Washington and his men arrived, utterly worn out with fatigue and
famine, at Wills Creek. This action left the French masters of the
whole country beyond the Alleghenies.
The two mother nations were now preparing for war, and, in the middle
of January, 1755, Major General Braddock, with the 44th and 48th
Regiments, each five hundred strong, sailed from Cork for Virginia;
while the French sent eighteen ships of war and six battalions to
Canada.
Admiral Boscawen, with eleven ships of the line and one frigate, set
out to intercept the French expedition. The greater part of the fleet
evaded him, but he came up with three of the French men of war, opened
fire upon them, and captured them. Up to this time a pretence of
negotiations had been maintained between England and France, but the
capture of the French ships brought the negotiations to a sudden end,
and the war began.
A worse selection than that of Major General Braddock could hardly have
been made. He was a brave officer and a good soldier, but he was rough,
coarse, and obstinate. He utterly despised the colonial troops, and
regarded all methods of fighting, save those pursued by regular armies
in the field, with absolute contempt. To send such a man to command
troops destined to fight in thick forests, against an enemy skilled in
warfare of that kind, was to court defeat.
Pages:
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224