Part 4
[61] See Shippen's drafts, to which reference has already been made. Through the courtesy of J. Sutton Wall, chief draughtsman of the Interior Department, Harrisburg, Pa., who has made a draft connecting a number of tracts lying southward from Stewart's Crossing along the line of Braddock Road to Gist's place and the foot of Laurel Ridge, the writer has been greatly aided in the preparation of his own sketch. In the connected draft a few of the tracts do not show the road; but a sufficient number do show it to corroborate the conclusions reached by him relative to the course of the road from Gist's place to Stewart's Crossing, and hence to enable him, on the accompanying map, to lay down the road between these two points with greater accuracy.
[62] _Olden Time_, II. 543; Veech, _The Monongahela of Old_, 60-61.
[63] _Orme Journal_, 345; Veech, _The Monongahela of Old_, 61.
[64] Mr. Truxell writes to me, under date of November 30, 1908, that this farm has been owned by the Truxells since 1806, and that in the course of his life he has ploughed up at least a quart of bullets, sometimes as many as a dozen at a single ploughing.
[65] In regard to Braddock's movements on July 1st and 2d, the writer desires to offer a plausible solution of some statements in Orme's journal that have led to no little confusion and inaccurate assertion on the part of those who have written on the subject.
"On the first of July," says Orme, "we marched about five miles, but could advance no further by reason of a great swamp which required much work to make it passable." This bivouac, as has already been said, is undoubtedly on the farm of John Truxell. The army, which was close at the heels of the advance or working party, had to halt there till a corduroy road could be thrown across the swamp, a process that required time.
"On the 2d July," continues Orme, "we marched to Jacob's Cabin, about 6 miles from the camp." Notice the words "from the camp." The preceding stop was then a _bivouac, not a camp_. The camp referred to was the encampment one mile on the east side of the Youghiogheny, at Stewart's Crossing. This day's march would be about one mile, and the place of encampment Jacob's Cabin. The two halting places were evidently both on the east side of Jacob's Creek. What is commonly known as the Great Swamp Camp was only the bivouac to which reference has been made.
This view of the matter seems, however, not to have been taken by any of the cartographers: but in estimating the value of maps one must, of course, consider whether the author's first-hand knowledge, as well as his borrowed data, be trustworthy or not, and must also take into account the purpose for which the map was made. Professor Channing has pointed out among other things that, while "a lie in print is a persistent thing," one on a map is even less eradicable, and for three reasons: (1) because the historical evidence on maps is liable to error, and an error once made is copied by other cartographers, with the result that a false impression frequently continues through centuries; (2) because the topography is often wholly wrong, especially on the earlier maps, a fact that is too commonly overlooked by historians; (3) because, as our own national history has abundantly proved, boundaries are frequently delineated imperfectly, inaccurately, and without basis in fact. In a word, Professor Channing thinks that maps are often taken too seriously, that the historical information given by them is liable to error, and that they simply raise a presumption.
It is certainly true that, judged by the exceedingly accurate and reliable journal of Orme, the map accompanying Sargent's _History of an Expedition against Fort Du Quesne_ (op. 282) is in almost every instance wholly inaccurate in regard to the location of Braddock's camps, which it represents as scattered promiscuously along the route. In scarcely a single respect, indeed, whether as to route or as to location of camps, mountains, rivers, or anything else, can it be depended upon. To cite a single instance, it puts Camp 6 (Bear Camp) on the Youghiogheny, when this, as we have seen, is the location of Squaw's Fort (see p. 23). No clue to the authorship of this map or to any authority for it can be discovered. Similar fallacies occur in the work of one of our latest historians, E. M. Avery, who in his _History of the United States and its People_ (Cleveland, 1904, IV. 67) also prints a beautifully-colored but inaccurate map. Judge Veech, too (in his _Monongahela of Old_, 61), recognizes an apparent inconsistency in Orme's journal at this point; but, like the others, he only adds more fuel to the flame of confusion.
[66] Veech, _The Monongahela of Old_, 61. Only a small part of the foundation of this mill is now to be seen.
[67] Jacob's Swamp. This is not to be confused with the swampy land along Jacob's Creek.
[68] It is only fair to say, however, that there is much difference of opinion in regard to the location of this camp. On July 3 Orme records, "The swamp being repaired, we marched about six miles to the Salt Lick Creek." Many of the later maps and later accounts of the period identify Jacob's Creek with Salt Lick Creek (see Sargent's _History_, 346; Veech's _Monongahela of Old_, 61; Scull's map, 1770, etc.); but there is no real authority for holding that the Salt Lick Creek mentioned by Orme is Jacob's Creek. A small tributary of the Youghiogheny, now known as Indian Creek, was, it is true, formerly called Salt Lick Creek, whence came the name of Salt Lick township; but the well-known salt licks and Painter's Salt Works were located along the banks of Sewickley Creek near Hunkers. Here salt wells used to be drilled to a depth of about five hundred feet; and to these wells stock was driven from miles around, and people came from far and near to boil down the salt water in order to secure salt for domestic use. In the absence, therefore, of any authoritative evidence that the Salt Lick Creek mentioned by Orme is Jacob's Creek, it seems to the writer that the most probable location of Salt Lick Camp is on the Edward Stoner farm, about two miles east from the fording of Sewickley Creek. Among other indications that point to this farm as a favorable place for encampment one notes the fact that a short distance west of the Stoner house, under a large oak tree, there was formerly an excellent spring (now filled up), and that there is also a run near by. Mr. Stoner showed me a one-pound cannon ball which he found in a stump less than a quarter of a mile from the road, and said that other bullets had been picked up on the farm.
