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Pivotal Moments in American History
Braddock's Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution
On July 9, 1755, British regulars and American colonial troops under the command of General Edward Braddock, commander in chief of the British Army in North America, were attacked by French and Native American forces shortly after crossing the Monongahela River and while making their way to besiege Fort Duquesne in the Ohio Valley, a few miles from what is now Pittsburgh. The long line of red-coated troops struggled to maintain cohesion and discipline as Indian warriors quickly outflanked them and used the dense cover of the woods to masterful and lethal effect. Within hours, a powerful British army was routed, its commander mortally wounded, and two-thirds of its forces casualties in one the worst disasters in military history.
David Preston's gripping and immersive account of Braddock's Defeat, also known as the Battle of the Monongahela, is the most authoritative ever written. Using untapped sources and collections, Preston offers a reinterpretation of Braddock's Expedition in 1754 and 1755, one that does full justice to its remarkable achievements. Braddock had rapidly advanced his army to the cusp of victory, overcoming uncooperative colonial governments and seemingly insurmountable logistical challenges, while managing to carve a road through the formidable Appalachian Mountains. That road would play a major role in America's expansion westward in the years ahead and stand as one of the expedition's most significant legacies.
The causes of Braddock's Defeat are debated to this day. Preston's work challenges the stale portrait of an arrogant European officer who refused to adapt to military and political conditions in the New World and the first to show fully how the French and Indian coalition achieved victory through effective diplomacy, tactics, and leadership. New documents reveal that the French Canadian commander, a seasoned veteran named Captain Beaujeu, planned the attack on the British column with great skill, and that his Native allies were more disciplined than the British regulars on the field.
Braddock's Defeat establishes beyond question its profoundly pivotal nature for Indian, French Canadian, and British peoples in the eighteenth century. The disaster altered the balance of power in America, and escalated the fighting into a global conflict known as the Seven Years' War. Those who were there, including George Washington, Thomas Gage, Horatio Gates, Charles Lee, and Daniel Morgan, never forgot its lessons, and brought them to bear when they fought again-whether as enemies or allies-two decades hence. The campaign had awakened many British Americans to their provincial status in the empire, spawning ideas of American identity and anticipating the social and political divisions that would erupt in the American Revolution.
David Preston's gripping and immersive account of Braddock's Defeat, also known as the Battle of the Monongahela, is the most authoritative ever written. Using untapped sources and collections, Preston offers a reinterpretation of Braddock's Expedition in 1754 and 1755, one that does full justice to its remarkable achievements. Braddock had rapidly advanced his army to the cusp of victory, overcoming uncooperative colonial governments and seemingly insurmountable logistical challenges, while managing to carve a road through the formidable Appalachian Mountains. That road would play a major role in America's expansion westward in the years ahead and stand as one of the expedition's most significant legacies.
The causes of Braddock's Defeat are debated to this day. Preston's work challenges the stale portrait of an arrogant European officer who refused to adapt to military and political conditions in the New World and the first to show fully how the French and Indian coalition achieved victory through effective diplomacy, tactics, and leadership. New documents reveal that the French Canadian commander, a seasoned veteran named Captain Beaujeu, planned the attack on the British column with great skill, and that his Native allies were more disciplined than the British regulars on the field.
Braddock's Defeat establishes beyond question its profoundly pivotal nature for Indian, French Canadian, and British peoples in the eighteenth century. The disaster altered the balance of power in America, and escalated the fighting into a global conflict known as the Seven Years' War. Those who were there, including George Washington, Thomas Gage, Horatio Gates, Charles Lee, and Daniel Morgan, never forgot its lessons, and brought them to bear when they fought again-whether as enemies or allies-two decades hence. The campaign had awakened many British Americans to their provincial status in the empire, spawning ideas of American identity and anticipating the social and political divisions that would erupt in the American Revolution.
498 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2015
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July 30, 2022
“[General Edward] Braddock had proven stouthearted throughout the battle, a symbol of perseverance and unflinching bravery in the line of fire. Wearing his elegant sash, Braddock and his mounted staff officers were visibly important targets to Native marksmen…Braddock had numerous bullet holes in his clothing. Four horses were shot from under him but he bravely remounted a new horse each time. When he was mounting a fifth, a ball struck his right arm and tore into his lungs…The wounded Braddock lay on the ground as his attendants removed his red sash and used it for its intended purpose, as a litter…[George] Washington, [Captain Robert] Stewart, or other officers or servants carried him to the rear, and placed him in a tumbril cart…[George] Croghan…sensed the magnitude of Braddock’s despair as he lay in the tumbril insisting that he be left on the field of battle. The wounded general allegedly tried to lay hold of Croghan’s pistols, wanting to ‘die as an old Roman’ – by his own hand – as Quinctilius Varsus had when his three Roman legions were slaughtered by Germanic tribesmen in the Teutoburger Forest in AD 9…”
- David Preston, Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution
Even if George Washington had never led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolution, even if he never served as the first President of the United States of America, even if he had not become an icon of dental health, he would have gone down in history as a figure of world-historical impact. At the age of 23, following a short, confused fight at a placed later called Jumonville’s Glen, young George Washington sparked a world war.
The year was 1754. The French were fortifying strategic locations in the Ohio Valley. Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia ordered Washington to take a force into the frontier and “defend” it from any encroaching Frenchmen. On May 28, Washington and forty soldiers, along with an Indian ally known as the Half King, came upon a party of French camped in a narrow glen. Someone – we don’t know who – fired a shot. Chaos erupted. Washington’s men delivered two volleys. The French tried to escape, but were blocked by the Half King’s warriors. Washington’s troops kept the French pinned down until one of them asked for quarter.
The leader of the French was an ensign named Jumonville. He claimed to be a peace emissary, with a letter from Louis XV. Washington took the letter to be translated. As he turned away from his prisoner, the Half King battered Jumonville’s skull with his hatchet, until the French officer’s cranium came apart. Then, as described by historian Fred Anderson in Crucible of War, the Half King “reached into the skull, pulled out a handful of viscous tissue, and washed his hands in Jumonville’s brain.”
Washington initially marveled at the singsong of bullets during battle. But the tide turned on him quickly. On July 3, his men were surrounded at the Great Meadows, defending an indefensible garrison aptly named Fort Necessity. Washington surrendered, and under some duress, signed a document attesting to his assassination of Jumonville. The war, known in America as the French & Indian War, and globally as the Seven Years’ War, had begun.
Great Britain’s response was to send Major General Edward Braddock and two Irish units, the 44th and 48th Regiment of Foot, to America. Their mission was to march through the wilderness to the Forks of the Ohio, to level the French outpost called Fort Duquesne. The march towards Fort Duquesne was grueling. Braddock’s men had to hack their way through rugged, mountainous, heavily forested terrain, dragging a long train, including artillery, behind them. Due to colonial recalcitrance in helping to supply Braddock’s expedition, the column lacked wagons, food, and healthy draft animals.
Eventually, Braddock split his column, going ahead of the main body with a “flying column” of around 1,300 Redcoats and colonial militia. On July 9, 1755, a much smaller force of French, Canadian, and Indians struck Braddock’s advance party. The Indians, acting as highly-skilled light infantry, swarmed along the flanks of the long column of British troopers. It was as lopsided a victory as you can imagine. At a cost of a handful of casualties (the high end is 100 total, some estimates are literally numbered by the fingers of your hands), the British suffered over 800 killed and wounded.
Among the dead was General Braddock, shot through the lung and buried in the middle of his road, where it dipped into a ravine. The wagons of his retreating army passed over the unmarked grave, to hide it from looters.
This riveting, somewhat forgotten story of Colonial America is told in exacting detail by David Preston. Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution supplants all previous works on this battle, and is unlikely to be surpassed. The level of research is astounding. At times, the minutiae threatens to overwhelm. Still, it is my opinion that one should always err on providing too much, rather than too little.
This is the rare history book that works equally well for longtime students or first time readers (in terms of the French & Indian War, I’m somewhere in between). It is sophisticated and exhaustive, but also lays out the groundwork for anyone interested in the subject to jump right in. The first four chapters are given over to context, explaining how the British, the French, the American colonists, and the Indians had all come to vie for the Ohio Valley. This isn’t a simple tale. The French & Indian War is a rather complex subject, as four different cultures with vastly different designs jockeyed for the most advantageous position in an increasingly-crowded continent. Preston does his best, however, to methodically explain the events leading to the explosion of violence along the Monongahela River.
Like I said above, there is a lot of detail. The pages sometimes feel almost crammed.
Ever wondered how the British Redcoats took care of their madder-red uniforms? Wonder no more.
This is great stuff. Nuggets like this make history more tactile, something you can almost see, and touch, and smell. Also, I’ve been whitening my gaiters with whiteout I steal from the office supply closet, so I learned a helpful new tip!
The wealth of information overflows into eight (!) appendices that give you orders of battle, casualties, and a selection of primary source documents. Black & white illustrations are peppered throughout the text, and there is an inset of beautiful color plates in the middle. There are a lot of maps, both contemporary and designed specifically for this book. The one map issue I had was the decision to overlay the battle maps onto the town map of Braddock, Pennsylvania. The point, I suppose, was to show where past events took place in relation to modern landmarks. I just found it irritating, as it made the most important maps extremely busy and cluttered.
