The making of the Ohio Valley states, 1660-1837 . hundred men were considered quiteenough to take Duquesne, if properly led.~ And sothey were. Knowing but vaguely what the service wasto be, the home ministry had sent over a general as ig-norant as themselves. He was an indolent officer of theGuards, very soldierlike, very pompous, called very brave, THE TRAGEDY OF FORT DUQUESNE 59 alleghany*rTmer and bred in the same school as his patron, the Dukeof Cumberland, who had the management of this war. The army was totake the old route,partly opened the yearbefore by Washington—a hundred and twen-ty
The making of the Ohio Valley states, 1660-1837 . hundred men were considered quiteenough to take Duquesne, if properly led.~ And sothey were. Knowing but vaguely what the service wasto be, the home ministry had sent over a general as ig-norant as themselves. He was an indolent officer of theGuards, very soldierlike, very pompous, called very brave, THE TRAGEDY OF FORT DUQUESNE 59 alleghany*rTmer and bred in the same school as his patron, the Dukeof Cumberland, who had the management of this war. The army was totake the old route,partly opened the yearbefore by Washington—a hundred and twen-ty odd miles of shaggywilderness, whose nu-merous obstacles gavethe enemy just somuch more time to getready in.^ Workmenwere now wideningthis old trail; butmiles upon miles offorest must first becut through, miles oflogs laid down over ahundred sticky bogs,steep banks dug away,hollows filled up,bridges thrown acrossno end of streams,Avhich, at every crookand turn, came dart-ing across the axe-mens way. And thisbattle with the wil-derness must be. BRADDOCKS ROUTE. fought out first of all. There was no strategy whatever about this its difiiculties and its dangers vividly recall one of 60 THE TRAGEDY OF FORT DUQUESNE Hannibals great marches, the comparison there ends,for anything more useless in a military sense avouIcI behard to conceive. Braddock had a foretaste given him of what was tocome, in marching np to Fort Cumberland, his real start-ing-point. However, here he Avas, at last, and no roadopen yet. He had been given to understand it would beready as soon as he Avas. Like all headstrong men, thegeneral AA^as choleric ; so he did not mince matters, butfell to abusing everybody who had a hand in the Avork,from the governor doAvn. It must be confessed that hisdoing so put a little more life into them. In truth, itwas not so much Avhat his patron, the duke, had saidto him about surprises, or even Franklins Avell-meanthints at Indian ambuscades, as that long, hard mar
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