[69] Eugene Warden, Esq., of Mount Pleasant, Pa., has aided the writer very materially in the location of the road through Westmoreland County by calling his attention to the following document, which establishes definitely the fording of Jacob's Creek and the course of the road to Sewickley Creek.
"The Commissioner of Westmoreland County, pursuant to the directions of an Act of Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, entitled 'An Act for laying out competent Districts for the appointment of Justices of the Peace, passed April 4, 1803,' laid out the said county into the following districts, to wit:...."
"Huntingdon South:--Beginning at the mouth of Big Sewickley; thence up the river Youghiogheny to the mouth of Jacob's Creek; thence up said creek to Braddock's Fording; thence along Braddock's Road to Mt. Pleasant District line to a corner of Hempfield District; thence along said line to Big Sewickley; thence down said creek to the place of beginning." (Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County, Pa., _Continuance Docket_ No. 5, p. 443.)
[70] This fording was called Goudy (or Gowdy) Ford.
[71] See _Orme Journal_, 346.
[72] On July 4 Orme writes, "We marched about six miles to Thicketty Run." This day they would cross Sewickley Creek a short distance west of Hunkers, and their most likely place of encampment would be on the D. F. Knappenberger farm, about two miles south of the fording, on Little Sewickley Greek or Thicketty Run. This solution, which makes Salt Lick Creek the Sewickley Creek and Thicketty Run the Little Sewickley Creek, is no mere whim of the writer, but has been reached from a knowledge of the country supplemented by the topographic sheets and by a reasonable interpretation of Orme's journal. If he is correct in his reasoning, there is no inconsistency in Orme's account.
[73] Now owned by a coal company.
[74] According to the distance travelled from the preceding camp, the seventeenth encampment, or Monacatuca Camp, would be on this farm; but, according to local tradition it was on the William B. Howell farm, a mile away. This is the one camp as to the location of which the writer has been unable to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. Considering the lay of the land, however, he sees no good reason why the army should not have made the distance mentioned by Orme.
[75] Judge Veech is in error when he says that the road "crossed the present tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and turnpike west of Greensburg" (Veech, _The Monongahela of Old_, 62). The railroad is beyond this precipice. On this point see _Orme Journal_, 351.
[76] Only a millstone is left to mark the location of the old mill.
[77] The spring is situated on a lot owned by Mrs. Elizabeth Bennett, a short distance from the corner of Bennett Avenue and Braddock Street. Washington, who had been left at Bear Camp, joined Braddock here.
[78] _Orme Journal_, 352. Mr. Wall of Harrisburg communicated to me a copy of a draft of a survey made July 29, 1828, on "Application No. 2169," showing the location of the road down Crooked Run (Braddock Run) to the Monongahela and across it to a point a short distance beyond. This fording of the river is often designated Braddock's Upper Ford.
[79] On file in the Department of Interior Affairs is a "Map and Profile for a slackwater navigation along the Monongahela River from the Virginia Line to Pittsburg as examined in 1828 by Edward F. Gay, Engineer," which shows Braddock's Upper Riffle at the mouth of Crooked Run, and Braddock's Lower Riffle at the mouth of Turtle Creek.
[80] G. E. F. Gray, chief clerk of the Edgar Thomson Steel Works at Braddock, Pa., wrote to me under date of December 9, 1908, that their chief engineer, Sydney Dillon, had already done some preliminary work toward locating the original banks of Turtle Creek and of the Monongahela River, and toward fixing the place of Frazer's Cabin and of the road through Braddock. The steel works are located on a part of the battlefield, along the river.
On February 11, 1909, Mr. Dillon communicated to me the results of his labors based on a study of the ground in connection with the two maps made by Patrick Mackellar, Braddock's chief engineer (Parkman, _Montcalm and Wolfe_, 1905, I. op. 214-215), supplemented by the plan in Winsor's _Narrative and Critical History of America_, V. 449, and by the Carnegie McCandless Company's property map of 1873. This is by far the most able and careful study of the battlefield that has been made in modern times. Mr. Dillon's plans enable one to follow the course of the road through the battlefield, and to form an idea of the action with a distinctness that has not been possible heretofore. In order to comprehend the nature of the fight, however, and to understand the conditions that made Braddock's defeat almost inevitable, one must see the field for himself.
[81] On the two plans of the battlefield drawn by Patrick Mackellar, see Parkman, _Montcalm and Wolfe_ (1905), I. 229, n. 1.
[82] See maps, _ibid._, op. 214-215, and in Sargent's _Expedition against Fort Du Quesne_, op. 219.
[83] Hyacinth Mary LiƩnard de Beaujeu.
[84] If the course of the road as thus indicated be correct, then the thickest of the fight would have been east of the Pennsylvania Railroad between Thirteenth and Sixth Streets, the location of the Hollow Way and of Frazer's Run respectively. The writer was told that when the Pennsylvania Railroad built its roadbed through the battlefield it unearthed a great number of human skeletons, a circumstance which, if true, would seem to confirm his conclusion as to the ground on which the principal fighting took place. Mr. Dillon seems to think that the Hollow Way was between Ann and Verona Streets, and that the farthest point reached by Braddock's party was across the ravine near Corey Avenue. Another view is that the course of the road never extended above or east of the Pennsylvania Railroad, but stopped a few rods short of it in the Robinson burying-ground.
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Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:
Gwynn's Six Mile Houe=> Gwynn's Six Mile House {pg 8 n.}
National turnpke=> National turnpike {pg 18 n.}
Crooked run=> Crooked Run {pg 35 n.}