Braddock's Defeat

Battle of Monongahela, 1755 also known as Braddock's Defeat.

On 9th July 1755 amid the wilderness of North America, Britain suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in her history.
General Braddock's army, a mixture of British regulars and American Militia intended to attack the French at Fort Duquesne.

The French knowing they could not withstand British Cannon fire, decided to launch a preemptive strike as he crossed the Monongahela River. The French garrison consisted of about 250 regulars and Canadian militia, with about 640 Indian allies. The Canadian militiamen and Indians enveloped the British and fired from the woods and ravines on the sides of the road. At this time, the French regulars began advancing from the road and began to push the British back.

After three hours of intense battle, Braddock was mortally wounded, and resistance collapsed. By sunset, the surviving British and American forces were fleeing back down the road they had built. Braddock died of his wounds during the long retreat, on July 13.

Of the approximately 1,460 men Braddock had led into battle, 456 were killed and 421 wounded. (The officers were prime targets and suffered greatly: out of 86 officers, 63 were killed or wounded.)
Also, of the 50 or so women that accompanied the British column as maids and cooks, only 4 survived.
The roughly 250 French and Canadians had 8 killed and 4 wounded; their 637 Indian allies lost but 15 killed and 12 wounded.
George Washington distinguished himself as being calm and courageous under fire. He emerged from the disaster as Virginia's military hero. Other young men who would later become legends of American history: Daniel Boone, and Daniel Morgan.