Braddock's Defeat (Battle of the Monongahela)

July 9, 1755 · Ohio Valley Theater

Phases

1. 1Phase 1 — River Crossing & MarchJuly 9, 1755 — Morning
2. 2Phase 2 — The AmbushJuly 9, 1755 — Early Afternoon
3. 3Phase 3 — Rout & RetreatJuly 9, 1755 — Afternoon

July 9, 1755 — Morning

Braddock's column of ~1,400 British regulars and colonials crosses the Monongahela River at a ford and advances north in tight European column formation along a forest road toward Fort Duquesne. The column stretches nearly a mile through dense woods. Washington urged Braddock to send flankers into the forest; Braddock refused, confident in the superiority of his regulars.

• ●Monongahela River ford — British column crosses here
• ➤British column advances north toward Fort Duquesne in tight formation
• ●Fort Duquesne — French objective, ~10 miles north
• ●British column formation — regulars in dense European march order