The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-03-13

Cumberland, Md, to Uniontown, Pa,
is considered the most historic trip of
it's length in the United States. 1t was
over this road in 1853 that George
Washington was sent on his difficult but
fruitless mission to the French posts
at the Forks of the Ohio" The
following year he was sent with small
force of Virginia militia to drive out
the French, but was confronted on the
way by superior numbers and was
obliged to fall back to Fit. Necessity,
where he surrendered July 4, 1854. The
terms of capitulation allowed him to
march out with the honors of war. The
site of this fort is marked by bronze
tablet and is situated about quarter
of mile from the vt. Washington
Tavern.
In 1855 General Edward Braddock
widened this trail into its first sem
blance of a road and his name has been
forever associated with it, and today
it is called "Braddock s Trail. "
On July 9, 1855, he with larger
and better equipped force met with a
greater disaster than that which befell
Washington at Fit. Necessity. Brad
dock himself was wounded in this en-
gagement and died in the retreat. His
body was hastily buried in the center
of the road, Washington reading brief
service over it at daylight July IA,
1855. In 1904 his remains were moved
short distance from this spot to their
final resting place, alongside the pike
| that bears his name. The grave is
marked with an imposing monument
and tablet upon it gives an account
| of the incident of his death.
! The Washington Braddock road tab
let is just west of the Maryland Penn
| sylvania line. All this history the trav-
eler gathers from the reading of tab
| lets placed, many of them by the
Daughters of the American Revolution
Earlier in the day a detour was made
to Fit. Frederick, the walls of which
stand intact. A beautiful bronze tablet
has been placed inside this fort ant
upon it is the history of this interest
ing spot. The fort was square will
corner bastions each defended by &
| cannon. The sandstone walls were L
feet high and two feet thick at the tol
and four feet thick at the base TIL,
walls inclosed one and one-half acre
of land. The portal was IL feet Wild
and the gate hinges weighed AZ pound
each. Seven hundred people had beer
sheltered at one time within the fort
Along the National highway a Yer,
few of the original milestones wer
seen and one would pause and gaz
upon them with reverence that the,
had performed so faithfully for man
years their mission of guiding tn
traveller on his way. This highway
marked differently in various localities
sometimes with red, white and blu
bands. while the American flag ap
peared upon the guide posts in som
sections Then came a long stretc
of road marked with our own D.
!, r. insignia, which made me very prou
that our organization was instruments
in such work as this.
Our own chapter has helped to pfac
L quite a number of markers, among thei
the one at Fl. Drummer. one at r
Bridgeman. the one on the fair groun
to mark the site of the military ho
pital in the Civil war, the marker 0
the site of the old court house at Yves
: Minister and the placing of table
! on the gravestone of Samuel Han
mond, a member of the Boston TIE
Party and a soldier of the Revolutio
There is still more work that we ca
do, and / am sure we will wish to {
e it when we stop to realize its valu
{ Mrs. Dye has some very interesting i
) cidents to tell you about the old rof
/ from Bennington to Westminster, on
e which our boys marched in the EARL
! days, and Mrs. Akeley will tell "
of some of the old taverns on tn
road
. Vermont has history and the cha
u tiers in our state are realizing mo
Is and more that it is for US to perpet
/ ate it by the marking of all histor
:" spots.
D I have spoken of the marking
l these trails and historic spots of V
Z. rious kinds that you may see VIII
n an interest it gives to an automob
r trip over country our early ancesto
re inhabited and where the various battl
d. took place, the favorable outcome
lie which we are ENJOYING today.