Braddock’s Defeat succeeds or fails in its presentation of the Battle of the Monongahela. If you do everything else right, but can’t stick the landing, then this is a failure. Fortunately, Preston delivers. His thorough narrative covers all aspects of the roughly three-hour long battle, from the initial collision to the hasty retreat by the English. He intermingles tactical discussions with primary source descriptions, and does a good job of trying to separate the facts from the myths. Throughout Braddock’s Defeat, Preston attempts to rehabilitate the reputations of Braddock (and his men). Certainly, Braddock had his deficits. It is also true, however, that subsequent events (the American Revolution) made him a convenient lightning rod for everything wrong in British-Colonial relations (see, e.g., British arrogance; rigidity verses fluidity of tactics; the presumed superiority of British verses Colonial arms; the presumed superiority of British verses Colonial officers, etc.). Preston agrees that provincial tactics of disperse and cover proved the proper course. At the same time, he recognizes the tactical constraints of the British Army (they were trained for years in a specific way, and you can’t just drop that at the first gunshot), as well as the superior martial abilities of the French and Indians. In Preston’s telling, this was a French-Indian victory as much as it was “Braddock’s defeat.”
Preston traveled Braddock’s road himself, and this sense of place really helps him to deliver a vivid description of battle. He is really good at illustrating the fear and adrenaline that must have surged through each British soldier as he stood in line of battle in a smoke-filled forest, encircled by the aural presence of invisible enemies.
Preston tries to balance sheer narrative momentum with an ongoing analysis of sources (his annotated notes are very good, too). This doesn’t always work perfectly. For instance, there is the saga of two six-pound cannons that were with the British working party when the French attacked. In the space of several pages, Preston seems to contradict himself. On one page he writes that Gage “most likely ordered” the two cannon to begin firing; on the next, that language changes to something more certain, and Gage has now “immediately deployed the two brass 6-pounders”; eight pages later, it is suddenly St. Clair who ordered the guns “immediately” formed, “perhaps at Gage’s request.” Then you look at the notes and see there is some argument whether the six-pounders were fired at all. (They probably were). This is clearly unreasonable nitpicking on my part, but it’s something I noticed. A narrative history attempts to present a relatively seamless story by choosing one version of how the facts played out. An analytical history might present a narrative, but it also weighs the evidence and presents multiple versions of what might have happened. Here, the combination of the two styles sometimes get entangled.
The current view of the French & Indian War is that it sowed the ground for Revolution. It created huge costs for Great Britain, that needed to be paid with taxes. It strained relations between Colonial leaders and the Crown. It also showed Americans that Redcoats were not the unbeatable machine they appeared. In Braddock’s Defeat, Preston provides a comprehensive portrait of a bloody, terrifying battle. He also shows you the all the stress points between Great Britain and her American subjects that would, in the span of twenty years, fracture in ways that changed the world forever.
- David Preston, Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution
Even if George Washington had never led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolution, even if he never served as the first President of the United States of America, even if he had not become an icon of dental health, he would have gone down in history as a figure of world-historical impact. At the age of 23, following a short, confused fight at a placed later called Jumonville’s Glen, young George Washington sparked a world war.
The year was 1754. The French were fortifying strategic locations in the Ohio Valley. Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia ordered Washington to take a force into the frontier and “defend” it from any encroaching Frenchmen. On May 28, Washington and forty soldiers, along with an Indian ally known as the Half King, came upon a party of French camped in a narrow glen. Someone – we don’t know who – fired a shot. Chaos erupted. Washington’s men delivered two volleys. The French tried to escape, but were blocked by the Half King’s warriors. Washington’s troops kept the French pinned down until one of them asked for quarter.
The leader of the French was an ensign named Jumonville. He claimed to be a peace emissary, with a letter from Louis XV. Washington took the letter to be translated. As he turned away from his prisoner, the Half King battered Jumonville’s skull with his hatchet, until the French officer’s cranium came apart. Then, as described by historian Fred Anderson in Crucible of War, the Half King “reached into the skull, pulled out a handful of viscous tissue, and washed his hands in Jumonville’s brain.”
Washington initially marveled at the singsong of bullets during battle. But the tide turned on him quickly. On July 3, his men were surrounded at the Great Meadows, defending an indefensible garrison aptly named Fort Necessity. Washington surrendered, and under some duress, signed a document attesting to his assassination of Jumonville. The war, known in America as the French & Indian War, and globally as the Seven Years’ War, had begun.
Great Britain’s response was to send Major General Edward Braddock and two Irish units, the 44th and 48th Regiment of Foot, to America. Their mission was to march through the wilderness to the Forks of the Ohio, to level the French outpost called Fort Duquesne. The march towards Fort Duquesne was grueling. Braddock’s men had to hack their way through rugged, mountainous, heavily forested terrain, dragging a long train, including artillery, behind them. Due to colonial recalcitrance in helping to supply Braddock’s expedition, the column lacked wagons, food, and healthy draft animals.
Eventually, Braddock split his column, going ahead of the main body with a “flying column” of around 1,300 Redcoats and colonial militia. On July 9, 1755, a much smaller force of French, Canadian, and Indians struck Braddock’s advance party. The Indians, acting as highly-skilled light infantry, swarmed along the flanks of the long column of British troopers. It was as lopsided a victory as you can imagine. At a cost of a handful of casualties (the high end is 100 total, some estimates are literally numbered by the fingers of your hands), the British suffered over 800 killed and wounded.
Among the dead was General Braddock, shot through the lung and buried in the middle of his road, where it dipped into a ravine. The wagons of his retreating army passed over the unmarked grave, to hide it from looters.
This riveting, somewhat forgotten story of Colonial America is told in exacting detail by David Preston. Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution supplants all previous works on this battle, and is unlikely to be surpassed. The level of research is astounding. At times, the minutiae threatens to overwhelm. Still, it is my opinion that one should always err on providing too much, rather than too little.
This is the rare history book that works equally well for longtime students or first time readers (in terms of the French & Indian War, I’m somewhere in between). It is sophisticated and exhaustive, but also lays out the groundwork for anyone interested in the subject to jump right in. The first four chapters are given over to context, explaining how the British, the French, the American colonists, and the Indians had all come to vie for the Ohio Valley. This isn’t a simple tale. The French & Indian War is a rather complex subject, as four different cultures with vastly different designs jockeyed for the most advantageous position in an increasingly-crowded continent. Preston does his best, however, to methodically explain the events leading to the explosion of violence along the Monongahela River.
Like I said above, there is a lot of detail. The pages sometimes feel almost crammed.
Ever wondered how the British Redcoats took care of their madder-red uniforms? Wonder no more.
Black shoes and cartridge pouches were black-balled, literally, with small orbs made of beeswax and blacking. Cracks, scratches, dents in the musket stocks were covered with beeswax; metal and brass parts were cleaned and brightly polished with a combination of oil, brick dust, emery cloth, and rock abrasives such as whiting or rottenstone. The yellowish-brown hue on buff leather belts was maintained by applications of ochre balls; and white pipe clay made an excellent medium for whitening gaiters.
This is great stuff. Nuggets like this make history more tactile, something you can almost see, and touch, and smell. Also, I’ve been whitening my gaiters with whiteout I steal from the office supply closet, so I learned a helpful new tip!
The wealth of information overflows into eight (!) appendices that give you orders of battle, casualties, and a selection of primary source documents. Black & white illustrations are peppered throughout the text, and there is an inset of beautiful color plates in the middle. There are a lot of maps, both contemporary and designed specifically for this book. The one map issue I had was the decision to overlay the battle maps onto the town map of Braddock, Pennsylvania. The point, I suppose, was to show where past events took place in relation to modern landmarks. I just found it irritating, as it made the most important maps extremely busy and cluttered.
Braddock’s Defeat succeeds or fails in its presentation of the Battle of the Monongahela. If you do everything else right, but can’t stick the landing, then this is a failure. Fortunately, Preston delivers. His thorough narrative covers all aspects of the roughly three-hour long battle, from the initial collision to the hasty retreat by the English. He intermingles tactical discussions with primary source descriptions, and does a good job of trying to separate the facts from the myths. Throughout Braddock’s Defeat, Preston attempts to rehabilitate the reputations of Braddock (and his men). Certainly, Braddock had his deficits. It is also true, however, that subsequent events (the American Revolution) made him a convenient lightning rod for everything wrong in British-Colonial relations (see, e.g., British arrogance; rigidity verses fluidity of tactics; the presumed superiority of British verses Colonial arms; the presumed superiority of British verses Colonial officers, etc.). Preston agrees that provincial tactics of disperse and cover proved the proper course. At the same time, he recognizes the tactical constraints of the British Army (they were trained for years in a specific way, and you can’t just drop that at the first gunshot), as well as the superior martial abilities of the French and Indians. In Preston’s telling, this was a French-Indian victory as much as it was “Braddock’s defeat.”
Preston traveled Braddock’s road himself, and this sense of place really helps him to deliver a vivid description of battle. He is really good at illustrating the fear and adrenaline that must have surged through each British soldier as he stood in line of battle in a smoke-filled forest, encircled by the aural presence of invisible enemies.
A sense of being surrounded and cut off took hold, and soon Gage’s main column was facing outward…Officers yelled “Make Ready!” The soldiers’ muskets were at full cock, ready to be presented and fired at the officers’ commands. However, lack of sleep and emotional exhaustion – the alternating troughs of euphoria and fear – were beginning to take their toll on Gage’s men. Discipline was the next casualty, as the men “threw away their Fire” without waiting for the commands of officers, more and more of whom were dead or wounded. The batman of Captain Cholmley of the 48th saw his master felled from his horse and killed in the first ten minutes of the fight. One account of the battle related “hellish Treatment of poor Capt. Chomondeley” by two Indian warriors who were alleged to have rushed in, scalped him as he lay wounded, and rubbed his brains on their joints. Traumatized and terrified Redcoats who witnessed such acts began to fire at anything that moved amid the smoke that began to cover them like a shroud…
Preston tries to balance sheer narrative momentum with an ongoing analysis of sources (his annotated notes are very good, too). This doesn’t always work perfectly. For instance, there is the saga of two six-pound cannons that were with the British working party when the French attacked. In the space of several pages, Preston seems to contradict himself. On one page he writes that Gage “most likely ordered” the two cannon to begin firing; on the next, that language changes to something more certain, and Gage has now “immediately deployed the two brass 6-pounders”; eight pages later, it is suddenly St. Clair who ordered the guns “immediately” formed, “perhaps at Gage’s request.” Then you look at the notes and see there is some argument whether the six-pounders were fired at all. (They probably were). This is clearly unreasonable nitpicking on my part, but it’s something I noticed. A narrative history attempts to present a relatively seamless story by choosing one version of how the facts played out. An analytical history might present a narrative, but it also weighs the evidence and presents multiple versions of what might have happened. Here, the combination of the two styles sometimes get entangled.
