Icons of the National Road, Part 4. In July of 1755, with the French and Indian War in full swing, Major General Edward Braddock led an expedition of British regulars and Colonial militia, including George Washington, over the Allegheny Mountains to take Fort Duquesne from the French. Along the way, the party cut a new road through the mountains, named in honor of Braddock - the Braddock Road. Near present-day Pittsburgh, the British force was ambushed by the French and their Native American allies and only barley escaped complete annihilation. Braddock was mortally wounded during the battle, but survived until the remnants of his army reached the safety of the mountains. He died near Great Meadows, the former site of Fort Necessity. Washington had Braddock buried in the middle of the road named after him to prevent detection and desecration by hostile tribes. The original grave site is located along a lovely, winding creek bordered by skunk cabbage and golden ragwort. Braddock’s remains were later interred at a new site on a knoll overlooking the creek and commemorated by a new marker erected in 1913, now preserved as part of the Fort Necessity National Battlefield. When I visited a couple weeks ago, dwarf ginseng (Panax trifolius), an adorable little cousin to American ginseng, was in bloom in the damp woods along the creek.
