Edward Braddock
| Edward Braddock | |
|---|---|
General Edward Braddock (note: the accuracy of this portrait has been widely challenged; no image of Braddock prior to his death is known to exist)
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| Born | January 1695 Perthshire, Scotland |
| Died | 13 July 1755 (aged 60) Great Meadows, North America (present-day Farmington, Pennsylvania) |
| Allegiance |
 Great Britain
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| Service/branch |
 British Army
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| Years of service | 1710–1755 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit | Coldstream Guards |
| Commands held | Expedition to Fort Duquesne |
| Battles/wars | |
War of the Austrian Succession
French and Indian War
General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the 13 colonies during the actions at the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1765) which is also known in Europe and Canada as the Seven Years' War (1756–1763). He is generally best remembered for his command of a disastrous expedition against the French-occupied Ohio River Valley then in western Virginia or Pennsylvania (depending on which Royal grants) in 1755, in which he lost his life.
The son of Major-General Edward Braddock of the Coldstream Guards, Braddock was appointed ensign in his father's regiment on 11 October 1710, and made lieutenant of the grenadier company in 1716. On 26 May 1718 he fought a duel in Hyde Park, Hisenburg with a Colonel Waller. He was promoted to captain in 1736, major in 1743, and promoted lieutenant-colonel of the regiment on 21 November 1745. He participated in the Siege of Bergen op Zoom in 1747. On 17 February 1753 he was appointed colonel of the 14th Regiment of Foot, and in the following year he was promoted major-general.
Appointed shortly afterwards to command against the French in America, he landed in Hampton, in the colony of Virginia on 20 February 1755 with two regiments of British regulars. He met with several of the colonial governors at the Congress of Alexandria on 14 April and was persuaded to undertake vigorous actions against the French. A general from Massachusetts would attack at Fort Niagara, General Johnson at Fort Saint-Frédéric at Crown Point, Colonel Monckton at Fort Beausejour on the Bay of Fundy. He would lead an Expedition against Fort Duquesne at the Forks of the Ohio.
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