The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-04-27
The Red Road
ARonaarlce Of Braddoclx,s Defeat


to be moving. Busby was inclined to
shade hands and instinctively obeyed
his English blood by starting to do
SO, then contented himself with q
ceremonious bow. The little lady saw
everything and with impulsive. frank
ness, which ever characterized her
kind heart, she advanced as Busby
fell back.
SEEKING my hand for brief mo-
ment she softly murmured:
.We were very young. | did not
know. Look out for him on the
march,"
And with another hurried little
curtsy she was walking out Of my
life. with Busby mumbling and NUT
tering in her small ear-possibly ask.
ing to be told what condolences she
had impaired TO me.
silently said farewell to the
house Of the open hand and turned
back to the market-square.
| have said the town was the same
and so 1t was so far as the yellow,
white and red chimneys were con-
cerned, for here was the same pro-
portion of slim and fat ones. But it
was in physical aspect alone that the
town remained unchanged. for the life
of the streets was vastly different.
There were cannon along the wharf,
and there were cannon hauled up to
the post-road. There was a frantic
passing back and forth Of new pop
ulation. AS loitered before the
Royal George, was crowded and
jostled -udely BY great busting Of
people.
AT Gadsby's across the way-built
three years before by Lord Fairfax
from English bricks-was the same
lively animation. Squads of soldiers
in scarlet coats-scarlec for an In
dian campaign when the forest was
all a lush green-were being maneu-
yered about the square under the
hoarse guidance of veteran sergeants.
The long rifle was leaning upon
made by William Henry of Lancaster,
soon to be Braddock's armorer-w was
in decided contrast to the Brown Bess
carried by the overseas soldiery. Sure
ly this was the finest army England
had ever sent across the Atlantic.
and most surely there was nothing at
Duquesne to prevent the capture of
the French fort.
And yet experience was teaching
us OF the colonies that the English
musket was not an effective weapon
in the deep woods.
These soldiers >of Braddock's, so
confident of overrunning the heads of
the Ohio. were not taught to aim their
weapons, but to point them In the
general direction of the enemy and
to discharge them in v0lleys. We of
the woods considered every human
target we fred at to be a distinct
problem; and God knows the target
was small enough when consisting OF
Huron, or any Of the Far Indians, or
even the French who had campaigned
with the red savages.
There was rattle of wheels. 1t
was General Braddock. riding in the
coach he had bought Of Governor
Sharpe Of Maryland.
L barely .glfmpsed him. a heavy
stolid man. whose strong visage
seemed to lower on the gaping on.
lockers. Then he was gone, comman.
der in chief of all his majesty's forces
in North America. He impressed me
as being self-willed and self-depen.
dent, and one who would be intoler-
ant of any advice. 1t was commonly
known that he was displeased at the
manner in which the campaign was
progressing rather. falling to pro-
gress. The capture Of Fort DuQuesne
was not bothering him. but to get his
army under way was proving to be
q most Irritating problem. Nor could
one blame him for, the needless de-
lays, the lack Of funds, the wrangling
between the colonies.
But we all knew how General
Braddock had failed to comprehend
local conditions He seemed unable to
grasp the fact. which we Of America
all knew-namely. that the great
mass Of Pennsylvania citizens was
opposed to any system of taxation
that did not include the proprietaries
and that the Quakers were ayerse to
voting any money for military pur-
poses he only knew that promised
supplies were lacking, that recruits
were coming in very slowly, and that
the Indians thus far had not Joined
his army. More than once he had
complained to the assembled gov
ernors that he was unable TO express
his indignation"
(To BE CoNTINUED.)