The current view of the French & Indian War is that it sowed the ground for Revolution. It created huge costs for Great Britain, that needed to be paid with taxes. It strained relations between Colonial leaders and the Crown. It also showed Americans that Redcoats were not the unbeatable machine they appeared. In Braddock’s Defeat, Preston provides a comprehensive portrait of a bloody, terrifying battle. He also shows you the all the stress points between Great Britain and her American subjects that would, in the span of twenty years, fracture in ways that changed the world forever.
September 10, 2023
Historian David L. Preston brings one of the first British defeats in the French and Indian War to life with a vibrant and detailed account of the Battle of the Monongahela. With an introduction focusing on the ensuing lore and mythology behind the battle created in both 18th and 19th century histories, Preston sets out to not only debunk a few of these misconceptions and falsities, but also uses new journals and accounts of the battle that were disregarded by a British audience whom were elated by any news of their army’s valor and success. He explains that it’s almost an injustice to the French and their Native American allies in blaming the British defeat solely on General Braddock’s arrogance, where factors such as geography, environment, intelligence, strength in numbers, and timing were all crucial in the French victory.
With a concise background of the embers that inflame what would become the French and Indian War, Preston shows his proficiency in gathering valued research and bringing it to the pages in a navigable style. He chronicles the surrender of Fort Prince George under the command of Ensign Edward Ward and a small party of militia to far more superior French numbers, which later lead to British outrage and expansion of the territory by the Ohio Company—with support from Lawrence and Augustine Washington, Christopher Gist, George William Fairfax, George Croghan, and Virginia Governor Dinwiddie. This is where young Washington would gain experience as a surveyor and use his local knowledge of the terrain and Native populations to his advantage later as a soldier. Preston uses a newly discovered account by an Iroquois warrior led by the renowned tribal leader, “Half-King,” to recount the controversial Jumonville affair. According to the new evidence—and coinciding with other accounts—the British colonists and Native allies surprise and conquer a French squadron, with Washington firing what would be the opening shot of the war, and the Half-King brutally dispatching the captured French commanding officer with a tomahawk.
Shortly after his controversial conquest at Jumonville, British headlines capturing the sudden disastrous defeat and surrender of a battalion of men under Washington at Fort Necessity—igniting the French and Indian War. Eager for a rebuttal, Parliament in 1754 sends the newly promoted General Edward Braddock with a reinforcement of His Majesty’s troops to strengthen the Colonies and counter the French’s encroaching grip. Preston does a tremendous job in describing the early rise of Braddock’s career in the military, where he rose from lieutenant to captain early on in the War of the Austrian Succession, and later took command of the garrison at Gibraltar where he made a name for himself and gained the prestige and knowledge necessary for the foreign negotiations and customs that would confront him in North America. All of this is explained alongside a multitude of intricate facts pertaining to the British Army of the 18th century—with details on the very colors and dyes found in officer uniforms—to the measurements, weight, and price of ammo and muskets used.
Interestingly, Preston argues that while earlier battles such as Culloden in the Jacobite Rebellion of ’45 proved a vital training ground for troops heading into terra incognita, the Highlanders style of warfare and their environment evidently did not match the guerilla type of combat—nor geography—that the average British Redcoat would meet. Fortunately, Preston points out that Braddock had a wealth of competent officers and frontier diplomats stationed with him, including Colonel Thomas Gage, Horatio Gates, Charles Lee, and the Six Nations Iroquois superintendent William Johnson. As commander-in-chief of British forces in North America, Braddock’s march towards the Ohio is already off to a rocky start when promised wagon trains and supply lines are mostly unaccounted for, and supposed newly established roads, trails, and accessible topography are comparatively non-existent. However, with the help of the experienced quartermaster, John St. Clair, and the pressing of local support from none other than Benjamin Franklin, colonists including Daniel Morgan, Christopher Gist, Thomas Cresap, and Daniel Boone bring their arms and wagons along for the long wilderness road ahead.
Preston makes it clear that upon reaching Fort Cumberland, their journey begins to take a turn for the worse as important members of the Iroquois Confederation cast their doubts on a certain victory and head for better prospects at home. All the while supplies begin to diminish and Braddock’s reputation as a formidable commander comes into question by ranking officers such as Colonel’s Dunbar and Washington—the latter of which served as his personal aide-de-camp and held mixed feelings for his protégé both early and later in life. About halfway through the work, Preston shifts focus to the French military operations and intelligence prior to Monongahela, where the commander of Fort Duquesne (Claude-Pierre Pecaudy de Contrecœur) positively reinforces the once-diminished post with necessary vitals and soldiers. Preston compares each French officer with their respective role in the eventual victory and summarizes that Daniel Hyacinthe Liénard de Beaujeu—a Captain sent by Contrecœur for relief—had a significant outcome on the eventual battle in bringing the greatest mass of allied Native Americans yet seen on the continent to their defense:
The Native allies who came to the Ohio Valley in 1755 were well armed with weapons that prepared them for both long-range and face-to-face combat. Indian warriors were generally armed with Beaujeu’s Voyage 151 trade muskets originally derived from either the French or the British. Indians who were long-standing allies of New France undoubtedly carried hunting or trade muskets (fusils de chasse or fusils de traite) typical of that period. Most if not all Indian warriors at the Monongahela were armed with smoothbore muskets, not rifles.
Preston recounts the trials and tribulations of the British march, where unexpected road blockages and maps leading to nowhere placed a considerable toll on the men and their wagon loads, not to mention the loss of valuable Native guides and scouts as they neared their destination. While this indeed is a scholarly account through and through, the student of history may find this portion of Preston’s work a bit too tedious—where the pace definitely slows down, and at points the reader perhaps loses interest with an overload of facts and details. Nonetheless, this is all forgotten as the excitement of battle commences with Preston’s accurate and vivid depiction of the meeting between Beaujeu’s forces and those under Gage. Early on, it appears the British are right in their previous assumptions during the march that this will be a quick and easy surrender, as Beaujeu is shot instantly down by the grenadiers, and his army is left at a standstill with Jean-Daniel Dumas now taking control over the French forces.
This brief rout and premature celebration proves fruitless, where Captains Dumas and Langlade effectively rally the French and Native American allies into formation, checking the British advance and stopping them in their tracks with a haunting warcry and thunderous volley of destruction. Preston credits the Native warriors for commanding the field that day, capturing the turmoil and disorder with the sounds of tomahawk scraping bone, where scalps are taken as rewards instead of prisoners, and officers are being flanked and picked off seemingly from all directions. Miraculously, Horatio Gates is one of the few left on horseback, still trying to lead onwards and keep composure under heavy fire while wounded and exhausted—eventually left for dead, he would be one of the few officers to survive. Preston admonishes the British Regulars in their trepidation and disregard for their fellow combatants lives, when they foolishly shoot them under heavy friendly fire. The American soldiers in contrast are praised for their determination in attempting to retake the field, resorting to protection from the trees, though they would suffer the most in casualties when compared to their British counterparts.
Recently incapacitated due to a bad bout of dysentery, Washington for his part proved indispensable in trying to establish order amongst the chaos of battle and retreat, and was the only aide-de-camp of Braddock’s left unscathed. Preston compares this with Braddock’s own brave yet futile attempts in struggling to lead and maintain his rapidly depleting army, in which after having four different horses shot from under him, his fifth attempt at mounting proves fatal. The final devastating tally that Preston relates for the British casualties estimates at around 66-70% killed and wounded, and he expertly identifies the implications of Braddock’s defeat with valuable insight on the consequences and perspectives of the Native Americans, New France, and the Thirteen Colonies—as well as those overseas in the now exacerbated Seven Years’ War.
Going beyond the limits of gathering an extensive array of notes and sources, Preston made a point of traveling to most of the prominent locations featured in his work, both by canoe and the weather-beaten hiking boot, and in his efforts he has undeniably written the definitive account of the Braddock Expedition. Along with a concise epilogue explaining the future careers of the officers and the ramifications that would lead to revolution, eight valuable appendices can be found at the end which account for: the order of battle, the collective casualty status of the French, Native, and British combatants (most specifically officers) after the defeat, an individual account of the campaign from each side, and the historic sites relating to the expedition. Ten maps of various battles and voyages are provided, as well as over sixty illustrations and photo inserts.
With a concise background of the embers that inflame what would become the French and Indian War, Preston shows his proficiency in gathering valued research and bringing it to the pages in a navigable style. He chronicles the surrender of Fort Prince George under the command of Ensign Edward Ward and a small party of militia to far more superior French numbers, which later lead to British outrage and expansion of the territory by the Ohio Company—with support from Lawrence and Augustine Washington, Christopher Gist, George William Fairfax, George Croghan, and Virginia Governor Dinwiddie. This is where young Washington would gain experience as a surveyor and use his local knowledge of the terrain and Native populations to his advantage later as a soldier. Preston uses a newly discovered account by an Iroquois warrior led by the renowned tribal leader, “Half-King,” to recount the controversial Jumonville affair. According to the new evidence—and coinciding with other accounts—the British colonists and Native allies surprise and conquer a French squadron, with Washington firing what would be the opening shot of the war, and the Half-King brutally dispatching the captured French commanding officer with a tomahawk.
