Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-07-10
With The Rambler.


| idNOiH-OHe Vi THOSE tdNeTnS WHICH WeT
landmark in American colonial history
The inscription on the rock gives no assur
ance that it stands on the site of the tav
ern, but that is the inference the travele
is apt to draw, and it seems reasonable
inference. On the face of the boulde
toward the main road bronze plate ha
been inset, and on this plate or tablet il
the following inscription;
To Commemorate
The Encampment in Maryland of
Maj Gen. Edward BraddOck
And His Men
At Owens Ordinary, Now Rockville,
April 20. 1755.
This Stone is Placed by the
Janet Montgomery Chapter,
Daughters of the American Revolution,
Mrs. Morris L. Croxall REGENT.
July 8, 1918.
On the first day after leaving Alexan-
dria, Braddocks Army reached Rock Creek.
Part of the force came by boats and part
marched over the rOad-nO doubt, the road
which led to the ferry. which was operated
near the site of the Aqueduct bridge. There
are various items in Braddock's order book,
or orderly book" and in the diary of his
aid-de-camp, Capt. Robert Orme, to show
that at least part of Braddock's force
landed at Rock Creek, but there is nothing
in those records to show on which side of
the creek the landing was made. There
has been great deal of historical conjec-
ture that the landing was made at a big
rock near the Naval Observatory, which is
mentioned in very early chronicles as THE
Key of Keys" and which for a number of
generations has been called Braddock' s
Rock, a fragment of which remains and
may be seen in the bottom of bricked-up
pit in the grounds of the New Haven Hos
pital, just off the north side of the Poto-
mac Park drive, which follows the course
of the old canal-the line of b street north
projected to the Georgetown channel.
In the spring of 1899 Marcus Benjamin
read a paper before the National Society
of Colonial Danes in the District of Column
bia, from which the following paragraph is
extracted:
Among the many striking incidents of
our colonial history the story of the unfor-
tunate expedition led by Braddeck against
the French in l755 is one that appeals to
us who have our homes in the District of
Columbia most strongly. OF those events
Nyh tnh haN m do I'll H.. Al.
between the French and English for SUI
premacy in the new world and which termi-
mated early in the autumn of 1883, when
on the plains of Abraham the brave Mont
calm lowered the lilies of France to the vic
toriOus Wolfe, the only one. so far as am
aware, in which the forces of either nation
came within the territory of the Federal Dis
trct is that the memory Of which we meet
to perpetuate. II is therefore most fitting
that your society. which has among It's
objects the preservation of traditions OF
colonial history. should lend its aid toward
saving from dissertation the only existing
memorial of that event
| This paper was called forth by the action
of the Colonial Danes in preserving what
was left of the sO-called BraddOck Rock.
| FNhNNi thV VI EOtt lNCCCSSllJ
Sir Edward Braddock was commissioned
as commander of the Kings forces II
America. He sailed with an army from Eng
land in the fall of 1854, and reached tn,
Chesapeake in 1855. The transports an
chOred off Alexandria and the troops afte
debarking made camp on the heights ives
of the town. those heights on which on,
sees today remains of the Civil War de
lenses of Washington. Braddock remained
for some time at Hampton Roads, but CANT
up to Alexandria in March. 1885.
When arrangements for the campaign
against the French had been completed
and various authors, including Francis
Parkman. comment on the apathy of the
c0lonials in lending assistance to the Eng
lish commander some of the troops anC
field equipment came up the river from
Alexandria in the boats of the ships Sea
Horse and Nightingale. These troops were
part of the regiment Of Sir Peter Halket
and there is no doubt that they landed
at Rock Creek April II, or il may have beer
April IL. 1855. and it is also certain thai
they pitched their camp where they landed
By reference to Braddocks orderly book
one may trace the outline of the marcel
toward the west. for in that book it /,
written as follows:
From Rock Creek to Owens 0rdinar,
fifteen miles; to DOwden's fifteen miles
81. 4
COnocOcheague seventeen miles, to Como
cocheague eighteen miles: to John Evans
sixteen miles to Widow Baringer's eight
cen miles TO George Polls nine miles 4
Henry Enock's fifteen miles to Mr., Cox,
twelve miles TO Colonel Cresap's eigh
miles TO Wills Creek sixteen miles. tOta
ia miles.
Each Of these distances was, of course
a days march. The march from ROcl
Creek to Owen Ordinary carried Braddock I
troops from Washington to Rockville, ant
it is clear that they travelled over wha
was then called the Frederick road. anC
the belief is that the present road from
Georgetown to Rockville covers the course
perhaps with certain changes. covered b,
that old Frederick road.
That part Of Maryland, or Western Mary
land. nov including the counties of Mont
gomery. Allegheny, Washington. FredericI
and Carroll prior to the American Revolu
ton and up to the year l776. formed
single territorial division called FredericI
county The original county VAST. Mary s
established in 1854.
Montgomery county was the result of thu
famous convention Of l776. The Revolu
ton was in progress. Maryland troop
had distinguished themselves in all tn
battles and campaigns Of the East. For ;
glimpse at the progress Of events in Mary
land and side light on the erection o
Montgomery county you might turn to Nc
Shenys chapter on THE New Constitution
| and State Gouarnmanf " yvharein he write