Ill-Starred General: Braddock of the Coldstream Guards

by Lee McCardell

A rare combination of documented fact and good storytelling , Ill-Starred General is the biography of a much maligned man from one of history's most vital eras. The career of Edward Braddock began during the court intrigues of Queen Anne and George I, gained momentum in continental military campaigns in the early 1750s, and ended abruptly in the rout of his American army near present-day Pittsburgh in 1755. This highly acclaimed biography reveals the man--and the politics--behind his defeat, one of the major setbacks to British imperial power in the American colonies.

Genres: History

352 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 1986

Reviews

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic biography of the blundering British General who led a disastrous expedition into western Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War. McCardell writes with a novelist's flare and an eye for cultural detail and colorful flourishes; thus, the book is arguably most interesting when it veers away from Braddock himself. As a snapshot of early Georgian England, beset as it was by political instability, cultural and class scandals and never-ending foreign wars, it's fascinating in a way that belies its subject, a rather stiff, staid and hidebound martinet of an officer who flitted around the periphery of the era's conflicts, always assigned to unrewarding garrison and staff duty before receiving a belated chance at glory - which he promptly fumbled. More recent histories of Braddock's expedition (especially David L. Preston and Thomas E. Crocker) are more sympathetic than McCardell, who adheres to the standard view of Britons blundering into an ambush, contemptuous of colonials and Indians alike, which is only half-true. Nonetheless, it's an engaging read, especially when it reaches its denouement, showing that military training, pretty uniforms and a stiff upper lip can only achieve so much on a battlefield.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A balanced, readable and well-written if somewhat hazy biography of Braddock. McCardell portrays Braddock as a competent soldier and a capable administrator who heeded the advice of the colonists and accomplished a major logistical feat in Braddock’s Road. Braddock’s 1755 expedition is the most interesting part of the book. The writing is colorful, although the digressions are distracting.

Of course, relatively little is known about Braddock’s early life and career. Maybe to make up for this, the author spends a good deal of time talking about Braddock’s father, grandfather, sister, and such topics as the Coldstream Guards and the gossip about Braddock spread by Walpole and Bellamy. He also covers some aspects of the British social, political and military history but these come off as rambling, disjointed filler. The book, does however, get better when discussing the 1755 campaign, although McCardell never looks at the causes of Braddock’s defeat or evaluates his leadership.

An energetic, well-researched biography. Some better footnotes would have helped, though, and the narrative is a bit disjointed.