Shortly after his controversial conquest at Jumonville, British headlines capturing the sudden disastrous defeat and surrender of a battalion of men under Washington at Fort Necessity—igniting the French and Indian War. Eager for a rebuttal, Parliament in 1754 sends the newly promoted General Edward Braddock with a reinforcement of His Majesty’s troops to strengthen the Colonies and counter the French’s encroaching grip. Preston does a tremendous job in describing the early rise of Braddock’s career in the military, where he rose from lieutenant to captain early on in the War of the Austrian Succession, and later took command of the garrison at Gibraltar where he made a name for himself and gained the prestige and knowledge necessary for the foreign negotiations and customs that would confront him in North America. All of this is explained alongside a multitude of intricate facts pertaining to the British Army of the 18th century—with details on the very colors and dyes found in officer uniforms—to the measurements, weight, and price of ammo and muskets used.
Interestingly, Preston argues that while earlier battles such as Culloden in the Jacobite Rebellion of ’45 proved a vital training ground for troops heading into terra incognita, the Highlanders style of warfare and their environment evidently did not match the guerilla type of combat—nor geography—that the average British Redcoat would meet. Fortunately, Preston points out that Braddock had a wealth of competent officers and frontier diplomats stationed with him, including Colonel Thomas Gage, Horatio Gates, Charles Lee, and the Six Nations Iroquois superintendent William Johnson. As commander-in-chief of British forces in North America, Braddock’s march towards the Ohio is already off to a rocky start when promised wagon trains and supply lines are mostly unaccounted for, and supposed newly established roads, trails, and accessible topography are comparatively non-existent. However, with the help of the experienced quartermaster, John St. Clair, and the pressing of local support from none other than Benjamin Franklin, colonists including Daniel Morgan, Christopher Gist, Thomas Cresap, and Daniel Boone bring their arms and wagons along for the long wilderness road ahead.
Preston makes it clear that upon reaching Fort Cumberland, their journey begins to take a turn for the worse as important members of the Iroquois Confederation cast their doubts on a certain victory and head for better prospects at home. All the while supplies begin to diminish and Braddock’s reputation as a formidable commander comes into question by ranking officers such as Colonel’s Dunbar and Washington—the latter of which served as his personal aide-de-camp and held mixed feelings for his protégé both early and later in life. About halfway through the work, Preston shifts focus to the French military operations and intelligence prior to Monongahela, where the commander of Fort Duquesne (Claude-Pierre Pecaudy de Contrecœur) positively reinforces the once-diminished post with necessary vitals and soldiers. Preston compares each French officer with their respective role in the eventual victory and summarizes that Daniel Hyacinthe Liénard de Beaujeu—a Captain sent by Contrecœur for relief—had a significant outcome on the eventual battle in bringing the greatest mass of allied Native Americans yet seen on the continent to their defense:
The Native allies who came to the Ohio Valley in 1755 were well armed with weapons that prepared them for both long-range and face-to-face combat. Indian warriors were generally armed with Beaujeu’s Voyage 151 trade muskets originally derived from either the French or the British. Indians who were long-standing allies of New France undoubtedly carried hunting or trade muskets (fusils de chasse or fusils de traite) typical of that period. Most if not all Indian warriors at the Monongahela were armed with smoothbore muskets, not rifles.
Preston recounts the trials and tribulations of the British march, where unexpected road blockages and maps leading to nowhere placed a considerable toll on the men and their wagon loads, not to mention the loss of valuable Native guides and scouts as they neared their destination. While this indeed is a scholarly account through and through, the student of history may find this portion of Preston’s work a bit too tedious—where the pace definitely slows down, and at points the reader perhaps loses interest with an overload of facts and details. Nonetheless, this is all forgotten as the excitement of battle commences with Preston’s accurate and vivid depiction of the meeting between Beaujeu’s forces and those under Gage. Early on, it appears the British are right in their previous assumptions during the march that this will be a quick and easy surrender, as Beaujeu is shot instantly down by the grenadiers, and his army is left at a standstill with Jean-Daniel Dumas now taking control over the French forces.
This brief rout and premature celebration proves fruitless, where Captains Dumas and Langlade effectively rally the French and Native American allies into formation, checking the British advance and stopping them in their tracks with a haunting warcry and thunderous volley of destruction. Preston credits the Native warriors for commanding the field that day, capturing the turmoil and disorder with the sounds of tomahawk scraping bone, where scalps are taken as rewards instead of prisoners, and officers are being flanked and picked off seemingly from all directions. Miraculously, Horatio Gates is one of the few left on horseback, still trying to lead onwards and keep composure under heavy fire while wounded and exhausted—eventually left for dead, he would be one of the few officers to survive. Preston admonishes the British Regulars in their trepidation and disregard for their fellow combatants lives, when they foolishly shoot them under heavy friendly fire. The American soldiers in contrast are praised for their determination in attempting to retake the field, resorting to protection from the trees, though they would suffer the most in casualties when compared to their British counterparts.
Recently incapacitated due to a bad bout of dysentery, Washington for his part proved indispensable in trying to establish order amongst the chaos of battle and retreat, and was the only aide-de-camp of Braddock’s left unscathed. Preston compares this with Braddock’s own brave yet futile attempts in struggling to lead and maintain his rapidly depleting army, in which after having four different horses shot from under him, his fifth attempt at mounting proves fatal. The final devastating tally that Preston relates for the British casualties estimates at around 66-70% killed and wounded, and he expertly identifies the implications of Braddock’s defeat with valuable insight on the consequences and perspectives of the Native Americans, New France, and the Thirteen Colonies—as well as those overseas in the now exacerbated Seven Years’ War.
Going beyond the limits of gathering an extensive array of notes and sources, Preston made a point of traveling to most of the prominent locations featured in his work, both by canoe and the weather-beaten hiking boot, and in his efforts he has undeniably written the definitive account of the Braddock Expedition. Along with a concise epilogue explaining the future careers of the officers and the ramifications that would lead to revolution, eight valuable appendices can be found at the end which account for: the order of battle, the collective casualty status of the French, Native, and British combatants (most specifically officers) after the defeat, an individual account of the campaign from each side, and the historic sites relating to the expedition. Ten maps of various battles and voyages are provided, as well as over sixty illustrations and photo inserts.
March 2, 2020
This was my third book focusing on the French and Indian War this year. In my first book, I really started to feel bad for Braddock for history calling the Battle of the Monongahela "Braddock's Defeat." It felt so personal. This book left me feeling more like the title was a memorial to him rather than an accusation. I appreciated the change in tone.
This book was an absolute delight to read. I've come to learn that I like chronological history books, and this was very chronological. The author also gives a nice background on Braddock before the war, which was new information to me. My favorite thing about this book though was the ease of reading and how the author explored all of my potential questions in such a satisfying way that I felt like he had explored all possible avenues and alternative outcomes and explained them in a way that was informative and easy to understand. The newly explored French records he discusses were also very exciting to learn about. It helped fill in both sides of the fighting in a way my prior book on the war didn't.
This book was an absolute delight to read. I've come to learn that I like chronological history books, and this was very chronological. The author also gives a nice background on Braddock before the war, which was new information to me. My favorite thing about this book though was the ease of reading and how the author explored all of my potential questions in such a satisfying way that I felt like he had explored all possible avenues and alternative outcomes and explained them in a way that was informative and easy to understand. The newly explored French records he discusses were also very exciting to learn about. It helped fill in both sides of the fighting in a way my prior book on the war didn't.
July 14, 2019
David L. Preston's Braddock's Defeat serves as a revisionist corrective to standard narratives about the French and Indian War. It's a detailed military history of Braddock's march and defeat along the Monongahela, yet he expands beyond the common narrative of the battle to show a more fleshed-out picture. He devotes significant space to the French expedition to Ft. Duquesne, with Captain Beaujeu (who, like Braddock, perished in the battle) coming off as a particularly heroic figure. He's much kinder to Braddock, showing that his contempt for colonials was much less pervasive than argued, that his tactics were neither inappropriate nor inherently disastrous, that he made an effort to befriend Indians rather than scorn them...he refutes pretty much every point McCardell and other writers make. Your mileage may vary how much of this you accept, but it's a convincing case. You might almost wonder why Braddock lost, though Preston argues it was less a screw-up or blunder on the Brit's part than his simply being outgeneralled by French and Indian leaders who knew the terrain and who had the guts and flexibility to pull off an unlikely victory.
November 15, 2015
This is a wonderful history of General James Braddock's campaign to capture Fort Duquesne and then continue with additional forays against French forces during the French and Indian War. Things did not work out as intended. . . . This book explores the background of English forces being sent to the colonies, the strategic decisions behind Braddock's march, the Battle of the Monangahela, and its aftermath.
The volume begins with the disadvantage to the colonies and the British Empire. A decision was finally made to send British forces (two regiments of regulars) to the colonies under the command of General James Braddock. Here, the reader gets a sense of Braddock's background and the evolution of his military career. His work had been solid and he seemed a good choice to command the expedition.
Upon his arrival, it was assumed that his regulars would be augmented by substantial colonial troops as well as Indians sympathetic with the British. This marked one of the first errors in assumptions--few Indians joined the expedition, stripping the British forces of scouts and a screen against French and Indians forces. More disappointments followed: supplies promised by the colonies were scarce, as governors had a difficult time getting food and other supplies needed for the march on Fort Duquesne. Benjamin Franklin played a positive role in getting some supplies and wagons to the force.
The march began--quite challenging as the force had to deal with mountains and rivers. George Washington served as an ad hoc staff member. Others who had a role to play in the Revolutionary War were also involved, such as future generals Gage (on the British side), Lee and Gates (on the American side), as well as Daniel Morgan. Their involvement adds an interesting dimension to the book.
