Braddock's Defeat

This is the story of one of the biggest Indian victories over whites in the history of North America. The French and many different Indian tribes decisively defeated a much larger British army led by General Edward Braddock in 1755 in western Pennsylvania, during the French and Indian War. Among the British ranks was a young officer from Virginia named George Washington. In this war Washington gained valuable military experience, which would later enable him to become commander-in-chief of the American army against England in the Revolutionary War. The rout of the British army in this battle taught England valuable lessons about a military strategy in America, as well as the importance of maintaining good relations with the Indians. The defeat also added to the cost of the war. As a result, the Americans would later be burdened with high taxes. Famous people such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Gage, and Daniel Boone--all involved with the Braddock Expedition--would be changed forever and would distinguish themselves further in the decades to come.