Today in History: The Battle of Monogahela

On this day (July 9) in 1755 General Edward Braddock led his troops to a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Monongahela ending his effort to take Fort Duquesne (modern day Pittsburgh) from the French. The French attempted to ambush Braddock’s superior force as he crossed the Monongahela River but they arrived late and ran into Braddock’s advanced guard much to the shock of both forces. The resulting battle lasted for hours with Braddock constantly trying to form his men up for traditional European battles while the French and their Native American allies sniped at him from behind trees. Eventually Braddock was killed and his forces collapsed. George Washington was credited with rallying a rearguard action that permitted most of Braddock’s surviving forces to escape.