After a difficult march, the battle of Monongahela.began--much to the disadvantage of the British and colonial forces. They were caught in a difficult geographic position and the French and Indians opposing them used different tactics to envelop British forces. Indeed, the casualties among French and Indians was quite modest--whereas the British and colonial casualties were quite heavy--including Braddock himself.
The retreat was difficult. The British support at a fort to the rear was scarcely praiseworthy and the retreat continued. The result was viewed as a catastrophe in the colonies and in Great Britain. It is good that the book does not end there, but speaks of the aftermath of the defeat. The British invested more troops into the war and changed their tactics to some extent. The book also considers the linkage between the French and Indian War and the Revolution itself.
All in all, an excellent volume. . . .
The volume begins with the disadvantage to the colonies and the British Empire. A decision was finally made to send British forces (two regiments of regulars) to the colonies under the command of General James Braddock. Here, the reader gets a sense of Braddock's background and the evolution of his military career. His work had been solid and he seemed a good choice to command the expedition.
Upon his arrival, it was assumed that his regulars would be augmented by substantial colonial troops as well as Indians sympathetic with the British. This marked one of the first errors in assumptions--few Indians joined the expedition, stripping the British forces of scouts and a screen against French and Indians forces. More disappointments followed: supplies promised by the colonies were scarce, as governors had a difficult time getting food and other supplies needed for the march on Fort Duquesne. Benjamin Franklin played a positive role in getting some supplies and wagons to the force.
The march began--quite challenging as the force had to deal with mountains and rivers. George Washington served as an ad hoc staff member. Others who had a role to play in the Revolutionary War were also involved, such as future generals Gage (on the British side), Lee and Gates (on the American side), as well as Daniel Morgan. Their involvement adds an interesting dimension to the book.
After a difficult march, the battle of Monongahela.began--much to the disadvantage of the British and colonial forces. They were caught in a difficult geographic position and the French and Indians opposing them used different tactics to envelop British forces. Indeed, the casualties among French and Indians was quite modest--whereas the British and colonial casualties were quite heavy--including Braddock himself.
The retreat was difficult. The British support at a fort to the rear was scarcely praiseworthy and the retreat continued. The result was viewed as a catastrophe in the colonies and in Great Britain. It is good that the book does not end there, but speaks of the aftermath of the defeat. The British invested more troops into the war and changed their tactics to some extent. The book also considers the linkage between the French and Indian War and the Revolution itself.
All in all, an excellent volume. . . .
December 8, 2015
A clear, sweeping and well-written history of the Braddock campaign, with an emphasis on the difference in tactics between the British regulars and the French, Canadian, and Indian forces. Preston does a fine job placing the campaign into its context and brings all of the players to life. He concludes that “the battle was not lost by one man’s arrogance or bluster,” and that in terms of the battles’ context and factors, Braddock was “simply unfortunate.”
Along with the actual campaign, Preston covers the motives of France’s Indian allies, and why the Indians allied with the British weren’t particularly eager to aid Braddock’s campaign. Many of the natives suspected that both the British and the French would discard or even eliminate their Indian allies once one side defeated the other, and Preston shows how this suspicion affected the war in general and the campaign in particular.
Most of the book deals with the actual march and the various difficulties encountered in traversing the terrain, and explores how the fatigue of the march may have affected the soldiers’ performance when they actually came to battle. Preston also points out that, when the enemy attacked them at the Monongahela, these men were able to stand and fight for three hours against a practically invisible enemy. These soldiers did not display panic, indiscipline, or incompetence as we understand it today.
Although older books and popular mythology have tended to portray Braddock’s march as an inflexible, hidebound “European” affair doomed to failure, historians have challenged this caricature over the years, and Preston does the same. He also concludes that the march was actually quite a success in terms of logistics. Many accounts also fault Braddock for arrogance and blundering; Preston notes that this robs the entire story of contingency, and he highlights several events that he argues were just as pivotal, such as the decision to send British regulars to North America, the Alexandria Congress, French logistics troubles, Indian diplomacy, intelligence failures, and Braddock’s actual success in constructing a road that quickened the march to his objective.
An excellent, well-researched history.
Along with the actual campaign, Preston covers the motives of France’s Indian allies, and why the Indians allied with the British weren’t particularly eager to aid Braddock’s campaign. Many of the natives suspected that both the British and the French would discard or even eliminate their Indian allies once one side defeated the other, and Preston shows how this suspicion affected the war in general and the campaign in particular.
Most of the book deals with the actual march and the various difficulties encountered in traversing the terrain, and explores how the fatigue of the march may have affected the soldiers’ performance when they actually came to battle. Preston also points out that, when the enemy attacked them at the Monongahela, these men were able to stand and fight for three hours against a practically invisible enemy. These soldiers did not display panic, indiscipline, or incompetence as we understand it today.
Although older books and popular mythology have tended to portray Braddock’s march as an inflexible, hidebound “European” affair doomed to failure, historians have challenged this caricature over the years, and Preston does the same. He also concludes that the march was actually quite a success in terms of logistics. Many accounts also fault Braddock for arrogance and blundering; Preston notes that this robs the entire story of contingency, and he highlights several events that he argues were just as pivotal, such as the decision to send British regulars to North America, the Alexandria Congress, French logistics troubles, Indian diplomacy, intelligence failures, and Braddock’s actual success in constructing a road that quickened the march to his objective.
An excellent, well-researched history.
January 24, 2024
Weeks after the crushing British defeat at the Battle of the Monongahela, one Redcoat survivor wrote that "the yell of the Indians is as fresh on my ear, and the terrific sounds will haunt me until the hour of my dissolution." The sights and sounds from that July 9, 1755 clash between a French and Indian force led by Captain Daniel Beaujeu and General Edward Braddock’s army of British regulars, Indian allies, and American colonial troops produced some of the most terrifying scenes of primal warfare ever witnessed on American soil.
After crossing the Monongahela River earlier that morning, General Braddock’s troops were thrown into a desperate fight for survival as the French and their Indian Warriors overwhelmed the British commander’s military convoy while it was advancing toward the French stronghold of Fort Duquesne, near modern-day Pittsburg. Indian war cries filled the forest air as warriors took up positions behind tall trees along the high ground. Swiftly moving to encircle Braddock’s army, those Indian warriors quickly gained the advantage, inflicting so much damage with blunt force and firepower that British soldiers “dropped like Leaves in Autumn,” according to one eyewitness. As historian David L. Preston writes in "Braddock’s Defeat," “The British rank and file experienced the battle enshrouded in white smoke, accented by flashes of yellowish light from the muzzles of Indian marksmen. Some testified that they never even saw their enemy in plain sight, or even a handful of warriors at any one time." Even when one could see through the smoke and trees, they observed horrifying scenes such as their wounded comrades having their skulls smashed or their heads being scalped by Indian warriors. In the chaos and confusion of the one-sided battle, there were also many incidents of friendly fire as panicked British soldiers mistakenly shot down men from their own side.
In the end, the French and Indians achieved an overwhelming victory over General Braddock’s army at the Battle of the Monongahela. Of the roughly 1,400 men under British arms, approximately 977 were killed or wounded, including 63 officers. Of the estimated 900 men fighting on the French side, about 600 to 700 of who were Indian warriors, only 23 were killed and 16 wounded. Both opposing commanders also lost their lives as a result of the battle; French Captain Beaujeu was felled by a British volley early in the engagement and General Braddock died a few days later after succumbing to the wounds he sustained during the clash. In what was the first major battle of the French and Indian War, the British had suffered an unmitigated military disaster.
Although the British ultimately went on to prevail in the imperial showdown over the French for dominance in North America, the memory of General Braddock’s defeat would linger for a long time in the consciousness of the British and the American colonists who played such a pivotal role in helping their Mother Country win the French and Indian War. As Preston notes, “Judging from political pamphlets, military treatises, newspapers, sermons, poems, and songs that frequently employed the word ‘American,’ no other battle before the American Revolution spawned more discussion of identity.” Preston concludes that the Battle of the Monongahela “fostered an already nascent American consciousness, defined by the colonists’ prolonged relationships to the continent and its Indian peoples, and sharpened by the friction they experienced while fighting alongside British regulars.” Some of the most prominent men who went on to fight for the American cause during the Revolutionary War were present at the Battle of the Monongahela, including the man who became the very heart and soul of America’s fight for independence, George Washington.
Young George Washington was serving as a volunteer aide on General Braddock’s staff during the Battle of the Monongahela. Still recovering from a case of dysentery and suffering from painful hemorrhoids, the 23-year-old Washington had strapped cushions to his saddle earlier that morning to help deal with the jolting agony of being on horseback. Despite his afflictions, he was fearless under fire and rode all over the battlefield. Washington was so active during the fight that he had two horses shot out from under him; four bullets tore through his clothes and one went through his hat. As Preston adds, Washington “would have been killed had he simply leaned in the saddle differently.” Dr. James Craik observed Washington on this unforgiving field of fire and reflected, “I expected every moment to see him fall. His duty and station exposed him to every danger. Nothing but the superintending care of Providence could have saved him from the fate of all around him.” In contemplating his survival of the bloody battle, Washington believed that “the all-powerful dispensations of Providence,” which was the word he often used to refer to God, had protected him “beyond all human probability and expectation.” In the wise and prophetic words of the Presbyterian minister, Samuel Davies, “I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved [him] in so signal a manner for some important service to his country.” The Battle of the Monongahela was a defining moment in George Washington’s life, an experience that set him on the path to later becoming America’s matchless man during the fight for independence.
Historian David L. Preston’s "Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution" is a rich and highly detailed account of the Battle of the Monongahela and its place in American history. Deeply researched and offering great insight into the British, French, American, and Native American perspectives, Preston’s book provides a lot of background and shines brightest where it matters most - the story of the battle itself and how it unfolded. An important book on a pivotal moment in American history.
