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Braddock's March: How the Man Sent to Seize a Continent Changed American History

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In 1754 Edward Braddock was a newly minted major general in the British army. Not long after his promotion he received a dream assignment: supreme commander of Britain's forces in North America with orders to defeat the French in the colonial war ignited by a young Virginia militia officer (George Washington) in May 1754.

The Army gave Braddock two lackluster regiments, assured him that the colonies would provide logistic support and that colonial militia forces would cooperate. Braddock's army was the largest force in North America. He was superior to the French in numbers, artillery and support. And, according to the best London maps, the journey from Alexandria, Virginia to the French at Ft. Duquesne (modern Pittsburgh, Pa.), could be mostly accomplished by water with only a few miles of marching. What could go wrong?

Everything. Braddock, with no combat experience, was a poor choice for command. He did not connect to his men, his subordinate officers, or almost anyone else. His two regiments were poor and under strength. Other regiments had to provide men to Braddock and sent their worst. No one understood the vast differences between war in the North American wilderness and war in Europe. Distances were far greater than the London maps portrayed. There was no water route. Braddock was about 190 miles from Ft. Duquesne, as the crow flies rather than as the troops marched. Worse, the troops had to build a road as they went. Finally, no one had talked to the colonies about their expected contributions. Nor did the British understand the immense political problems that such expenses would cause the colonial governments. Most colonies spent their efforts trying to avoid providing anything, and Braddock's threats were largely ineffective.

An arduous march ensued through a claustrophobic wilderness, an environment oppressive and unnerving to the British. The campaign famously ended in a shattering defeat a few miles from Ft. Duquesne when the column was ambushed by the French and Indians from concealed positions.

Braddock lost his own life and nearly two thirds of his army. Had Braddock won, his story would have been a great military epic. Instead "Braddock's defeat" was probably the biggest disaster in British Army history to that date, leaving Braddock's name a synonym for military incompetence.

The only positive outcome for the British was temporary. The defeat caused them to make a major and successful effort to eject the French from North America; but the attempts to recover some of the expenses of this war from the colonies helped cause the American Revolution.

This is a work of popular history for a general audience. Crocker does an excellent job of bringing this story to a wider audience. He is very good at portraying the combination of blithe ignorance and serene confidence by planners far distant from the action who are sure they are planning an inevitably successful operation when in fact they are barely connected to reality. Equally good is his description of the march and what it must have done to troops who were utterly unprepared for what they had to do. He is less successful in penetrating Braddock's mind, probably because evidence of his thoughts is scarce. Crocker's prose is clear but not compelling and he goes off on occasional tangents. Overall, however, he does a fine job of telling the story of a disaster that is no longer well known here and suggesting some of its longer term consequences.

As a veteran consumer of political-military works and one with (so I had previously thought) a solid foundation in eighteenth century American history, I found Braddock's March to be a thoroughly enlightening and riveting read. Crocker writes with great sophistication and with tremendous verve in a most engaging, accessible style. He sheds new light (not always favorable) on supposedly familiar historical figures and introduces more obscure players who quickly become fascinating in their own rights. The evocation of the American wilderness is so strong here that the reader readily visualizes the doomed expedition fighting not just the Indians and the French, but their daunting surroundings as well. With meticulous research that is seamlessly integrated into an exciting yet appalling tale, Crocker sets right the historical record and convincingly positions "The March" in a merited place of tremendous significance, even though the tangible traces of the ordeal now seem to appear in little more than street signage memorializing its unfortunate commander. I highly recommend this very fine work!

This is an excellent, in-depth and thoroughly researched look at a piece of American history that has largely escaped the rigorous examination of the politics and the personalities of the men and women who played such a prominent role in bringing this country closer to rebellion and to eventual political freedom.
By painting a complete picture of the political and military landscape of the age and of the rigors of the march and all it entailed, Mr. Crocker set the stage for the exciting climax to this ill-fated mission. Even though this book will certainly be sought after by professional historians, I highly recommend it to everyone.

Just finished the new book on Braddock by Crocker. Overall: B+. It is not the be all and end all book on the campaign, and it does leave quite a bit out--esp about his use of provincial forces. He gets a few minor details wrong as well. Prob the biggest gaffe (reflective of the fact that he is a lawyer, not a trained historian, and is thus unfamiliar with the wider literature) is his description of the 1755 Carlyle House Conference ("Congress") as a prototype to the Continental Congress of 1774. He's way off with that. The meeting of the Gov's with Braddock was not some kind of representative assembly as Crocker would have us believe.

However, for what it is--a popular history--I think it is pretty good, and if it attracts more people to the subject and colonial military history then it is a good thing. One really ought to read Kopperman, though, to get the full picture.

I received this book as a gift this Christmas, and found it a thoroughly engrossing read. I never gave much study to the French and Indian War, considering it largely a branch of the simultaneous European conflict. This book has made me desire to study this shadow war the further.

It might be argued that Crocker is no prose stylist, but to shine a light on this dark corner of American history he does not need to be. The image, for example, of Braddock's army marching through a ghostly virgin white pine forest, the "Shades of Death," is more evocative than any stylistic frisson.

Crocker is more than up to the challenge of illustrating the historical forces that the Battle of Monongahela unleashed. He makes a sound argument that Braddock's failure aggravated previously unseen British-colonial tensions and set both sides on the course that would lead to the Revolution. His epilogue study of the "Outrages" that the French and their Indian allies unleashed on the colonial frontier from 1755-1758, though necessarily brief, was likewise illuminating of much of our history that followed. Crocker has done yeoman's work, and I expect to read this tome several more times.

