin
Franklin who lent the most valuable aid
N obtaining stores and transport for the
army
= ;.
There are various items in BraddOck' $
order book. or orderly book. and in the
I, 4 do D0hn
Orme. to show that at least part of Brad
docks force landed at Rock creek. but
nothing to show on which side of the
creek the landing was made. Some
troops and field equipment came up the
river from Alexandria in boats of the
ships Sea Horse and Nightingale. These
troops We're part OF the regiment of Sir
Peter Halket, and it is clear that they
landed at Rock creek April H. or it may
have been April L. 100. They pitched
camp near where they landed. In the
Braddock orderly book. under date of
April = 1I;,,. is this:
Col. Dunbar's regiment is to march at
O'Clock Saturday morning for Rock
creek.
In the orderly book and in Ormes diary
Rock creek is repeatedly mentioned.
IL is interesting al this point to alb
stract from the Orderly book Braddock's
line of march. which was From Rock
creek to Owens ordinary. fifteen miles:
20 Dowden's. 10 miles: to Frederick. II
miles: on the road to Conogogee. Il
miles: to Conogegee IS miles; to John
Evans, 16 miles; to Widow Baringer's. IS
miles: to George Polls miles: to
Henry Enock's, Is mi es: to Mr.. Cox's. 10
miles: to Col. Cresap's, 8 mics; to Wills
creek, rs miles Total, ia miles"
Prof. Joseph Z. Nourse in 1871 wrote
That traditions are strong as 10 camp
ing on this hilr' Observatory HID. and
THAT the late Col Peter Force of Wash
ngton. so well known for his historical
collections, repeatedly pointed out the
large rock which Yet stands in the south
ern part of the original reservation. which
the observatory occupies, as the rock on
which these landings were made. The
northern channel of the Potomac was
good here until our day. until the CO
way for the Long bridge was made
There is no doubt that at this big, wide
rock the channel of the Potomac swept
q 3MAG0 @lAIAN xl00