Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution
by David Preston (2015)
The Battle of the Monongahela was a spectacular disaster for colonial Britain. The French were making gains west of the Appalachians Mountains, encroaching on British settlers. In response, the British sailed an army in 1755 from Ireland, to land at Alexandria, to then march to what is today Pittsburgh, and build the road that would take them there as they marched. The cost was tremendous. And right before the British got to the French-controlled fort, they were attacked by a force of French and Indians that demolished the Redcoats. The outcome was a surprise to its backers and the cause and effect of this huge loss directly impacted the colonists on their own march to revolution. Braddock’s Defeat: The Battle of the Monongahela and the Road to Revolution by David Preston takes you along with General Edward Braddock’s army in a vivid way.
Most historians agree, Braddock’s loss is attributed to his slow march, his lack of scouts, and his unwillingness to adjust traditional European style army maneuvers to the forest terrain of the American wilderness. The author writes, “The Battle of the Monongahela was above all a testament to the military power of Indian nations, which comprised more than two-thirds of the force that attacked Braddock’s column.”
A huge task involved in the British plan was for the army to construct the road that would take them there as they went along. They had to cut down trees, remove large rocks, clear fresh paths. The first part, from Alexandria to Fort Cumberland, could not have been too bad, but from Cumberland to Fort Duquesne would have been very difficult. The author writes, “The road-builders … were not spared the physical toll that the mountains exacted. Provincials constituted the bulk of the party, though Braddock authorized, incentivized, and sometimes ordered British Redcoats to work on the roads or push wagons.”
George Washington, Braddock’s aid-de-camp, urged Braddock to adjust with a quicker and lighter squad with less baggage, which Braddock was slow to install. But once they got going, the author claims, “Braddock’s final advance on Fort Duquesne was perhaps the fastest by a conventional army through mountainous wilderness ever accomplished in early American warfare.”
Washington Irving summed up Braddock’s legacy with this- “An unhonored grave in a strange land, a memory clouded by misfortune, and a name forever coupled with defeat.”
Braddock lost his live at the Battle of the Monongahela, Washington earned a new one. For Washington, the author concludes, “It had transformed his reputation, taking him from humiliation at Fort Necessity to virtuousness at the Monongahela.”
The aftermath of this crushing defeat directly impacted the relationship between the British government and the Colonials on the American continent. Having to recoup their losses, the introduction of a series of taxes was imposed on the Colonies, which propelled us down the path to the American Revolution. Understanding this defeat is essential to understanding the creation of our country and Preston’s work is an excellent source to accomplish that goal.
I recommend this to those interested in the American Revolution. Rich in detail, I felt like every sentence was meticulously researched and impactful to the story. It is well-worth it to pay close attention throughout. This is an excellent book.
