;)
Fort Necessity, PA
Monday, May 26, 2008 at 2:55AM 
The whole family (except for The Man - he's off keeping the world safe for democracy) drove up to Pennsylvania to visit the site of the first battle of the French and Indian War: Fort Necessity. To prepare The Goobers for this unplanned field trip, I read the beginning of Benson Bobrick's Angel in the Whirlwind aloud in the car on the drive up. I love that book. It's about the Revolutionary War, and it's a fantastic read. The Goobers love listening to it, and I always bring it along on trips because you never know when you'll happen upon an 18th century battlefield.
The park has a great little museum. We really like museums, especially the little ones. This one has exhibits all about Fort Necessity and the French and Indian War, of course, but it also has a section devoted to the National Road. Hey, Goobers! We saw the tollhouse in this picture on the way here. Remember? No? Well, look for it on the way home.
The story of Fort Necessity in a nutshell: A very young George Washington marched from Virginia to tell the French to leave British territory and on the way got himself into an unexpected skirmish with a group of French soldiers. Washington whupped 'em good, and then, anticipating an attack from nearby Fort Duquesne, hastily erected a tiny fort in the middle of Grand Meadows. JellyMan says, "What a stupid place to build a fort."
Indeed. The French creamed the British, and Washington, for the first and last time in life, was forced to capitulate. How embarrassing. (It wasn't entirely his fault, of course. Half ofthe expected reinforcements never showed up, and the half that did was hardly fit for battle.) Naturally the British couldn't let this slide, and sent Washington back up to Pennsylvania with Major General Edward Braddock to take Fort Duquesne.
The French and their Algonquin allies stomped the British again, but this time it was General Braddock's fault. (He was regular army, and it showed. I think that about covers it.) Nevertheless, he was a brave man. Four horses were shot out from under him during the battle. He took a bullet in the lungs, and died on the retreat to Fort Cumberland. His men buried him in the road, and the entire company drove over him so as to erase any sign of his grave. They didn't do this because they were disgusted with him (though who could have blamed them?) but because they did not want his body to be discovered by the Algonquins.
This was a lovely field trip - the weather was beautiful, we had a nice walk, and welearned a thingor two. You can't beat that with a stick. Oh, and I saw skunk cabbage! I've always wanted to see skunk cabbage, just because I like the name. I can mark one thing of my "someday" list.
field trips, history, pennsylvania in Homeschool
Reader Comments (5)
Well, that was a nice, little history lesson for Memorial Day. Nice job.
Hey, I may have some pictures of skunk cabbaage around here. It smells so lovely, doesn't it?
You have great field trips :D
Not being able to take such trips so easily is the sad part of life in Alaska.
What is Skunk Cabbage? you need to explain this concept to the Australian.
My oh my how your girl seems to have grown up. She looks tall all of a sudden. (And she seems to be developing quite a lovely shape....small as she is)
Skunk cabbage is just a weird, stinky plant. You can read about it http://condor.wesleyan.edu/soconnell/wescourses/2003s/ees199/finalprojects/Marion_Banks_page/virtual_tour/index.htm" rel="nofollow">here - look at station 3.
Anemone is a pretty little thing, isn't she?
Thankyou for the link. It looks nothing like I thought it would.
Yes your girl is pretty. But then that's nothing you don't already know! ;)(The boy is quite handsome too, again, nothing you don't already know. ;) )