After crossing the Monongahela River earlier that morning, General Braddock’s troops were thrown into a desperate fight for survival as the French and their Indian Warriors overwhelmed the British commander’s military convoy while it was advancing toward the French stronghold of Fort Duquesne, near modern-day Pittsburg. Indian war cries filled the forest air as warriors took up positions behind tall trees along the high ground. Swiftly moving to encircle Braddock’s army, those Indian warriors quickly gained the advantage, inflicting so much damage with blunt force and firepower that British soldiers “dropped like Leaves in Autumn,” according to one eyewitness. As historian David L. Preston writes in "Braddock’s Defeat," “The British rank and file experienced the battle enshrouded in white smoke, accented by flashes of yellowish light from the muzzles of Indian marksmen. Some testified that they never even saw their enemy in plain sight, or even a handful of warriors at any one time." Even when one could see through the smoke and trees, they observed horrifying scenes such as their wounded comrades having their skulls smashed or their heads being scalped by Indian warriors. In the chaos and confusion of the one-sided battle, there were also many incidents of friendly fire as panicked British soldiers mistakenly shot down men from their own side.
In the end, the French and Indians achieved an overwhelming victory over General Braddock’s army at the Battle of the Monongahela. Of the roughly 1,400 men under British arms, approximately 977 were killed or wounded, including 63 officers. Of the estimated 900 men fighting on the French side, about 600 to 700 of who were Indian warriors, only 23 were killed and 16 wounded. Both opposing commanders also lost their lives as a result of the battle; French Captain Beaujeu was felled by a British volley early in the engagement and General Braddock died a few days later after succumbing to the wounds he sustained during the clash. In what was the first major battle of the French and Indian War, the British had suffered an unmitigated military disaster.
Although the British ultimately went on to prevail in the imperial showdown over the French for dominance in North America, the memory of General Braddock’s defeat would linger for a long time in the consciousness of the British and the American colonists who played such a pivotal role in helping their Mother Country win the French and Indian War. As Preston notes, “Judging from political pamphlets, military treatises, newspapers, sermons, poems, and songs that frequently employed the word ‘American,’ no other battle before the American Revolution spawned more discussion of identity.” Preston concludes that the Battle of the Monongahela “fostered an already nascent American consciousness, defined by the colonists’ prolonged relationships to the continent and its Indian peoples, and sharpened by the friction they experienced while fighting alongside British regulars.” Some of the most prominent men who went on to fight for the American cause during the Revolutionary War were present at the Battle of the Monongahela, including the man who became the very heart and soul of America’s fight for independence, George Washington.
Young George Washington was serving as a volunteer aide on General Braddock’s staff during the Battle of the Monongahela. Still recovering from a case of dysentery and suffering from painful hemorrhoids, the 23-year-old Washington had strapped cushions to his saddle earlier that morning to help deal with the jolting agony of being on horseback. Despite his afflictions, he was fearless under fire and rode all over the battlefield. Washington was so active during the fight that he had two horses shot out from under him; four bullets tore through his clothes and one went through his hat. As Preston adds, Washington “would have been killed had he simply leaned in the saddle differently.” Dr. James Craik observed Washington on this unforgiving field of fire and reflected, “I expected every moment to see him fall. His duty and station exposed him to every danger. Nothing but the superintending care of Providence could have saved him from the fate of all around him.” In contemplating his survival of the bloody battle, Washington believed that “the all-powerful dispensations of Providence,” which was the word he often used to refer to God, had protected him “beyond all human probability and expectation.” In the wise and prophetic words of the Presbyterian minister, Samuel Davies, “I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved [him] in so signal a manner for some important service to his country.” The Battle of the Monongahela was a defining moment in George Washington’s life, an experience that set him on the path to later becoming America’s matchless man during the fight for independence.
Historian David L. Preston’s "Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution" is a rich and highly detailed account of the Battle of the Monongahela and its place in American history. Deeply researched and offering great insight into the British, French, American, and Native American perspectives, Preston’s book provides a lot of background and shines brightest where it matters most - the story of the battle itself and how it unfolded. An important book on a pivotal moment in American history.
January 17, 2017
This is an account of General Edward Braddock's disastrous 1755 expedition to attempt the capture of Fort Duqesne from the French at the forks of the Ohio River in present day Pittsburgh, PA. The author first goes into the background of how the British, French, and Native Americans came into conflict in the Ohio territory. He explains how the French and Indian War began and the subsequent planning for the Braddock Expedition. It is a detailed work on the expedition and battle and includes analysis on the imapct of the devastating defeat suffered by the British. This book is part of the Pivotal Moments in American History collection which comprises works by various authors on crucial events in history. I would recommend this one for anyone interested in learning about the French and Indian War.
October 22, 2022
An extremely comprehensive study of the 1755 campaign against Fort Duquesne and the surprising defeat of General Braddock and his formidable army at the Forks of the Ohio by French Canadian soldiers and Native American warriors. Besides giving us a riveting account of the Battle of the Monongahela, Preston makes a persuasive case that Braddock's inglorious defeat was a turning point in the political and military currents of colonial America that played a significant role in "shaping a distinctly American identity and the origins of the American Revolution." I can see why this book won the Society for Military History Distinguished Book Prize.
January 30, 2022
I really enjoyed this read! I’ve read many books about the American Revolution, but I had never read one about the French and Indian War. This book specifically focuses on the Braddock’s Expedition to Fort Duquesne, but Preston does give some highlights of the rest of the war. The research that went into the book was incredible. It is very detailed but the reader never gets lost in the weeds. Additionally, David Preston makes an extremely compelling argument that the Battle of the Monongahela marked a turning point in the minds of the colonists in America.
April 22, 2021
A very comprehensive study of the military and diplomatic situation in 1755. Offers a more nuanced interpretation of Braddock (and his defeat) than the cliches about his incompetence and the rigidity of English tactics. It’s very good on the Indians’ role and fractious colonial politics. It has to be said, though, that enough of his contemporaries (including Washington) were uneasy about or actually disparaged Braddock to wonder if this new view doesn’t go too far the other way. Also, there’s a tremendous amount of detail (lists of names, equipment etc) that could have been pared down for narrative flow. 3.85 stars.
November 9, 2015
This is really a very depressing story of British stupidity and incompetence. Braddock was sent to the colonies in 1755 with two regiments of regular troops to destroy the French Fort Duquesne which had been established in the western wilderness at a site that is now downtown Pittsburgh.
General Braddock had no fighting experience and neither had the great majority of his troops. Upon arriving the expedition pressed another thousand colonists, most of whom also had no fighting experience.
After horrendous effort marching west to reach the enemy fort, Braddock split his forces in two and approached the fort with his regulars in a two mile long column through dense woods along a narrow path. He had no scouts sweeping the woods ahead on either side.
As a result some 300 Indians waiting on each side of the trail slaughtered his men with their accurate musket fire from behind trees. Braddock was mortally wounded and the few of his men that survived retreated back to the half of his forces left 60 miles behind. All equipment and guns were abandoned and all the remaining party scurried back East, having now armed the French at the fort with the abandoned guns and other equipment.
I am only giving this 2 stars because too much of the work is the author's speculation and because it is so sad to read.
General Braddock had no fighting experience and neither had the great majority of his troops. Upon arriving the expedition pressed another thousand colonists, most of whom also had no fighting experience.
After horrendous effort marching west to reach the enemy fort, Braddock split his forces in two and approached the fort with his regulars in a two mile long column through dense woods along a narrow path. He had no scouts sweeping the woods ahead on either side.
As a result some 300 Indians waiting on each side of the trail slaughtered his men with their accurate musket fire from behind trees. Braddock was mortally wounded and the few of his men that survived retreated back to the half of his forces left 60 miles behind. All equipment and guns were abandoned and all the remaining party scurried back East, having now armed the French at the fort with the abandoned guns and other equipment.
I am only giving this 2 stars because too much of the work is the author's speculation and because it is so sad to read.
June 25, 2017
The Braddock expedition and the Battle of the Monongahela are two of my favorite topics that I have been researching since I was a kid. I think I may have read almost every book out there dealing with the doomed army's march and I still have all of them plus a collection of books printed in small runs by sites along the road that you cannot by off of Amazon. So this book was a must.
What I really liked about this book is that Preston dispels the myth that Braddock was some tyrant on horseback that mistreated everyone, including his Native American allies. The primary sources do not indicate this yet the myth persists. Why? I think it has something to do with the fact that Braddock insisted on fighting the battle in the European fashion which gives the impression that he was ridged and wouldn't listen. To some degree this is true but really he was out of his element. I doubt any one who was a veteran of European combat could have done a better job. Natives hiding behind trees was as far as you can get from Flanders or any of the other battlefields Braddock had seen or participated in. He was just an old dog who really didn't take to the new tricks.
Another thing that really stuck out to me was the authors postulation that if Braddock would have landed in Pennsylvania and came across the state instead of the Virginia route that he would have been better supplied and the march would have been easier. I can see the logic behind this argument but I guess we'll never know. What if Braddock attacked in September when the French were down on supplies? What if Braddock attacked two weeks earlier? Fun questions but ones we'll never answer.
As far as all the books go about Braddock this is my 2nd favorite behind Braddock at the Monongahela. That was is just a classic in the field. I will re-read this book again in the future. There was so much detail I feel it needs a second read through to absorb it all.
What I really liked about this book is that Preston dispels the myth that Braddock was some tyrant on horseback that mistreated everyone, including his Native American allies. The primary sources do not indicate this yet the myth persists. Why? I think it has something to do with the fact that Braddock insisted on fighting the battle in the European fashion which gives the impression that he was ridged and wouldn't listen. To some degree this is true but really he was out of his element. I doubt any one who was a veteran of European combat could have done a better job. Natives hiding behind trees was as far as you can get from Flanders or any of the other battlefields Braddock had seen or participated in. He was just an old dog who really didn't take to the new tricks.
