Post by Sgt. Duncan Munro on Oct 15, 2003 1:55:07 GMT -5
When construction of the Forbes Military Road began with the same campaign of 1758, General Forbes envisioned a chain of magazine forts and fortified encampments to serve as a jumping-off point for future offensives against the French Forces in the Ohio Country and Great Lakes. One wonders if its builders forsaw it as a way to expedite colonial expansion and to allow growth of the fur trade as well.
Almost 200 miles of road was cut, blasted, dug and bridged through some of the roughest terrian and dense forest that any european army could have ever faced. Its planning and execution was a marvel of its day. The road itself, approximately follows existing native hunting/trade paths leading into the Ohio Country. At intervals of roughly 25 miles (The distance a battalion sized formation could march, with baggage, in a day) were placed either forts and/or entrenched cantonments with nearby forage/water sources.
Once completed, the road conected Carlisle (considered the very edge of civilzation to most Pennsylvanians) to Fort Pitt. A connector from the Braddock Military Road to Fort Bedford (roughly the mid-way point) was completed in mid-1758, this was to provide a route for Viginia Military forces to march and join the Forbes Expedition against the French Fort Duquesne.
After the abandonment/destruction of Fort Duquesne, the construction of Fort Pitt began. Fort Pitt was to become the rally point for a possible two-pronged offensive north to Lake Erie and Fort Niagara beyond and west/northwest to the French forts of the Ohio/Illinois Country. But it was not to be, after the sucessful siege against Fort Niagara in 1759, operations were placed on hold pending the outcome of the Qubec Campaign.
The following forts/cantonments were located on the Forbes Military Road. I shall list them from the easternmost to the western terminus:
1) Carlisle Encampment (cantonment)
2) Fort Loudon
3) Fort Lyttleton
4) Fort Juniata Crossing (twin forts & ferry point)
5) Fort Bedford
6) Dewart's Fort (cantonment)
7) Fort Ligonier
8) Bushy Run Station (cantonment)
9) Washington/Bouquet's Redoubt (cantonment)
10) Fort Pitt (terminus)
The road was primarily built to serve as a logistical route to supply an invasion of the French-held Ohio Country. After the peace of 1763, the road, and its forts, was to ensure British supremacy in the fur trade. During the Indian War of 1763, the road helped the Bouquet Field Force relieve the siege against Fort Pitt. Later it served to allow traders easier access to the Ohio Country. During the Revolutionary period, it was used as a line of communication between the western and eastern theaters of operations.
During the service life of the Forbes Road, it served both soldier and trader, settler and native. Truly a fascinating piece of Pennsylvania history.
Your Most Humble Servant,
Almost 200 miles of road was cut, blasted, dug and bridged through some of the roughest terrian and dense forest that any european army could have ever faced. Its planning and execution was a marvel of its day. The road itself, approximately follows existing native hunting/trade paths leading into the Ohio Country. At intervals of roughly 25 miles (The distance a battalion sized formation could march, with baggage, in a day) were placed either forts and/or entrenched cantonments with nearby forage/water sources.
Once completed, the road conected Carlisle (considered the very edge of civilzation to most Pennsylvanians) to Fort Pitt. A connector from the Braddock Military Road to Fort Bedford (roughly the mid-way point) was completed in mid-1758, this was to provide a route for Viginia Military forces to march and join the Forbes Expedition against the French Fort Duquesne.
After the abandonment/destruction of Fort Duquesne, the construction of Fort Pitt began. Fort Pitt was to become the rally point for a possible two-pronged offensive north to Lake Erie and Fort Niagara beyond and west/northwest to the French forts of the Ohio/Illinois Country. But it was not to be, after the sucessful siege against Fort Niagara in 1759, operations were placed on hold pending the outcome of the Qubec Campaign.
The following forts/cantonments were located on the Forbes Military Road. I shall list them from the easternmost to the western terminus:
1) Carlisle Encampment (cantonment)
2) Fort Loudon
3) Fort Lyttleton
4) Fort Juniata Crossing (twin forts & ferry point)
5) Fort Bedford
6) Dewart's Fort (cantonment)
7) Fort Ligonier
8) Bushy Run Station (cantonment)
9) Washington/Bouquet's Redoubt (cantonment)
10) Fort Pitt (terminus)
The road was primarily built to serve as a logistical route to supply an invasion of the French-held Ohio Country. After the peace of 1763, the road, and its forts, was to ensure British supremacy in the fur trade. During the Indian War of 1763, the road helped the Bouquet Field Force relieve the siege against Fort Pitt. Later it served to allow traders easier access to the Ohio Country. During the Revolutionary period, it was used as a line of communication between the western and eastern theaters of operations.
During the service life of the Forbes Road, it served both soldier and trader, settler and native. Truly a fascinating piece of Pennsylvania history.
Your Most Humble Servant,