In
1755, General Edward Braddock of the Coldstream Guards
was sent to rout the French from Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh).
A strict yet inept officer, Braddock led his troops
from an area near Bethesda, through Frederick, into
Virginia and arriving at Fort Cumberland a short time
later. From Fort Cumberland, Braddock's army cut a military
trail through the wilderness roughly following Nemacolin's
path.
Braddock met defeat east of Fort Duquesne
and was fatally wounded. He was buried right in the
middle of the road he built (in hopes of disguising
his remains from the French).
Route 40 roughly parallels Braddock's
Road between Cumberland and Laurel Ridge near Uniontown.
Harvard professor John Kennedy Lacock
(originally from Amity, Pennsylvania, near Washington)
was one of the most knowledgeable Braddock historians
that ever lived. Lacock spent countless days scouring
the countryside and was able to identify the exact path
of Braddock's ill-fated march. In addition to writing
one of the best texts on Braddock's Road, Lacock also
hired a photographer to document the road. Fortunately,
Lacock's photographs survive in the form of postcards
which Lacock published around 1905.
Route40.net Exclusive: For
the first time ever, Lacock's photographs have been
merged with his text.