Another thing that really stuck out to me was the authors postulation that if Braddock would have landed in Pennsylvania and came across the state instead of the Virginia route that he would have been better supplied and the march would have been easier. I can see the logic behind this argument but I guess we'll never know. What if Braddock attacked in September when the French were down on supplies? What if Braddock attacked two weeks earlier? Fun questions but ones we'll never answer.
As far as all the books go about Braddock this is my 2nd favorite behind Braddock at the Monongahela. That was is just a classic in the field. I will re-read this book again in the future. There was so much detail I feel it needs a second read through to absorb it all.
April 23, 2023
The Historian David L. Preston published the book entitled The Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of Monongahela and the Road to Revolution in 2015. The book is part of the Pivotal Moments in American History series. The book contains black-and-white illustrations and maps. Symonds’ book was a detailed study of the Battle of the Monongahela in July 1755. The book also gives context for the military context of the Battle of the Monongahela in present-day Pennsylvania. The book also contains a section of notes along with appendices, a note on sources, a bibliography, and an index. I learned a lot from Preston’s book, The Braddock’s Defeat. Preston believes that his book which was published in 2015, was one of the first studies of the Battle of the Monongahela that includes sources in the French languages and from Native American sources (Preston 4-6). Preston also believes the role of the British military in the Battle of the Monongahela is often misunderstood as well. Preston tried to travel the path of the march of the troops of the British General Edward Braddock over the Allegheny Mountains when researching this book. The book contains a biographical sketch of different important military figures in the British forces, the British North American colonists, the Native American force, and the French military forces. I thought David L. Preston’s book, The Braddock’s Defeat was an interesting book about the importance of the Battle of the Monongahela in the French and Indian War.
Works Cited:
Prevas, John. 2002. Xenophon’s March into the Lair of the Persian March. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus Books Group.
Works Cited:
Prevas, John. 2002. Xenophon’s March into the Lair of the Persian March. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus Books Group.
March 18, 2019
I've been interested in Braddock's expedition ever since I attended an elementary school on Braddock's Road in Alexandria,VA. This was my first bit of research on the subject and it doesn't disappoint. I found most valuable the battlefield maps, which are superimposed on maps of the present day, allowing a modern visitor to place himself at the scene of the action. I'm already planning my visit. This book gives full credit to the tactical baffle plan developed by the French and the significant contributions of the native Americans fighting for the French. As far as tactics and fighting effectiveness is concerned, the British never had a chance. The author fully details the situation that prompted the expedition as well as the aftereffects. One wonders how different our lives would be today if Washington had been leaning in a different direction when any of four bullets passed through his coat. I found the book thought provoking about the impact that this four-hour event had on the history of the country. It demonstrated that the greatest army in the world was not invincible, leading to thoughts of what might be possible in the minds of the American colonists. Well worth the read.
October 8, 2021
The Battle of Monongahela (or Braddock’s Defeat) altered the course of five societies: the British, the Americans, the French, the Canadians, and the Native Americans. It was, in essence, the first great battle of a world war (the Seven Years War) initiated almost accidentally by a young man named … George Washington.
The battle was a monumental defeat, leading to a wide range of repercussions that rippled to the shore of the American Revolution. The great world power was soundly defeated by a smaller force of French, Canadian and Native American soldiers. It wasn’t a defeat, but a slaughter in which almost all the British commanders were killed or seriously wounded. A young American aide to Gen. Braddock was one of the few to survive unscathed. His name was … George Washington.
Braddock’s Defeat is a very good book. However, the story lags in many places. I like books with lots of detail, but this could have been a hundred pages shorter without much loss. The battle was a very isolated affair, and other than Braddock most of the characters don’t really come to life, except … George Washington.
Still, I highly recommend it to those who are interested in American history leading to the Revolution. And, of course, if you’re interested in … George Washington.
The battle was a monumental defeat, leading to a wide range of repercussions that rippled to the shore of the American Revolution. The great world power was soundly defeated by a smaller force of French, Canadian and Native American soldiers. It wasn’t a defeat, but a slaughter in which almost all the British commanders were killed or seriously wounded. A young American aide to Gen. Braddock was one of the few to survive unscathed. His name was … George Washington.
Braddock’s Defeat is a very good book. However, the story lags in many places. I like books with lots of detail, but this could have been a hundred pages shorter without much loss. The battle was a very isolated affair, and other than Braddock most of the characters don’t really come to life, except … George Washington.
Still, I highly recommend it to those who are interested in American history leading to the Revolution. And, of course, if you’re interested in … George Washington.
January 28, 2023
This book covers a pivotal early battle in the French and Indian war, a war that lead to the Seven Years War, the first global conflict. The battle is referred to as Braddock's defeat, the general who led the effort to try and (re)take Fort Duquesne. The book presents new primary research and puts the conflict into perspective for subsequent events for the various parties involved: the French Canadians, the Americans, the British, and the Indians. The author even went through the effort of retracing Braddock's route. The descriptions of the logistical feats, the landscape, and the unfolding of the battle are utterly fascinating. I did struggle at times with understanding the text, as I did not always find the quotes from historical parties very clear - in itself of course great that these are used to illustrate the narrative - or struggled a bit with fully understanding what was being said. There are some good maps, namely those illustrating various routes and battles, and also many nice drawings/paintings. The resolution on some of the old maps is not always good enough to fully be able to understand them.
May 30, 2025
It’s a very well written historical narrative of a time in our country’s path that I would assume most people today would not be able to talk intelligently about. You do have to feel for Braddock that what the defeat can be simply blamed on was a massive ineptitude of intelligence. You have to wonder if Washington was not part of this campaign, if he would have put such a significant emphasis of his military exploits during the Revolutionary War into intelligence, and how in by doing so, led to one of the greatest “upsets” in military history. There was definitely some divine providence at play as he was shot through his own uniform(& 2 horses) over 4 times during the battle for Fort Duquesne where officer fatality rates were over 70%. Pretty cool to think about.
I gave the book 3 stars as it was a bit dry and probably a bit over researched, which as a historical narrative, the author was just doing his job and did it very well. Personally I would have like a little more storytelling and not as much “facts”
I gave the book 3 stars as it was a bit dry and probably a bit over researched, which as a historical narrative, the author was just doing his job and did it very well. Personally I would have like a little more storytelling and not as much “facts”
March 6, 2020
Researched
Spoiler Alert , I HAVE MADE MY NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS VISIBLE
This book has been thoroughly researched and includes updated and new information for this time period. The author destroys myths and assertions through primary source material contained in multiple archives in France, England and the US.
The book is 330 reading pages but a total of 460 pages with notes and appendices. Appendices include Order of Battle, Officer Rosters, and first hand diary accounts. This book is just simply amazing.
At times the book will feel tedious and it does slow down in spots, however stay with it because the authors pearls of information will come.
Spoiler Alert , I HAVE MADE MY NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS VISIBLE
This book has been thoroughly researched and includes updated and new information for this time period. The author destroys myths and assertions through primary source material contained in multiple archives in France, England and the US.
The book is 330 reading pages but a total of 460 pages with notes and appendices. Appendices include Order of Battle, Officer Rosters, and first hand diary accounts. This book is just simply amazing.
At times the book will feel tedious and it does slow down in spots, however stay with it because the authors pearls of information will come.
June 8, 2019
In Braddock’s Defeat David Preston chronicles the lead up to the disastrous British defeat at the Monongahela in which 2/3ds of a superior British and Colonial army are killed, wounded or captured by a joint French/Indian army from Ft Duquesne Washington is one of the few officers not wounded while Gen Braddock is killed. The defeat leads to changes in British tactics, an American separation from Redcoat protection and ultimate victory at Louisburg, Montreal and Quebec. Braddock’s defeat reverberated for generations and fed the American revolt 20 years later.
August 16, 2020
Very well researched and very well written. This is as detailed an account of Braddock's Defeat as you will probably ever find, including the lead up and the aftermath of the battle. The events that lead to the encounter were both exciting and informative, while the narrative of the battle itself was riveting. The author does a wonderful job of explaining the consequences and the effect Braddock's Defeat had on both combatants and non-combatants during the Seven Years' War and later on during America's Revolutionary War. Kudos!
June 6, 2018
Excellent history of one of the first battles of the French and Indian War. Vivid descriptions of the monumental logistical challenges of marching men and materiel through the densely forested mountains of VA, MD, and PA; the contrasting of the tactics and composition of the rival forces; the consequences of the battle and its legacy. This is really a great book about 18th century warfare and life on the first frontier in America.
March 17, 2025
Excellent summary of the activity leading up to the battle of the Monongahela where General Braddock not only was defeated but led to his death.
It is also a good summary of his life leading up to the reason he was sent there. Interesting information on George Washington's role in the battle too.
It is also a good summary of his life leading up to the reason he was sent there. Interesting information on George Washington's role in the battle too.
July 23, 2025
The author put a lot of work into the research of this book to bring about a new understanding of a part of history that gets taught all the time. As a teacher that has taught about Braddock for many years I will admit that I haven’t gotten it all correct, but, thankfully, I can now. The 4 stars instead of 5 comes from having to force myself to push through.
October 9, 2018
This was an excellent book, filled with well researched, well thought out, and well written analysis & conclusions about one of the seminal battles in American history. This is the way modern history should be done.
July 17, 2025
Thoroughly researched, tightly written, and compellingly presented. Preston’s account of the battle and its antecedents and consequences is so detailed that we even know what individual men had for breakfast on that infamous day in July 1755. Highly recommend.
March 27, 2018
Painstakingly in detail Braddock's march across PA.
Great historical compilation that took about as long to read as it did to cross PA with George Washington himself.
