Braddock Road Preservation Association

Glad the operator knew to call the bomb squad!

July 14, 1755 PENNSYLVANIA-ORCHARD CAMP (Orme) Early in the Morning we marched and after we had got a little distance from our old ground we halted till their was a grave dugg'd for the genll, where we Buried him in two Blankits in the high Road that was cut for the Wagons, (so) that all the Wagons might March Over him and the Army (as well) to hinder any Suspision of the French Indiens. For if they thought he was Buried their, they would take him up and Scalp him. To day we march'd 10 miles.

Braddock's GOLD - Setting the Record Straight! We occasionally get inquiry's as to whether or not General Braddock carried with him and buried a CHEST OF GOLD during his expedition against the French at Fort Duquesne during that fateful march in 1755. The FACTS From one of our esteemed BRPA Historians Bruce Egli: Capt. Dumas, in his after-battle report, confirmed that he had taken possession of the money tumbril* with the military chest. A number of the Indians, he said..., were looking through it, but were not conscious of its value. I have not seen further information on where it went after that, although several of Braddock's artillery pieces show up elsewhere. The famous twelve-pounder at Niagara allowed the French and British to shoot the same shot back and forth at each other. As an aside, "gold," or gold coin, was relatively rare because of its high value. Braddock's money chest would have contained mostly silver and copper coin, more useful for local transactions. Large sums were paid for with bills of exchange payable in London,much more convenient and highly valued by colonial merchants. The problem with gold coins like the British guinea is making change. Think of going into a store and asking for change for a thousand dollar bill. And from noted "Braddock's Defeat" Author - Dr. David Preston on this subject: Believe me, I have scoured the British National Archives, the British Library, and other archives in Britain for correspondence relating to Braddock's Expedition. There is NO paper trail on lost treasure amounting to (in today's currency) hundreds of thousands of dollars. There IS a paper trail in Britain regarding the capture of Braddock's headquarters papers and their damaging secrets, the capture of his artillery and ammunition, along with the other stores destroyed at Dunbar's camp. These two documents edited by Edward Williams are also key in establishing the fate of Braddock's pay chest: As Williams says, "Our interest in these reports lies in the fact that they state categorically that the "money tumbril" remained at Fort Cumberland and did not accompany the army, and that a box containing a relatively small amount for commissary expenses, together with the Commissary's vouchers, fell into French hands." [The coins mentioned in some French accounts]. Reference: https://journals.psu.edu/wph/article/view/1906/1754 NOTE: Definition of a "TUMBRIL": A tumbrel (alternatively tumbril) is a two-wheeled cart or wagon typically designed to be hauled by a single horse or ox. Their original use was for agricultural work; in particular they were associated with carrying manure. Their most infamous use was taking prisoners to the guillotine during the French Revolution.[1][2] They were also used by the military for hauling supplies.[2] In this use the carts were sometimes covered. The two wheels allowed the cart to be tilted to discharge its load more easily.

July 12, 2020 PENNSYLVANIA-CAMP ON WEST SIDE YOUGHIOGHENY (seaman) On the 12th, at 8 at night, he (the General) departed this life, much lamented by the whole Army, and was decently, through privately, buried next morning. The number killed, wounded and left on the Field, as appeared by the returns form the different companies, was more than another, except the Grenadier Companies and Carpenters; from out of Colonel Dunbar's Grenadiers, who were 79 complete that day, only ...9 returned untouched, and out of 70 of Halket's, only 13. Amongst the rest, I believe I may say the Seamen did their duty, for out of 33, only 15 escaped untouched: and every Grenadier Officer either killed or wounded. Our loss that day consisted of 4 field pieces, 3 howitzers, and 2 wagons, with Cohorns, togeather with the 51 carriages of provisions and Ammunition, &c., and Hospital stores, and the General's private chest with 1000pds in it, and about 200 horses with officers baggage. (batman) We halted and broak and distroyed all the Ammunition and provisions and Buried them in the ground. The Reason for distroying them was because we wanted the wagons to Carry the Wounded. The Horses dying so fast oblig'd us to fire about a hundred for want of horses to draw them