![]() In the smoke of the battle, fighting an unseen enemy, and with many British officers killed early on, discipline all but ended. Disorganization and fear seized the British. Advance British units fell back upon the main body, while the rear units continued advancing, adding to the confusion. Soon after the river crossing, the woods in front of the British column exploded with musket fire and the whooping of American Indians and their French allies as they collided head-on with the British. From that point it was a short march to Fort Duquesne. On July 9, they made a second crossing of the Monongahela River. In early July, the advance group was approaching the Forks of the Ohio. The remainder would follow under the command of Colonel Dunbar Finally the army was split in two with Braddock moving ahead with the bulk of the men and a few pieces of artillery. The force seemed to move at a snail's pace. Because the trail was inadequate for the army's large wagons and artillery, it was widened to 12 feet, but only at great effort and expenditure of time. Braddock decided to follow the road Washington had blazed over the mountains on his way to Fort Necessity the previous year. George Washington joined the campaign as a volunteer aide to the General. After adding colonial troops and a few Indians to his force, Braddock had about 2,400 men. That spring, he disembarked his army at Alexandria, Virginia. Braddock would lead the expedition against Fort Duquesne personally. The British plan for 1755 was to simultaneously attack many French forts in North America. After 45 years of military service he became commander-in-chief of all British forces in North America. ![]() Braddock, a career soldier, had risen through the ranks. ![]() General Edward Braddock of the Coldstream GuardĪfter George Washington's defeat at Fort Necessity, his British force retreated to Wills Creek (present day Cumberland, Maryland).Īfter appeals from colonial governors, the British decided to take matters more seriously and sent Major General Braddock to North America with two regiments of infantry.
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