Edward Braddock
Edward Braddock was a British military officer who played a significant role in the French and Indian War as the commander of British forces in North America. Initially joining the Coldstream Guards, an elite regiment, Braddock built a career as a soldier and rose to prominence within the British military. In 1755, he was tasked with leading an expedition to capture Fort Duquesne, a French stronghold strategically located at the fork of the Ohio River, in what is now Pittsburgh.
Braddock's campaign began with the disembarkation of his forces in Virginia, but on July 9, 1755, near the fort, his troops encountered a well-coordinated attack from French and Native American forces. The British forces, unprepared for the challenges of terrain and tactics in the dense wilderness, suffered significant losses, with nearly two-thirds of his men killed, including a large number of officers. Braddock himself was wounded in the battle and ultimately succumbed to his injuries on July 13, 1755. His defeat marked a critical moment in the war, highlighting the difficulties faced by British forces in North America and their ongoing struggle to dominate the region.
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Edward Braddock
Armed Forces Personnel
- Born: 1695
- Birthplace: Perthshire, Scotland
- Died: July 13, 1755
- Place of death: Near Great Meadows, Pennsylvania
Full name: Edward Braddock III
Born: 1695; Perthshire, Scotland
Died: July 13, 1755; near Great Meadows, Pennsylvania
Principal war: French and Indian War
Military significance: Braddock, although a skilled commander, did not understand Indian fighting tactics and was mortally wounded during an attack by French and Indian forces near Fort Duquesne.
As a young man, Edward Braddock joined an elite group of the king’s red-coated foot guards, the Coldstream Guards. He became a career soldier and rose through the ranks to become commander of the British forces in North America, fighting in the French and Indian War.
After failing to capture Fort Duquesne, a French fortification at the fork of the Ohio River, which later became the city of Pittsburgh, the British sent Braddock to North America with two regiments of infantry. Braddock disembarked from Alexandria, Virginia, in the spring of 1755. On July 9, 1755, after crossing the Monongahela River eight miles south of the fort, Braddock’s men were met by French and Indian forces. Braddock was not prepared for fighting in the heavy brush, and his army became disorganized, panicking as the French forces pelted them with artillery fire. Nearly two-thirds of Braddock’s men were killed, including sixty-three of his eighty-nine officers. Braddock was wounded and died on July 13, 1755. The loss was a bitter one for the British, who once again failed in their attempt to capture Fort Duquesne.
Bibliography
Boyer, Matthew. General George Washington’s Great Secret. Edgewater, Fla.: Denlinger’s, 2000.
Hadden, James. Washington’s Expeditions (1753–1754) and Braddock’s Expedition (1755) with History of Tom Fausett, the Slayer of General Edward Braddock. Mount Vernon, Ind.: Windmill, 1991.
Sargent, Winthrop. The History of an Expedition Against Fort Duquesne in 1755 Under Major-General Edward Braddock. New York: Arno Press, 1971.