Captain Daniel de Beaujeu, the
French repeatedly tried to an~bush Braddock's forces during June but
found the advancing British troops too alert. Then, on July 9, 1755, the
British vanguard, a compact column of regulars with a few scouts out
in front, encountered a force of Frenchmen, Canadians, and Indians
head on. The latter reacted faster, quickly deploying along both flanks
of the British colun~n and seizing a strategic height.
The British vanguard withdrew under fire and collided with...