Braddocks Gold

[starsplitter]

Braddock's Gold

Greetings:

Can anyone share information on the legend of Braddock's treasure? Any info on a newspaper report of it being found in the 19th century? Thanks.

Mark

 

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[jeff of pa]

Re: Braddock's Gold

the newspaper clipping from 1885
unknown Pittsburgh Paper

 

[starsplitter]

Re: Braddock's Gold

Jeff:

Thanks for the clip. A member of the Braddock's Road Associaion recently shared the following with me:

Travels in New France by J.C.B.
Pa Hist. Survey 1941

This is interesting. .. a journal kept by some Frenchman who spent 4 years at the French Fort at the forks. It was translated from French and like any soldier he had a lot of the facts wrong about the actual war. Probably gotten from other soldiers standing around. This author has never been found in the records.
What might be believed are observations he made around him while there at the fort.
The book is very interesting and was found at the Mt. Lebonan library. We have copied the few pages on Braddock's defeat because he commented on the military money chest and what happened to it. It is reasonable to believe it is true since he was there. So I guess we can all stop searching. Darn.
If you cannot get the scan of the pages, I'll copy the relevant sentences below .......

In his flight, the enemy lost artillery, baggage train, and fifteen bags, as well as the military chest. The cannons, nine in number, were spiked on the battlefield as soon as they were captured. General Braddock was wounded in this battle, and taken away by the fugitives in a coach, which was with the rear guard on the other side of the river. It was indeed a fancy article, absolutely useless in the forests and mountains where it was the first one ever to be seen.
........After the defeat of the enemy, which was not thought worth following up, the sixteen baggage wagons, laden with munitions, food, and rum, were pillaged. Some of the savages became intoxicated, and the French had to smash the barrels to avoid the disorder which would inevitably have happened without this wise precaution. The Indians were the first to discover the military chest. They did not know the value of money, and scattered it right and left in the forest. The French began to gather it up and search the dead..........
The night was passed guarding the battlefield in a profound silence, because we did not know if the enemy would reappear. The men were seated, two at the foot of each tree........When dawn appeared they beat a long roll of drums, and the whole force was soon up and about. The French assembled, and when there was no sign of the enemy, took the road back to Fort Duquesne with the spoils of the foe.

Interesting. Contradicting accounts are all over the place. However, primary sources are reasonably consistent. One of two things happened... either the gold was secure with Colonel Dunbar and returned with him in the retreat back to Fort Cumberland, or the French captured it. According to my research, the odds are with the former for a number of reasons. Still, it's fun stuff.

Starsplitter

 

[jeff of pa]

Re: Braddock's Gold

I can believe the Indians Scattering it.

It is true they had no use for money.
IF this happend, even if the french tried to pick
it back up, thay had to miss at least 10% of it.

Either way, the area of the Battle would still be littered
with Artifacts. and well worth a concentrated search with detectors.

Plus the the Route the Indians took after the battle as they left with
the Spoils. they may have scatterd things along the way.

I would like to find the camp the Indians retreated to after.

 

[jeff of pa]

Re: Braddock's Gold

another take on the story

 

[starsplitter]

Re: Braddock's Gold

Jeff:

Interesting. Once again, another version of the legend. Relative to Braddock taking the specie with him... I doesn't make sense to me. Of course, much of Braddock's logic that day is open to argument. For the sake of discussion:

Why would Braddock carry specie with him to battle? The more logical choice is for him to leave it with Dunbar (which is what Orne, Dunbar, and Washington stated). The latter is consistent with the story of gold being saved and returned to Fort Cumberland.

The flipside are accounts of Braddock's wagon and personal effects being captured (and, even toyed with by Indians until the French intervened). Could Braddock have carried some specie with him? He certainly lost his papers and silver service - all accounts are consistent on those points.

I also wonder about the wagon. To the best of my memory, all the primary accounts state that the wagons accompanying the attack force were abandoned at the onset of the crazed retreat. Stop and think about it - men and women were being shot, tomahawked and scalped even as they crossed the Monongahela - being butchered perhaps as far as the second Monongahela crossing.

I believe that there is specie to be found in Braddock, PA. But, it was specie dropped by the Indians as they rifled through the pockets/belongings of the dead - not the chest full some believe await discovery. However, I'd wager there are a significant number of relics under backyards and fields of the town. I wonder if any MD'ing clubs every canvasseed some neighborhoods?

This is fun.

Starsplitter

 

[jeff of pa]

Re: Braddock's Gold

.

 

[starsplitter]

Re: Braddock's Gold

Greetings:

Has anyone ever heard of folks going to Braddock and doing a concerted search through the neighborhoods?

Starsplitter

 

[Harry(PA)]

Re: Braddock's Gold

Hi;

I have hunted Braddock,PA several times with other club members in Pittsburgh. We hunted up on the hill where the indians took the captives to kill. We did not find much as it is mostly Braddock cemetary. The local historical society is buying up all the old homes and lands. They are going to make the whole area a historic site.

We hunted a property there and were invited into the mansion house. The owner is prominate figure in Pittsburgh. It is one of the oldest homes there and it had an awsome pair of maps side by side on the wall. They were about 7 -8ft high and 10 feet long. They were actually paintings of the battle. They showed all of the battle with figures and all the landscape. The owner described the battle and they even had paintings of the indians up on the hilltop killing fields scalping the soldiers. I know the owner realizes he has a fortune in these paintings but I do not know if he has had them appraised.

We were to hunt properties with the Historic society 2 years ago but it never materized.

There is really an abundence of French & Indian War history and sites here and around Pittsburgh, but they are under concrete and black top. 8^(

Harry N.

 

[starsplitter]

Re: Braddock's Gold

Great info... and, sad info (the concreted and blacktop part). Thanks.

 

[ChrisPA]

Re: Braddock's Gold

I live very close to Braddock and with the research I am involved in and the stories that the coach driver kept moving untill he could get far enough away well I think that he went further NW toward Pittsburgh. Maybe Swissvale Edgewood but that is hard to tell is all railroad tracks now. Braddocks Crossing is at the corner of Kennywood Park at the intersection with Mc Donalds.