March to Disaster

This thesis posits that the leadership of Major General Edward Braddock led to the defeat of the force that he recruited, trained, and led against Fort Duquesne in July 1755. This thesis places Braddock into the strategic context of the time, seeks to highlight relevant leadership decisions he made that yield insights for today's combat leaders. The defeat at the Battle of the Monongahela resulted in a torrent of Indian attacks that claimed many civilian lives and reduced colonial trust in Great Britain's ability to defend her colonies. This engagement set the conditions that fostered within the colonists a growing mistrust of Great Britain and her colonial policies.