Braddock's Field is a historic battlefield on the banks of the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-cen ...

, at

Braddock, Pennsylvania Braddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 1,721 as of the 2020 census. The borough is represented by the ...

, near the junction of Turtle Creek, about nine miles southeast of the "Forks of the Ohio" in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. Here, in 1755, was fought the

Battle of the Monongahela The Battle of the Monongahela (also known as the Battle of Braddock's Field and the Battle of the Wilderness) took place on 9 July 1755, at the beginning of the French and Indian War, at Braddock's Field in what is now Braddock, Pennsylvania, e ...

which ended the Braddock Expedition.

History

Native Americans inhabited the region in the 18th century. In 1742,

Queen Alliquippa Queen Alliquippa or Queen Aliquippa (died December 23, 1754) was a leader of the Seneca tribe of American Indians during the early part of the 18th century. Biography Little is known about Queen Aliquippa's early life. Her date of birth has been ...

, a local

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

leader, gave John Fraser several hundred acres of land. He was probably the first white settler west of the

Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...

.The Unwritten History of Braddock's Field (Pennsylvania), editor, Geo. H. Lamb, A. M., Nicholson printing co., Pittsburgh, 1917 The place became known as "Braddock's Field" after French and Indian forces from

Fort Duquesne Fort Duquesne (, ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort French colonization of the Americas, established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny River, Allegheny and Monongahela River, Monongahela rivers. It was lat ...

defeated British General

Edward Braddock Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...

there, on July 9, 1755, in the

. Braddock himself was mortally wounded, dying several days later. The bones of the soldiers killed in the battle were visible to passers-by for years after the battle. Braddock's Field also was the site of a rally of rebellious militiamen and farmers during the

Whiskey Rebellion The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax impo ...

, prior to a massive march on the city of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

on August 1, 1794."The Planting of Civilization in Western Pennsylvania, Buck, Solon J. The Edgar Thomson Steel Works is located nearby and may cover the former site of John Fraser's cabin. Braddock's Field was also the location of Camp Copeland, a rendezvous for men who had been drafted into the Union forces during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. At Camp Copeland the men would be trained and sent to their assigned regiments. Poor conditions and several deaths in March 1864 invited inspections and changes to the Camp. The Camp name was briefly changed to Camp Reynolds, but the old name was adopted again. Camp Copeland closed on April 29, 1865.

Location

The towns of

and North Braddock now occupy the approximate site of the battlefield. The exact location is disputed by some historians, but a

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

state historical marker, located at 549 Jones Avenue near a small recreation park, is generally considered the likely center of the battlefield. The sign reads, "July 9, 1755 Gen. Braddock's British forces en route to capture Fort Duquesne were ambushed and routed by French and Indians within present limits of Braddock and North Braddock, forcing retreat and failure of the expedition. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission." A statue of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

Frank Vittor Frank Vittor (Italian Name "Francesco Fabio Vittori") (January 6, 1888 – January 24, 1968) was an American sculptor, known for his "preference for the heroic and colossal". Early life Vittor was born in Mozzate, Como, a suburb of Milan, Italy ...

stands nearby. A bronze plaque on a senior citizens apartment building on Sixth Street marks the furthest west Braddock's advance guard got before falling back to "Braddock's Field." Braddock is located at . According to a map in Crocker's book (references), Braddock crossed the Monongahela from the southwest at the south side of the current Edgar Thomson Steel Works just north of Turtle Creek, turned north along the base of the hill now occupied by the Grandview golf course, turned northwest roughly along Bell Avenue, and first encountered the French just south of where the railroad crosses Sixth Street. (The Braddock's Battlefield History Center is located just north of this spot, across the tracks.) His forces were strung out for at least a half mile from Sixth Street toward the river crossing and the French and Indians attacked from both sides.

References

Footnotes

Sources

*Thomas E Crocker, 'Braddock's March', 2011 {{French colonial campaigns History of Pittsburgh