But the progress was still no more than three miles a day, and it was not until the 7th of July that they arrived within eight miles of the French fort.  Between them lay, however, an extremely difficult country with a narrow defile, and Braddock determined to ford the Monongahela, and then cross it again lower down.

The garrison of Fort Duquesne consisted of a few companies of regular troops, some hundreds of Canadians, and 800 Indian warriors.  They were kept informed, by the scouts, of the progress of the English, and, when the latter approached the Monongahela, a party under Captain Beaujeu set out to meet them.  His force consisted of 637 Indians, 100 French officers and soldiers, and 146 Canadians, in all about 900 men.

At one o’clock in the day, Braddock crossed the Monongahela for the second time.  The troops had, all the day, been expecting the attack and had prepared for it.  At the second ford the army marched in martial order, with music playing and flags flying.  Once across the river they halted for a short time, and then again continued their advance.

Braddock made every disposition for preventing a surprise.  Several guides, with six Virginian light horsemen, led the way.  Then came the advanced column, consisting of 300 soldiers under Gage, and a large body of axemen, under Sir John Sinclair, with two cannon.  The main body followed close behind.  The artillery and waggons moved along the road, the troops marched through the woods on either hand, numerous flanking parties were thrown out a hundred yards or more right and left, and, in the space between them and the line of troops, the pack horses and cattle made their way, as they best could, among the trees.

Beaujeu had intended to place his men in ambuscade at the ford, but, owing to various delays caused by the Indians, he was still a mile away from the ford when the British crossed.  He was marching forward when he came suddenly upon the little party of guides and Virginian light horsemen.  These at once fell back.  The Indians raised their war whoop, and, spreading right and left among the trees, opened a sharp fire upon the British.

Gage’s column wheeled deliberately into line, and fired volley after volley, with great steadiness, at the invisible opponents.  The greater part of the Canadians bolted at once, but the Indians kept up their fire from behind the shelter of the trees.  Gage brought up his two cannon and opened fire, and the Indians, who had a horror of artillery, began also to fall back.

The English advanced in regular lines, cheering loudly.  Beaujeu fell dead; but Captain Dumas, who succeeded him in command, advanced at the head of his small party of French soldiers, and opened a heavy fire.

The Indians, encouraged by the example, rallied and again came forward, and, while the French regulars and the few Canadians who had not fled held the ground in front of the column, the Indians swarmed through the forests along both flanks of the English, and from behind trees, bushes, and rocks opened a withering fire upon them.  The troops, bewildered and amazed by the fire poured into them by an invisible foe, and by the wild war whoops of the Indians, ceased to advance, and, standing close together, poured fruitlessly volley after volley into the surrounding forest.