Appointed to command a portion of the British land forces against the French in America, Braddock landed with two regiments of British regulars on 20 February 1755 in Hampton, Virginia. He met with several of the colonial governors on 14 April and was persuaded to undertake vigorous actions against the French. The attack would proceed on four fronts with Braddock himself leading an expedition against Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh) at the Forks of the Ohio River.

After some months of preparation the Braddock expedition took the field with a picked column, in which George Washington served as a volunteer officer. The column crossed the Monongahela River on 9 July 1755, and shortly afterward collided head-on with an Indian and French force which was rushing from Fort Duquesne to oppose the river crossing. Although the initial exchange of musketry favored the British, felling the French commander and causing some Canadian militia to flee, the remaining Indian/French force reacted quickly. They ran down the flanks of the column and put it under a murderous crossfire.

Braddock's troops reacted poorly and became disordered. The British attempted retreat, but ran into the rest of the British soldiers earlier left behind. Braddock rallied his men repeatedly, but fell at last, mortally wounded by a shot through the chest.

In the rear of Braddock’s column was the heavy baggage train commanded by Colonel Dunbar. Upon the defeat of Braddock’s column Dunbar burned the wagon train along with the extra ammunition to facilitate the escape of he and his men. The relics offered here are from the site of that destruction.

Riker display box contains an artillery shell fragment, a large tack, small iron wedge with oval shaped head, what looks like part of a sling swivel and nine various sized pieces of melted lead from bullets.

Nice small group of relics from one of the well-known events in early American history. [ad] [ph:L]

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