cabas.blogg.se

Setting out from Fort Cumberland on 7 June, the British quickly found themselves in a quagmire while advancing through the frontier. General Edward Braddock initiated a British effort to attack the French at Fort Duquesne in the summer of 1755. When war erupted in North America between the two competing European powers, the British had to first contend with the wilderness before they could defeat the French. Eventually, the British were able to carve their way through the frontier and adopted waystations to preserve their interests on the continent. These logistical concerns came to the forefront during the French and Indian War. The untamed western frontier also provided a refuge for Native Americans who grew increasingly violent towards their encroaching European neighbors. The Appalachian Mountains seriously handicapped the British from advancing into the Ohio River Valley. The biggest obstacle facing both the French and the British in colonizing North America was natural barriers that stymied westward expansion into the vast hinterland. Accompanying the cabin is a well and land for a vegetable garden from which garrisoned troops drew water and supplemented daily rations.

Upon entering, you will also notice the cabin's two main rooms: a storeroom and living quarters complete with bunks, hearth, and musket rack. These buildings were a symbolic testament to British authority over the region and stood as a barrier against aggressive native tribes.Īs you approach the cabin, you will notice the hand tooled marks bearing testimony to the 18th century craftsmanship techniques used during its construction. More importantly, waystations preserved the vital British supply line, as well as offered protection to troops moving through the backwaters of western Pennsylvania. Waystations provided an invaluable service to the British during the colonial period by acting as a buffer between the more civilized east and the largely unsettled frontier. The waystation exhibit along the Army Heritage Trail is modeled after original British examples constructed along the Forbes Road in what is now western Pennsylvania after the French and Indian War.