Map of Braddock's Field.
At last off for Fort Du Quesne, he took a needlessly long route, through
Virginia instead of Pennsylvania. He scorned advice, marching and
fighting stiffly according to the rules of the Old World military art,
heeding none of Franklin's and Washington's sage hints touching savage
modes of warfare. The consequence was this brave Briton's defeat and
death. As he drew near to Fort Du Quesne, he fell into a carefully
prepared ambuscade. Four horses were shot under him. Mounting a fifth he
spurred to the front to inspire his men, forbidding them seek the
slightest cover, as Washington urged and as the provincials successfully
did. The regulars, obeying, were half of them killed in their tracks,
the remainder retreating, in panic at first, to Philadelphia. Braddock
died, and was buried at Great Meadows, where his grave is still to be
seen.
The Death of Braddock.
Washington was the only mounted officer in this action who was not
killed or fatally wounded, a fact at the time regarded specially
providential. On his return, aged twenty-three, the Rev. Samuel Davies,
afterward President of the College of New Jersey, referred to him in his
sermon as "that heroic youth, Colonel Washington, whom I cannot but hope
Providence has preserved in so signal a manner for some important
service to his country."
[1757]
The early part of this war witnessed the tragic occurrence immortalized
by Longfellow's "Evangeline," the expulsion of the French from Acadia.
The poem is too favorable to these people. They had never become
reconciled to English rule, and were believed on strong evidence to be
active in promoting French schemes against the English. It was resolved
to scatter them among the Atlantic settlements. The act was savage, and
became doubly so through the unmeant cruelties attending its execution.
The poor wretches were huddled on the shore weeks too soon for their
transports. Families were broken up, children forcibly separated from
parents. The largest company was carried to Massachusetts, many to
Pennsylvania, some to the extreme South. Not a few, crushed in spirit,
became paupers. A number found their way to France, a number to
Louisiana, a handful back to Nova Scotia.
Braddock was succeeded by the fussy and incompetent Earl of Loudon,
1756-57, whom Franklin likened to Saint George on the sign-posts,
"always galloping but never advancing." He gathered twelve thousand men
for the recapture of Louisburg, but exaggerated reports of the French
strength frightened him from the attempt. Similar inaction lost him Fort
William Henry on Lake George. The end of the year 1757 saw the English
cause on this side at low ebb, Montcalm, the tried and brilliant French
commander, having outwitted or frightened the English officers at every
point.
Montcalm.
From this moment all changes. William Pitt, subsequently Lord Chatham,
now became the soul of the British ministry. George III. had dismissed
him therefrom in 1757, but Newcastle found it impossible to get on
without him. The great commoner had to be recalled, this time to take
entire direction of the war.
William Pitt.
[1758]
Pitt had set his mind on the conquest of Canada. He superseded Loudon
early in 1758 by General Amherst, who was seconded by Wolfe and by
Admiral Boscawen, both with large re-enforcements. They were to reduce
Louisburg. It was an innovation to assign important commands like these
to men with so little fame and influence, but Pitt did not care. He
believed his appointees to be brave, energetic, skilful, and the event
proved his wisdom. Louisburg fell, and with it the whole of Cape Breton
Island and also Prince Edward.
Unfortunately General Abercrombie had not been recalled with Loudon. The
same year, 1758, he signally failed to capture Ticonderoga, leaving the
way to Montreal worse blocked than before. Fort Du Quesne, however,
General Forbes took this year at little cost, rechristening it
Pittsburgh in honor of the heroic minister who had ordered the
enterprise.
[1759]
In the year 1759 occurred a grand triple movement upon Canada. Amherst,
now general-in-chief, was to clear the Champlain Valley, and Prideaux
with large colonial forces to reduce Fort Niagara. Both had orders,
being successful in these initial attacks, to move down the St. Lawrence
and unite with Wolfe, who was to sail up that river and beset Quebec.
Prideaux was splendidly successful, as indeed was Amherst in time,
though longer than he anticipated in securing Ticonderoga and Crown
Point.
General Wolfe.
Meantime Wolfe at Quebec was trying in all ways to manoeuvre the crafty
Montcalm out of his impregnable works. Failing, he in his eagerness
suffered himself to attempt an assault upon the city, which proved not
only vain but terribly costly. A weaker commander would now have given
up, but Wolfe had red hair, and the grit usually accompanying.
Undaunted, he planned the hazardous enterprise of rowing up the St.
Lawrence by night, landing with five thousand picked men at the foot of
the precipitous ascent to the Plains of Abraham, and scaling those
heights to face Montcalm from the west. The Frenchman, stunned at the
sight which day brought him, lost no time in attacking. In the hot
battle which ensued, September 13, 1759, both commanders fell, Wolfe
cheering his heroes to sure victory, Montcalm urging on his forlorn hope
in vain. The English remained masters of the field and in five days
Quebec capitulated.