Events to mark French and Indian War anniversary
The culmination of a series of events retracing the trail of British Major General Edward Braddock and his troops on their fateful march to one of history’s most disastrous defeats takes place at sites in the Pittsburgh area on the weekends of July 9 and July 16. “Braddock’s defeat changed the course of history in a profound way not only for multiple European Empires, but also for Native Americans and the American colonies,” explains Laura Fisher, director of French and Indian War 250 Inc., which is spearheading the national commemoration of the war.
Since March, a series of events called The Season of Braddock have taken place along Braddock’s route, which began in Alexandria, Va. The final events mark the July 9, 1755, battle, the British retreat to Dunbar’s Camp (near Fort Necessity) and Braddock’s death July 13, 1755.
The season of Braddock Commemorative Events, which is open to the public, is as follows:
– July 16-17, Braddock’s Death and the Retreat to Dunbar’s Camp at Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Braddock’s Road Preservation Association (Braddock’s Grave and Dunbar’s Camp are located near Fort Necessity National Battlefield.)
– 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 16-17, Encampments, Firearms Demonstrations and Exhibits at Fort Necessity National Battlefield. Encampments will feature re-enactors living as the French, British and American Indian forces did 250 years ago; artillery demonstrations also will take place. Special exhibits will include a sword associated with Braddock’s defeat on loan from the Mount Vernon Estate, Washington’s handwritten Remarks on his French and Indian War experiences and Robert Griffing’s new painting, The Wounding of General Braddock. There is an admission charge.
– July 16, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., British Encampment and Conestoga Wagon Display on the grounds of the Jumonville Church and Conference Center. The site of Dunbar’s Camp during the Braddock campaign.
– July 16, 7 p.m., Lectures on the Battle at Dunbar’s Camp, Wesley Hall, Jumonville Church and Conference Center. Featured speakers include Martin West, Director of Fort Ligonier and Bruce Egli, Vice President of BRPA.
– July 17, 10 a.m., Service at Braddock’s Grave – General Braddock’s burial service will be recreated at the original burial site, followed by remarks and a wreath-laying at the Braddock monument by a unit of retired British soldiers, many of whom trace ancestry to the regiments that served with Braddock.
Hosts ar Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Braddock’s Road Preservation Association ( Braddock’s Grave and Dunbar’s Camp are located near Fort Necessity National Battlefield.)
– June 25-26, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Connellsville Historical Society, Connellsville, Pa., sponsors “Braddock’s Crossing of the Youghiogheny River”, with a re-enactment of troops crossing the river at 1 p.m. each day at the Youghiogheny River Park beside the Rt. 119 Bridge in Connellsville.
British and Colonist troops will be encamped at Col. Crawford’s Cabin on the banks of the River, and George Washington will be present each day.
For more information or details about the event, 724-628-5344.
July 8, Pittsburgh will welcome the Lawrence Technological University students who have paddled a specially designed canoe along a route typical of the mid-18th century from near Detroit to Pittsburgh to commemorate the Battle of the Monongahela. They are scheduled to be at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at the Waterworks Mall at 7 p.m. (www.ltu.edu/canoe_trip).
At the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, Braddock’s Defeat is featured in the blockbuster exhibit, Clash of Empires: The British, French & Indian War, 1754-1763.
For more information on other French and Indian War historic sites in western Pennsylvania, visit www.frenchandindianwar250.org.
Turning Point in American. European History
Historians point to the Battle of the Monongahela, near present-day Pittsburgh, as a turning point in the French and Indian War, and in European and American history. Instead of bringing a quick end to the war as expected, General Braddock oversaw one of the worst defeats in British history. It took eight more years for the British to remove France from North America. In the process, most of Europe was drawn into the Seven Years War, which Winston Churchill called “the first world war.”
“For the American Indians who allied with the French that day,” Fisher adds, “the battle was a major victory. At the war’s end, however, they were left to face a robust Anglo-American empire alone. For American colonists, the battle was their first indication that the British military was not invincible, and where young George Washington first distinguished himself on the battlefield. Ultimately, the cost of a prolonged war and the administration of their vast new North American holdings drained the British treasury, and Parliament solved the problem by taxing the colonies. The rest, as they say, is history.”