George Washington

For more than a century every school child has been taught that George Washington was the Father of our Country. Thousands of stories have been written about this man and many more will be printed about him in the years to come.

Locally, not too much has been told to our children about his visits to Bedford or why he came here.

I’m wondering how many persons going to and from Cumberland have noticed the highway marker, located about 1/4 mile south of the Pennsylvania- Maryland line, on Route 220. This marker states "Washington's Road". "By order of Colonel Bouquet, George Washington's troops opened this road from Fort Cumberland to Reas-Town (Bedford, Pa.) during July 1758. Bouquet and Washington conferred halfway between these places July 30, 1758." During this road building, Mr. Washington spent most of his time in the Fort Cumberland area.

When Washington returned to Bedford on October 19, 1794 he was then President. He came here to address and review over six-thousand soldiers who were encamped on an area which is now part of the Elk's golf course, Simpson, Watson and South Bedford Streets. He remained here for two days.

While in Bedford, the President established his headquarters in the Espy House. This old stone structure was built around 1771. It is now the Washington Bakery. Local history tells a little story about Mrs. Espy. To honor the President's appearance as her guest, she prepared a roasted fowl for his dinner. She placed the bird on a platter at an open window while she prepared the rest of the meal. A soldier, passing the window, spied the dinner. He impaled it on his sword and dashed away to enjoy what was to have been offered to the President. One can imagine the embarrassment of Mrs. Espy when she discovered the bird was missing

When General Braddock landed in America to drive the French out of Western Pennsylvania in 1755, he appointed Washington as volunteer aid-de-camp on his staff. Washington was now a Captain.

We all know what happened to this expedition. Very few know that when General Braddock was buried on Laurel Hill, it was Captain Washington who read the burial services by light of a torch. History tells us that Braddock was buried in the center of a roadway and when the soldiers retreated they walked over his grave to destroy the evidence of a buried body so that it would not be discovered by the Indians or the French.

History also tells us that Braddock was shot by the Indians in this fateful battle. As a little sidelight to this story, one can find in the Library of Congress and the Archives of West Virginia a report that one Joseph Fawcett shot General Braddock, and not the Indians. Joseph Fawcett and his brother were soldiers in the Virginia regiment which joined General Braddock at Fort Cumberland. Captain Washington and his men were thoroughly trained in fighting the Indians, and when they tried to teach the British soldiers this new way of fighting, General Braddock refused to allow his men to follow or use this new method of warfare. During the heat of battle, or ambush, Washington's men hid behind trees, logs and rocks. Braddock ordered his men to form a line of battle and fire by volley as they were trained in England. However, the Virginia men took to cover. This so infuriated Braddock that he rode from tree to tree ordering everyone to stand and fight. When the older Fawcett's brother refused to obey this order, Braddock ran his sword through his body. When Joseph saw the General deliver this fatal blow, he immediately shot Braddock.

This confession was made by Joseph Fawcett on his death bed just before he died at Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1820.