The History of an Expedition Against Fort Duquesne in 1755

It was a sunny afternoon that July 9, 1755, as Gen. Braddock watched his nearly 1,400 troops cross the Monongahela River for a second time on route to Fort Duquesne to do battle with the French and Indians: there, to once and for all, chase them from the Forks of The Ohio. Little was Gen. Braddock to know that by days end, he would lay mortally wounded, almost 1,000 of his men would either be dead or wounded, and the remnants of his once proud army would be in full retreat to Dunbar s Camp some 40 miles to the rear. 400 French and Indians, hiding in wait, had laid waste to the once mighty British fighting machine and set into motion the events that would set a continent on fire for the next 8 years. The Braddock expedition and eventual disaster is one of the great mysteries of Colonial America. Was it caused by the poor performance of the British enlisted soldier? Was it caused by British infantry tactics, particularly platoon volley firing, firing at French and Indians hidden behind dense foliage? Was it because of Braddock s advance position being nearly forty miles ahead of his backup, Colonel Dunbar and 1,000 more men and all the heavy guns? Or was it caused by an arrogant, overbearing, and stubborn General Braddock who refused to listen to practical advise from lowly woodsmen and Indians. The answer to these questions and many more are in this exciting and fact-filled book. No book on the Braddock campaign is equal to this one. Historical references call this book the best account of the Braddock disaster. But not only is this book, by far and away the most factual account, Sargent includes many additional sources of facts about the Braddock campaign that are not found in any other book.So rich in detail is this book that you will read the complete journal of Captain Robert Orme of the Coldstream guard, a right hand man to General Braddock, as well as the journal of Captain Roger Morris, aide de camp with Washington to Gen. Braddock s campaign. Information included in the 6-part appendix is George Croghan s statement about the Indians with him in the campaign, and his opinion about Braddock s attitude toward these men and their fate and what might have been in that day of our unhappy defeat. Appendix include Braddock s instructions for his North American campaign by order of the Duke of Cumberland, the French report of the battle and details of Braddock s last night in London. 432pp 250TH ANNIVERSARY HB in 6-part appendix & index. 4 double-sided full color and 2 B&W foldout maps (one is a copy of the original 1853 letter from Horatio Gates Jones to the Ambassador to England requesting documents for this book. Originally printed in 1855,COLLECTORS EDITION IS $74.95. ABOUT WENNAWOODS PUBLISHING It all started with a dream, preserving America s 17th and 18th century Eastern Frontier history. Beginning in the fall of 1994, our first books, Indian Chiefs of Pennsylvania and Indian Wars of Pennsylvania became instant hits and today we are one the largest publisher and seller of books on 17th and 18th century Eastern Frontier History. As a small family business consisting of Ron and Kris Wenning and our son Scott, we have turned our love of early American history and our great Pennsylvania outdoors into the publishing company called Wennawoods Publishing. We hope you like what we do and will tell your friends about us. Please visit us a www.wennawoods.com.