Braddock Expedition (1755): Disaster at the Monongahela

The Braddock Expedition was a British attempt in 1755 to capture the French Fort Duquesne at the forks of the Ohio River. On 9 July 1755 Major General Edward Braddock’s column was routed near the Monongahela River by a smaller force of French soldiers, Canadian militia and Native American warriors. Braddock was mortally wounded, and the battle became one of the worst British defeats of the French and Indian War.

Background

After George Washington’s surrender at Fort Necessity in July 1754, the British government decided to send regular troops to America. Edward Braddock, a veteran officer of the Coldstream Guards in his sixties, was appointed commander-in-chief in North America and arrived in Virginia in February 1755.

At a conference in Alexandria in April, Braddock and colonial governors agreed a plan to strike at several French posts at once. Braddock himself would lead the main force against Fort Duquesne.

The march west

Braddock’s army included two regiments of British infantry, the 44th and 48th Foot, together with colonial troops, a small number of sailors and artillery. In all he had about 2,100 men. Because there was no road across the Allegheny Mountains, his soldiers had to cut one through the forest from Fort Cumberland in Maryland, a slow and exhausting task.

The column also suffered from shortages of wagons and horses; Benjamin Franklin helped find wagons from Pennsylvania farmers. Only a handful of Native warriors, led by the Oneida leader Scarouady, accompanied the march. Relations with other Ohio nations had broken down, partly because Braddock was unwilling to promise them their lands after the war.

To move faster, Braddock divided his army. A “flying column” of about 1,300 to 1,450 men pushed ahead, while Colonel Thomas Dunbar followed with the heavy baggage.

The battle

On 9 July 1755 the flying column crossed the Monongahela River twice, about 10 miles from Fort Duquesne. Shortly after midday the advance guard under Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage met a force coming from the fort.

The French commander, Captain Daniel Liénard de Beaujeu, led about 850 to 900 men: around 250 French regulars and Canadian militia and some 600 to 650 warriors from nations including the Ottawa, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, Shawnee, Wyandot and Lenape. Beaujeu was killed early in the fight, and Captain Jean-Daniel Dumas took command.

The French and Native fighters spread out along both sides of the road and onto a hill overlooking it. Gage’s advance guard fell back into the main column, and the British units became tangled together in a crowded mass. Soldiers fired at an enemy they could rarely see, and officers on horseback were easy targets.

The fighting lasted around three hours. Braddock had several horses shot under him before he was hit through the arm and chest. The column finally broke and fled back across the river, abandoning wagons, artillery and Braddock’s papers.

Washington’s role

George Washington, then 23, had joined the expedition as an unpaid volunteer aide to Braddock. Although ill with dysentery, he rode through the battle carrying orders. In a letter to his mother written days later, he reported that he had two horses shot under him and that four bullets passed through his coat.

After the defeat, Washington helped organise the retreat and carry orders to Dunbar’s camp. His conduct earned him a reputation for courage, and later in 1755 he was given command of all Virginia’s troops.

Losses and aftermath

Braddock died on 13 July 1755 near the Great Meadows. He was buried in the road, and wagons were driven over the grave to hide it from enemies. Dunbar then destroyed much of the army’s supplies and withdrew to Philadelphia, leaving the frontiers of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia open to raids.

Myths and facts

A popular story says the British lost because they stood in neat lines while their enemies fought “Indian-style” from behind trees. Historians now stress other factors: Braddock’s lack of Native scouts, the surprise meeting, poor reaction by the advance guard and the confusion that followed. The column was actually in marching order on a narrow road, not drawn up for a formal battle.

Several later famous Americans were present, including Thomas Gage, Horatio Gates, the wagoner Daniel Morgan and Daniel Boone, who also served as a wagoner.

Timeline

• 1755, February: Braddock arrives in Virginia.
• 1755, April: Alexandria conference plans the campaign.
• 1755, late May–June: The army leaves Fort Cumberland and cuts a road west.
• 1755, 9 July: Battle of the Monongahela.
• 1755, 13 July: Braddock dies during the retreat.
• 1755, August: Dunbar withdraws the remaining troops to Philadelphia.
• 1758, November: The French abandon Fort Duquesne to General John Forbes.

Why it matters

Braddock’s defeat shocked Britain and its colonies, exposed the vulnerability of European armies in the North American forest and opened years of devastating frontier raids. It also made George Washington a public figure and gave many future leaders of the American Revolution their first experience of war.