Sarah and General Braddock

Sarah often claims a certain nonchalant boredom with history because her Daddy is so avidly trying to teach her history, but sometimes it clicks. We went down to Old Town Alexandria today and discovered that at the Carlyle House reenactors were doing the meeting which took place there in April 1755 in which General Braddock met with the colonial governors before his expedition to the forks of the Ohio. (Okay, he didn't make it to the forks of the Ohio, but you know what I mean.)

Sarah watched the soldiers firing muskets on the lawn and looked over both the British soldiers and Virginia militia reenactors on the lawn. When we went inside Carlyle house we discovered that my old friend from college Ted Borek, whom I haven't seen since Sarah was a baby, and his wife Jamie were doing roles inside; they're avid historical interpreters and Ted was Robert Hunter Morris, the (Lieutenant) Governor of Pennsylvania. I had explained to Sarah that I knew him (she hadn't seen him since she was a toddler and wouldn't remember), but because he was playing a role he had to stay in character. But he was able to take a break, leaving Gen. Braddock at the table and talking to us for a bit.

Sarah enjoyed taking pictures of the soldiers and generally I think got a good idea of what was going on. We spoke to several of the characters but not to General Braddock. I think I'd have suggested he not take out any two-year magazine subscriptions.

Surely no one else who presided over a major disaster for the British Empire has so many things named after him as Edward Braddock. It's like instead of Trafalgar Square, you named it for Percival at Singapore or something. Locally we have Braddock Road, a Braddock High School, Lake Braddock, Braddock Heights in Maryland, and so on. I wonder what they'd have named for him if he'd won. (Actually Forbes and Bouquet, the folks who eventually did retake the forks, don't seem to have as much stuff named for them, though my experience in that part of Pennsylvania is limited and I suppose they're well remembered there. I know there's some Forbes stuff at least up around Greensburg, PA.) And you may say that Braddock died in battle, but then wouldn't it be better to remember Howe, who after all won at the Plains of Abraham while dying heroically. (But I know, that was in Canada someplace, and we Yanks don't do Canada. The victory at Quebec can't have had any influence on our history, right?)

Okay, enough rant. I belong more or less to the traditional interpretation of Braddock, namely that he was pretty much an incompetent, though I am aware there has been a sort of pro-Braddock resurgence in the last century or so. (A good bibliographical summary is in Paul E. Kopperman's Braddock at the Monogahela, one of the most detailed accounts of the campaign I know of.) I have no doubt that Braddock played by the rules, and did everything according to the book, but it was the wrong book. To use a modern term, the French and Indians (mostly Indians with French officers and a few French forces) were fighting asymmetrically against British regular tactics. The colonial militia weren't completely innocent because they weren't used to operating with British regulars, or with each other for that matter, but the whole thing was a big screwup and when a combined operation is a big screwup, the person responsible is the senior officer in command. In 18th century Europe, the howling wilds of Pennsylvania (claimed by Virginia I should note), or in modern war as well. Braddock had the command. Let's name a lake for him.

Anyway, enough of a rant about Braddock. He paid the price for his errors. Of course, so did the folks in the Shenandoah Valley and Western Pennsylvania. (I'll rant another time about how the historical marker at Narrow Passage in the Valley used to read "Last Indian Outrage" and now reads "Last Indian Attack" or something like that. I suppose it will eventually read "Last Indigenous Resistance against Occupation" or some such. No doubt deservedly (I think Indian casinos are a wonderful revenge, frankly), but it's still interesting to watch the PC progression.)

Anyhow Sarah soaked up some history whether she will admit it or not. (Occasionally I overhear her lecturing her friends about stuff she's learned, so it is sinking in, despite her claims of boredom.) And Sarah also got to pet a great dog at the Alexandria Visitors' Center where Tam stopped for a restroom. And then we went to the Torpedo Factory where she enjoyed assembling the broken plates in the Archaeology center. As I've noted before she really does enjoy archaeology and has even enjoyed a dig at St. Mary's City. Alexandria's little center is more like the kids' room at Mount Vernon in that they let you put broken pottery together, but she is good at it. Archaeologist is still one of her chosen professions, though she has decided to combine it with fashion designing, being a rock star, and a Mom. Hopefully the rock star part will finance the rest. I certainly can't.

Besides, this opens a door. She's heard of Braddock. She's seen a big guy in a red uniform with lots of gold frogging on it. That can get us to Fort Necessity, Braddock's grave, and the site of Braddock's defeat, and excuse a trip to Pittsburgh. If I finesse it right.

We were at Harper's Ferry a week or two ago. I tried to sneak the John Brown and Robert E. Lee and JEB Stuart and other stuff in among the scenery.

Update: I realize that in a previous post I never explained why Sarah moved worms. It seemed important at the time, but all I can recall now is that they needed moving. I hope that clears that up.