Welcome back to our blog!
Our latest entry takes us to southwest Pennsylvania, and a place where a
chain of events began that set the Thirteen Colonies on the road to
independence, and where George Washington made his first impact on the course
of history.
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| Entrance Sign |
BACKGROUND:
In
the year 1754, North America was mostly divided between the colonial domains of Britain
and France, Britain holding the coastal 13 colonies, France holding Canada and the interior over the Appalachian mountains. Both countries hope to seize
the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, thereby controlling the
Ohio river. Both sides sent military
expeditions, but while the British arrived first, a larger French detachment
forced them out and began building a redoubt at the confluence named Fort
Duquesne. British forces, under the
command of a young officer in the Virginia militia named George Washington,
camped a few days march away at a clearing called Great Meadows. When Washington received a report that a
small unit of French troops were making their way towards his encampment, not knowing their intentions, Washington
chose to ambush them. His decision would
begin a world war.
Washington’s
forces engaged the French unit under the command of an officer named Jumonville
in a small skirmish, killing or capturing all but one of the French. Upon hearing of the attack, the French sent a
large force to annihilate the British.
Washington fell back to his camp and hastily erected a fort, dubbed Fort
Necessity. The French and a vast number
of Native American allies struck before the British were prepared, and on July
3rd attacked the fort. Under siege
and with no way to save the situation, Washington surrendered. The French and Indian War had begun.
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| Fort Necessity at Great Meadows |
In response,
the British assembled a large army under General Edward Braddock to crush the
French and seize Fort Duquesne. Just
short of their objective however, the British were attacked on the march by
French and Indian troops near the Monongahela River. Braddock fell mortally wounded, leaving
command to Washington, who saved the army from destruction and conducted the
first of his career's many retreats. However,
while Britain would eventually win the war, the massive debts it incurred
caused the crown to look to the colonies to repay the expenses through
taxation. The unrest this strategy
caused led to the American War of Independence, and led George Washington to
his destiny as the father of the United States.
Over
a half a century later, the area around Great Meadows would become the scene of
a more peaceful endeavor. In the early
1800s the young United States constructed its first Federal road past the site
of Fort Necessity. This highway, the
National Road, was the first precursor modern toll roads and the Interstate Highway.
THE BATTLEFIELD:
Fort
Necessity National Battlefield is located in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, a
little over an hour’s drive south from Pittsburgh. The Battlefield actually consists of three
separate areas, Fort Necessity, Jumonville Glen, and Braddock’s Gravesite.
The
largest portion of the battlefield is centered on Fort Necessity itself. The original fort was long ago destroyed by
the French, but archaeologists were able to accurately excavate the site and a
reconstruction of the fort was built on its original location. The ground surrounding the fort is kept as
close as possible to the way it was when Washington and his men were besieged in
the tiny fortification. The fort itself
is a low diamond shaped earthwork with a circular wooden stockade within, and a
small hut which functioned as a storehouse.
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| Fort Necessity. Note the small swivel gun |
Out
of sight beyond the tress and connected by a paved path with the fort is the
visitor center. While its main focus is
the Battle of Fort Necessity, the visitor center also has exhibits on the
National Road, now U.S. Route 40, a major infrastructure project in the early
1800s, which runs adjacent to the battlefield.
The visitor center includes artifacts from the Monongahela campaign and
the National Road, a short film, and a playground for small children in the
shape of the fort. The main section of
the battlefield around Fort Necessity includes many trails and a picnic area.
Also
on the boundaries of the battlefield is the Mount Washington Tavern, a stop on
the National Road which has been restored and preserved as part of the site.
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| Mount Washington Tavern |
About
a mile up Route 40 from the fort is the second area of the battlefield, General
Edward Braddock’s Gravesite. After his
death following the defeat at the Battle of Monongahela, Washington had
Braddock’s body buried under the road the British had cut through the
wilderness to disguise its resting place and prevent Indian warriors from
mutilating the body. In 1804, workmen
discovered the General’s remains and reinterred them up the hill from where
they were found. A monument now marks
Braddock’s current grave.
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| Braddock's Grave |
The
third site is farther away and down a side road from Route 40. Jumonville Glen, the place where Washington
ambushed the French detachment and began the French and Indian War, is
preserved in almost the exact same wilderness state as it was when Washington
and Jumonville clashed in 1754.
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| Jumonville Glen. Washington's troops ambushed the French from atop the rock ledge |
TRAVEL TIPS:
The
entirety of Fort Necessity National Battlefield, including the two separate
sites, is easily accessible and can all be seen within the span of two
hours. It is recommended to visit in the
summer, not just because weather conditions will be more accurate to those of
the battle, but because both Braddock’s Grave and Jumonville Glen are closed
from November through April. The short
film at the visitor center is recommended for viewing before proceeding to tour
the site. The main area of the park,
consisting of the battlefield and Mount Washington Tavern, as well as Braddock’s
grave, are handicapped accessible, but Jumonville Glen is not. Reenactor encampments and battle reenactments
take place generally around the yearly anniversaries of the battles of
Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity. There are trails at both Fort Necessity and at Jumonville Glen. The site also includes a cell phone tour. Passport stamps are located in the main visitor center.
We hope you enjoyed this brief summary of Fort Necessity
National Battlefield. In our next post, we will be returning to western Pennsylvania to a site not far from Fort Necessity, to visit the home of early American statesman Albert Gallatin. Safe travels!
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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| Entrance sign to the Jumonville Glen area |
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| Monument to George Washington at Jumonville Glen |
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| Exhibits in the visitor center on the National Road. Note the replica mile marker at left |
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| Fragments of wood from the original Fort Necessity in the visitor center |
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| The forest from which the French and Indians attacked the fort. The white sign indicates the tree line in 1754 |
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| Interior of Fort Necessity |
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| General Braddock's original gravesite |
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| Monument marking the road which Braddock's army cut through the wilderness. The first Braddock gravesite is just visible at the bottom of the hill at center left. The current gravesite just out of frame to the left. |
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| The entrance sign to Mount Washington Tavern with the tavern in the background |
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