BRADDOCK'S MARCH: HOW THE MAN SENT TO SEIZE A CONTINENT CHANGED AMERICAN HISTORY
THOMAS E. CROCKER
WESTHOLME PUBLISHING, 2009
HARDCOVER, $28.00, 336 PAGES, MAPS, NOTES, BIBLIOGRAPHY, INDEX, ILLUSTRATIONS


During the early 1750s, France and England jockeyed for position in North America. By 1752, the French were seeking to establish a strong position in the Ohio Valley. Along the Great Lakes and the Ohio itself, they constructed a string of forts, key among them being Fort Duquesne, erected in 1754 on the forks of the Ohio.The American colonists themselves had designs on the region, and certainly were unwilling to be excluded from it, but their main counterthrust, Washington's Fort Necessity expedition of 1754, ended in humiliating defeat. The government in London then determined to commit British regulars to the effort. During the autumn of 1754, final plans were laid for the proposed enterprise. The 44th and 48th Regiments of Foot were to be sent to Virginia, then on to strike Fort Duquesne. Meanwhile, the two provincial regiments, the 50th and 51st (they had been reduced in 1748 but were now raised again) wee to move on Niagara. The two British regiments would join them after capturing Fort Duquesne, and this combined force would sweep the French from south of the GreatnLakes. Commanding this effort was to be Major General Edward Braddock, a favorite of the Duke of Cumberland. Despite the ambitious nature of this plan, the government in London committed only the minimum resources to it. The 44th and 48th were among the weakest regiments, both short of personnel. They were to some extent filled out, more in quantity than quality, by drafts from other regiments, and it was anticipated that once they reached Virginia, it was expected that American recruits would bring them both to 700 men in each regiment. On this small and motley force, commanded by an officer who had no combat experience, the government in London placed its primary reliance. Upon arrival in Hampton, Virginia in February, 1755, Braddock refined the master strategy. Massachusetts Governor William Shirley was given command of the Niagara expedition, and in addition to the 50th and 51st he was alloted the New York militia units, along with what ever provincials and Native American allies he could recruit. Sir William Johnson, newly designated superintendent of the northern Native Americans, was ordered to advance on the French fort at Crown Point. His force was to consist of provincials, supported by Native Americans. Finally, a force of New Englanders was to sail to Nova Scotia, there to link-up with British regulars in an attack on Fort Beausejour at Chignecto. Command of this force was given to Colonel Robert Monckton. But the linchpin to the campaign was, of course, Braddock's expedition. With the defeat of Braddock, the master plan for rolling back the French began to unravel. Shirley, who when Braddock was killed in action became commander in chief, was a cautious general-not the last that the British were to have in the highest command during the period of 1755-1763. After putting together a 5,000-man army at Oswego by late September, 1755, he decided not to advance against Niagara. He was likely unnerved not only by the defeat of Braddock's army but also the untimely death of his son, William Shirley, Jr. (who was Braddock's secretary); and the lateness of the season. In BRADDOCK'S MARCH: HOW THE MAN SENT TO SEIZE A CONTINENT CHANGED AMERICAN HISTORY, author Thomas E. Crocker writes a wonderfully satisfying narrative that combines new scholarship with attention to detail to bring to life not only Braddock himself but also the failed campaign to capture Fort Duquesne. The only thing missing from this book is an order of battle for both the British and their allies and the French and their allies which would have been a great help in understanding this engagement.


Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard
Orlando, Florida

T.E. Crocker has chosen a erudite path to enlighten the reader as to the character of General Edward Braddock. The detail of Braddock's personal life and military career are excellent. The book however does not pursue details of the march and final battle at the Monongahela. The inside flap refers to Braddock's column as ambushed. The general consensus among most scholars describe this as a collision of forces. There are copious amounts fo information referenced by the author. His interpretation of historical facts regarding this controversial expedition and impact on our American History is well worth reading.

I enjoyed this account of Braddock's march tremendously.

Beautifully and meticulously researched as it was, it never bogged down in the details causing a boring read. Mr. Crocker writes fluidly and is able to insert moments of humor into one of the more tragic stories of America's history.

I picked up Braddock's March to read on a very long flight. I knew the story, but this well researched book filled in many details and background color of the times and place. The author has written an entertaining and enlightening read for a winters night or a long flight to London.

An extraordinarily interesting book. Thomas E. Crocker's account of General Braddock's March will be enlightening to almost anyone. This period of American history is murky in the minds of almost any of us with the "standard education".

Braddock is a name that is either vague in the memory of most, or simply recalled because of the stigma of failure - for reasons that are murky and even wrong-headed. As a native of the area from which General Braddock began his march, I may be a bit more aware of the event than many, but proved to be as ignorant of the facts as any. This book is a very pleasurable read and extraordinarily informative, even if military history is not your favorite genre.

My own perception was markedly changed by this book. The notion that Braddock was a bumbler, or the march was impetuous, or ill planned was simply not the case. It all went horribly wrong all-right, though less for reasons of negligence than a host of second-tier factors, led by arrogance, that ultimately proved just as deadly. Energetic, entertaining, and impressively researched, this is a highly recommended read.

kindle readers---------

The publisher has produced a proper e-book: there is a table of contents that correctly hyper-links to the chapters, notes, etc. The end-notes are hyper-linked to the text (and back) for easy reference, there is an extensive index that is also properly hyper-linked to the text. Oddly, though as usual, page numbers are not supplied - so the link from the index to a "page" directs the reader to a digital "location". I think most of us understand that the smaller digital page does not correlate to the content of the hardcopy page, and still would not be confused by the inclusion of a page number. Illustrations (usually maps) work reasonably well on the kindle when magnified to full-screen. There is no table of illustrations or figures.