Braddock Expedition
The Braddock expedition, also called Braddock's campaign or (more commonly) Braddock's Defeat, was a failed British military expedition which attempted to capture the French Fort Duquesne (now Downtown Pittsburgh) in the summer of 1755, during the French and Indian War. It was defeated at the Battle of the Monongahela on July 9, and the survivors retreated. The expedition takes its name from General Edward Braddock, who led the British forces and died in the effort. Braddock's defeat was a major setback for the British in the early stages of the war with France and has been described as one of the most disastrous defeats for the British in the 18th century.