My general response to this work is to be very impressed with the author's comprehensive mastery of the topic as he examines the battle from British, French & Indian perspectives. While the impact of the battle is not exactly unknown, Preston provides a wealth of information that puts the event into context from all three sides of the fight. That's the thing; Preston takes seriously the reality that the First Nations were on their own side and that Monongahela was very much their fight. So much so that the French forces on the scene have to be essentially considered auxiliaries, as if it had come down to merely British versus French forces a British victory would have been the likely result, assuming that the French didn't simply retreat after concluding that their position was untenable.

However, Preston is not here to pile more earth on the grave of Edward Braddock, but to consider all the burdens that the British general labored under in his efforts to get to grips with the French and one comes away with a good bit of respect for the man. The reality is that British power in North America suffered from many flaws and Braddock's great triumph was managing to will his force to that point where victory seemed in his grasp before disaster ensued.

If I were to mark down this book for anything it would be that the epilog seems a little pat, but then I'm not really the person for whom this book was written. However, as someone who has spent more then their fair share of time in Pennsylvania, Preston really does make the geography of the place come alive. ( )

David L. Preston is a professor at The Citadel in Virginia. He is originally from western PA. This is a very in-depth and detailed treatment of The Battle of the Monongahela (1755) involving the British and colonials on one side, and French and Indians on the other. The French held a fort at what is today Pittsburgh and threatened British colonists in PA, MD and VA. So the British sent one of the largest and technologically advanced armies to the colonies to that date. Everyone assumed they would win. As the title reveals, they were defeated, mainly because the French and Indians fought from the cover of trees, while the British lined up in formation and were mowed down. It was a massacre. Hard lessons were learned.

The first part of the book was hard going, lots of names and places without much context. It helps if you already know about this period and the geography of the land. The overland journey is a little more interesting. The battle was the best part but is only about 15% of the book. This is a combo popular history + academic history and tends to waver back and forth - it's perfect for a student of the period given the rich detail and quoting of sources. It was an important battle that kicked off the French and Indian War and informed the Revolutionary War. ( )