Great historical compilation that took about as long to read as it did to cross PA with George Washington himself.
September 5, 2018
This is THE book to read on this battle and its importance in American history. It is very well researched, uncovering new sources and very well written.
October 25, 2015
An excellent account of General Braddock's expedition against Fort Duquesne (modern Pittsburgh), his defeat, and the larger ramification for the history of North America. In the wake of the disastrous Battle of the Monongahela Braddock's reputation was savaged. The General Braddock the author portrays was in fact an able and competent commander and administrator faced with daunting problems. Before he could attack the French at the forks of the Ohio he had to get his army, at the time the largest the British had mounted in North America, from tidewater Virginia across the Appalachians, a task made much more difficult by the inability of the colonial governments to provide sufficient transport and supplies. That he succeeded in building a road through the wilderness almost to Fort Duquesne is a testimony to his ability.
Braddock was also pilloried as an incompetent soldier. The author shows that the conduct of the march over the Appalachians was well organized tactically and that Braddock was very cognizant of the security of his columns. The only serious encounter with the French and Indians by his advanced guard was easily countered. But then Braddock fell victim to circumstances, not all of which can be laid at his feet. Had he arrived earlier, he would have easily overwhelmed the French, or more likely have found the fort abandoned. Instead, the French garrison was reinforced by French-Canadian marines and militia, with extensive experience fighting in the woods and with their Indian allies. They had a cadre of officers, including, critically, Captain Beaujeu, who were very experienced in working with the Indians, and were instrumental in gathering large numbers of them to oppose the British. Captain Beaujeu led a French-Canadian-Indian force out to meet Braddock's advance. In the first clash the French and Canadians were thrown back and Captain Beaujeu killed, but at that point the Indians essentially took control of the battle, using their knowledge of fighting in the forest to rapidly outflank the British column, inflicting casualties from cover and particularly picking off the officers. The British troops, trained to stand in ranks and fire by volley on command, rather than picking and firing at targets, wasted their ammunition firing into the trees, and at time in the confusion into each other. The American independent companies and rangers attached to Braddock's column, used to fighting Indian style, often ended up being decimated by friendly fire. Near the end of the battle it was the American troops who established a rear guard and ennabled the survivors to withdraw.
Braddock's defeat was followed by a series of defeats for British troops, but the survivors proved they were able to learn and they developed light infantry tactics based on the French and Indian tactics that enabled them to conquer French North America. But then they rapidly forgot the lessons and as the author points out the retreat of the British column from the battles of Lexington and Concord while harassed by colonial militia were almost a replay of Braddock's defeat.
Among the longer term affects of Braddock's defeat was increased friction between the British army and government and the colonists and the colonial governments. The Monongahela and other British defeats further eroded the status of British regular troops in the eyes of the colonists. The British officer class generally looked down upon the colonists. A serious source of friction was that it was difficult for colonials to gain commissions in the British army, and colonial troops were usually under British officers.
Significantly, when tensions reached the breaking point and revolution broke out, three of the leading American generals, native born George Washington and British immigrants Horatio Gates and Charles Lee, were veterans and survivors of Braddock's defeat, who put their experience to use creating an American army that combined the lessons of Europeand and American war fighting.
Braddock was also pilloried as an incompetent soldier. The author shows that the conduct of the march over the Appalachians was well organized tactically and that Braddock was very cognizant of the security of his columns. The only serious encounter with the French and Indians by his advanced guard was easily countered. But then Braddock fell victim to circumstances, not all of which can be laid at his feet. Had he arrived earlier, he would have easily overwhelmed the French, or more likely have found the fort abandoned. Instead, the French garrison was reinforced by French-Canadian marines and militia, with extensive experience fighting in the woods and with their Indian allies. They had a cadre of officers, including, critically, Captain Beaujeu, who were very experienced in working with the Indians, and were instrumental in gathering large numbers of them to oppose the British. Captain Beaujeu led a French-Canadian-Indian force out to meet Braddock's advance. In the first clash the French and Canadians were thrown back and Captain Beaujeu killed, but at that point the Indians essentially took control of the battle, using their knowledge of fighting in the forest to rapidly outflank the British column, inflicting casualties from cover and particularly picking off the officers. The British troops, trained to stand in ranks and fire by volley on command, rather than picking and firing at targets, wasted their ammunition firing into the trees, and at time in the confusion into each other. The American independent companies and rangers attached to Braddock's column, used to fighting Indian style, often ended up being decimated by friendly fire. Near the end of the battle it was the American troops who established a rear guard and ennabled the survivors to withdraw.
Braddock's defeat was followed by a series of defeats for British troops, but the survivors proved they were able to learn and they developed light infantry tactics based on the French and Indian tactics that enabled them to conquer French North America. But then they rapidly forgot the lessons and as the author points out the retreat of the British column from the battles of Lexington and Concord while harassed by colonial militia were almost a replay of Braddock's defeat.
Among the longer term affects of Braddock's defeat was increased friction between the British army and government and the colonists and the colonial governments. The Monongahela and other British defeats further eroded the status of British regular troops in the eyes of the colonists. The British officer class generally looked down upon the colonists. A serious source of friction was that it was difficult for colonials to gain commissions in the British army, and colonial troops were usually under British officers.
Significantly, when tensions reached the breaking point and revolution broke out, three of the leading American generals, native born George Washington and British immigrants Horatio Gates and Charles Lee, were veterans and survivors of Braddock's defeat, who put their experience to use creating an American army that combined the lessons of Europeand and American war fighting.
July 9, 2022
The battle at the Monongahela in what is now Pittsburgh was effectively the beginning of the French and Indian war in America. Movement to the interior of the continent was greatly facilitated by travel on rivers, (as can be seen by the efforts that went into the construction of Braddock’s Road to modern day Pittsburgh from Cumberland Maryland during the campaign) and that being so the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers made the site of Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) such a pivotal one to hold and was so desired by the French and the English at the time.
Braddock adhered to traditional British military tactics and was ambushed just a few miles away from Ft. Duquesne by the French, and mostly Indian force whose guerrilla war tactics decimated the British convoy. The majority of his force was absolutely slaughtered by the natives, while British soldiers stayed in traditional formation getting “shot down all like one pigeon” as the natives said. The only saving graces was the American irregulars that protected the rear of the train facilitating the retreat back over the Monongahela saving what remained of the British force.
Whats interesting is the author portrays this battle as a pivotal moment in American history in a few ways.
1. Washington plays a key role in the entire campaign effectively engrossing him in the American national mythology as early as 1755. This was also a momentous even in Washingtons life teaching him much about leading an army and how to fight in the American landscape which brings me to the next point.
2. This event changed the nature of modern warfare in the British and American perspective from strict rigid adherence to orders and formation to a more guerrilla (take cover, AIM your shots ((the British would previously just hold their guns by their side point in the direction and shoot while their native counterparts actually aimed down their rifle with their eye)), and generally what youd think of as a more modern battle)
3. This embarrassing event for the British losing with overwhelming odds as far as technologically and straight up manpower, outnumbering the native force something like 10-1 (i can’t remember) started the distancing of American colonist from the idea of being “British subjects” to being “Americans”. The colonists previously thought the British army the greatest in the world, even if things werent perfect in the colonies how could they hope to begin a revolution against such a force? But they now began to view the British force as more of a paper tiger and any hint of revolution now seemed to grow into an actual realizable goal. More and more the word “American” as an identity began to appear in colonial print after Braddock’s Defeat at the Monongahela.
It was a good starter book on the French and Indian war as i know nothing about that and feel i have a pretty good foundation at least of the events that started that chain of events which may very well be the chain of events that leads to a solid “American” identity and sparks the American revolution.
P.S. also interesting is the list of key players in the American revolution on both sides that were present fighting together at the Monongahela and how that fateful day changed their lives one way or another leading them to the roles they would play 20 years later in the war for American independence.
Braddock adhered to traditional British military tactics and was ambushed just a few miles away from Ft. Duquesne by the French, and mostly Indian force whose guerrilla war tactics decimated the British convoy. The majority of his force was absolutely slaughtered by the natives, while British soldiers stayed in traditional formation getting “shot down all like one pigeon” as the natives said. The only saving graces was the American irregulars that protected the rear of the train facilitating the retreat back over the Monongahela saving what remained of the British force.
Whats interesting is the author portrays this battle as a pivotal moment in American history in a few ways.
1. Washington plays a key role in the entire campaign effectively engrossing him in the American national mythology as early as 1755. This was also a momentous even in Washingtons life teaching him much about leading an army and how to fight in the American landscape which brings me to the next point.
2. This event changed the nature of modern warfare in the British and American perspective from strict rigid adherence to orders and formation to a more guerrilla (take cover, AIM your shots ((the British would previously just hold their guns by their side point in the direction and shoot while their native counterparts actually aimed down their rifle with their eye)), and generally what youd think of as a more modern battle)
3. This embarrassing event for the British losing with overwhelming odds as far as technologically and straight up manpower, outnumbering the native force something like 10-1 (i can’t remember) started the distancing of American colonist from the idea of being “British subjects” to being “Americans”. The colonists previously thought the British army the greatest in the world, even if things werent perfect in the colonies how could they hope to begin a revolution against such a force? But they now began to view the British force as more of a paper tiger and any hint of revolution now seemed to grow into an actual realizable goal. More and more the word “American” as an identity began to appear in colonial print after Braddock’s Defeat at the Monongahela.
It was a good starter book on the French and Indian war as i know nothing about that and feel i have a pretty good foundation at least of the events that started that chain of events which may very well be the chain of events that leads to a solid “American” identity and sparks the American revolution.
P.S. also interesting is the list of key players in the American revolution on both sides that were present fighting together at the Monongahela and how that fateful day changed their lives one way or another leading them to the roles they would play 20 years later in the war for American independence.
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