Page 3)............A few days after their cowardly flight from Dunbar’s camp several of those panic-stricken wagoners appeared at Carlisle, bringing with them, the first news of Braddock’s disaster. Thereupon, they were examined by Gov. Morris, at that place, and their depositions taken and subscribed before him are found in the Pennsylvania archives. One of these depositions, similar in tenor to all the others, was as follows:
Matthew Laird, being duly sworn, deposed and said:
"* * * That this examinant continued with Col. Dunbar. And on the 10th of this instant, the regiment being about seven miles beyond a place called the Great Meadows, at eleven o’clock of that day, there was a rumor in the camp that there was bad news, and he was soon after informed by wagoners and pack-horse drivers, who were then returned to Col. Dunbar’s camp, but had gone out with the advance party under Gen. Braddock, that the general, with the advanced party, was defeated by the French on the 9th instant, about five miles from Fort Du Quesne, and about forty miles from where Col. Dunbar was, at which engagement the wagoners and pack-horse drivers said they were present; that the English were attacked as they were going up a hill by numerous body of French and Indians, who kept a continual fire during the whole engagement, which lasted nigh three hours; that most of the English were cut off and the whole train of artillery taken; that Gen. Braddock was killed, as also Sir Peter Halkert, Capt. Orme, and most of the officers. This examinant further saith that he saw a wounded officer brought through the camp on a sheet; that about noon of the same day they beat to arms in Col. Dunbar’s camp, upon which the wagoners, as well as many common soldiers and others, took to flight, in spite of the opposition made to it by the centrys, who forced some to return, but
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many got away, among whom was this examinant."
"Despite the intensity of his agonies," says Sargent, "Braddock still persisted in the exercise of his authority and the fulfillment of his duties." On reaching Gist’s he found that no provisions, stores nor surgical aid had arrived there in Obedience to the command sent by Washington to Col. Dunbar, and thereupon he sent still more peremptory orders to that officer to forward them instantly, also two companies of the regulars to assist in bringing off the wounded. The wagons, stores, etc., reached Gist’s on the morning of Friday the 11th, and as soon as the wounds of the injured were dressed and the men had refreshed themselves somewhat, the retreat of the wounded general and his small party of guards and attendants was continued to Dunbar’s camp. Meantime the terror and consternation at this camp had been constantly increasing from the time when the first of the frightened wagoners had galloped in with the alarming news, on the morning of the day succeeding the battle. Through all that day and the following night terrified fugitives from the field, many of them wounded, were continually pouring in, each telling a fearful tale of rout and massacre, and all uniting in the assertion that the French and savages, in overwhelming forces, were following close in the rear. This latter statement was wholly false, for the enemy had made no attempt at pursuit from the banks of the Monongahela; but the tale was believed, and its effect was an uncontrollable panic.
As before noted, Capt. Stewart, with his mounted troop, bearing the wounded general, arrived at Dunbar’s camp on the 11th, and it was at once determined that the army should retreat (10*) without delay to Fort Cumberland.
*Regarding who was responsible for the disgraceful retreat from Dunbar’s camp and the destruction of all the vast quantities of war material which had, with such great expense and labor been transported over the Alleghenies and to the top of Laurel Hill, the blame has generally been placed on Dunbar, and this appears to be just, though in a letter addressed to Goy. Shirley, under date of August 21, 1755, Col. Dunbar and his officers said: "We must beg leave to undeceive you in what you are pleased to mention of guns being buried at the time Gen. Braddock ordered the stores to be destroyed, for there was not a gun of any kind buried." True, the orders were still issued in Braddock’s name, but the hand of death was upon him and he was irresponsible. The command really lay with Col. Dunbar, bad he been disposed to assume it, and as he doubtless would have done had it not happened that the so-called orders of Braddock were in this instance, and for the first time in all the campaign, in accordance with his wishes.
Of this matter Sargent writes in the following rather contradictory manner: "Braddock’s strength was now fast ebbing away. Informed of the disorganized condition of the remaining troops, he abandoned all hope of a prosperous termination of the expedition. He saw that not only death but utter defeat was inevitable. But, conscious of the odium the latter event would excite, he nobly resolved that the sole responsibility of the measure should rest with himself, and consulted with no one upon the steps he pursued. He merely issued his orders and insisted that they should be obeyed. Thus, after destroying the stores to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy of whose pursuit he did not doubt, the march was to be resumed on Saturday, July 12, toward Will’s Creek. Ill-judged as these orders were, they met with too ready acquiescence at the hands of Dunbar, whose advice was neither asked nor tendered on the occasion. * * * For this service—-the only instance of alacrity that he displayed in the campaign—_Dunbar must not be forgiven. It is not perfectly clear that Braddock intelligently ever gave the orders, but in any case they were not fit for a British officer to give or to obey. Dunbar’s duty was to have maintained here his position, or at least not have contemplated falling back beyond Will’s Creek. That he had not horses to remove his stores was, however, his after-excuse."
The work of destroying wagons, stores, guns, etc., made inevitable from the fact that many of the horses had been ridden away by the panic-stricken wagoners and camp-followers, leaving barely enough transportation for the sick and wounded, who numbered more than three hundred, began immediately, and on Sunday, July 13, the retreating troops, composed of Dunbar’s command and the remnant of the force that fought on the Monongahela, moved away on the road to the Great Crossings of the Youghiogheny. They took with them the only artillery pieces that were left (two six-pounders), a meager supply of provisions and hospital stores, and the remaining wagons, nearly all of which were laden with the sick and wounded. The commander-in-chief, rapidly nearing his end, was borne along with the column. Capt. Orme’s journal for this day reads: "July 13. We marched hence to the camp near the Great Meadows, where the general died."
Old Orchard camp, about two miles west of Fort Necessity, was the place where Dunbar’s troops bivouacked after this day’s march, and there, at eight o’clock on that midsummer Sunday night, Gen. Edward Braddock breathed his last. Washington* and Orme were also with him at the last moment. Sargent said that shortly before his death the general bequeathed to Washington his favorite horse and his body-servant, Bishop, so well known in after years as the faithful attendant of the patriot chief.
On the morning of July 14 the dead general was buried at the camp where he died, and the two pieces of artillery, the wagon-train and the soldiers, moving out to take the road to Will’s Creek, passed over the spot to obliterate all traces of the new grave, and thus save it from desecration by the savages, who were expected soon to follow in pursuit. The wagons containing
*The utter absurdity of accounts with which many are familiar, i.e., that Washington assumed command after the fall of Braddock and saved the remnant of the force from destruction, is made apparent by reading Capt. Orme’s journal. Doubtless he rendered very efficient services, but, as before stated, his position during that expedition was only that of a volunteer aide-de-camp.
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the sick and wounded took the lead, then came the others with the hospital and the meager stock of provisions, then the advance of the infantry column, then the ammunition and guns, and finally the two veteran companies of the 44th and 48th British regular regiments, with Stewart’s Virginia light-horse as a guard to the rear and flanks. In the evening of the same day Youghiogheny river was crossed by the last man of the force, and the retreating army bivouacked for the night on the eastern side of that stream, within the limits of the present county of Somerset. Continuing the march the succeeding day, rapid progress was made; for, though Braddock’s road was rough, and in many places barely passable, the head of the wagon-train bearing the sick and wounded arrived at Will’s Creek on the 17th, and three days later the last of Dunbar’s soldiers reached Fort Cumberland and lighted their bivouac fires within the range of its guns.
