The National Treasure movies were a favorite of daughter Ceili when she was a teen. Fun stuff — I mean, how can one resist history nerds involved in a high-stakes treasure hunt. So, I am predisposed to give this thriller a go:
Literary Titan says:
Echoes of Fortune: The Search for Braddock’s Lost Gold by David R. Leng is an exciting blend of historical legend and modern-day adventure. The story revolves around the long-standing mystery of Braddock’s gold, rumored to have been lost since 1755, and Jack Sullivan’s unexpected discovery of a clue that reignites the hunt. What starts as a thrilling search for hidden treasure soon turns into an expedition filled with peril, as Jack and his friends face dangerous traps, intricate puzzles, and personal challenges. As the promise of fortune looms large, they must navigate not only the physical dangers of their quest but also the risks it poses to their relationships and personal lives.
Detail from “The Wounding of General Braddock,” by Robert W. Griffing.
The catastrophic defeat of General Edward Braddock’s expedition to take Fort Duquesne at the Forks of the Ohio in 1755, before the war that would be called the French & Indian War was declared, is one of the pivotal moments in Frontier Partisan history. The fight is often described as an ambush, but that’s not quite right. It was an encounter battle that erupted when a small force of French regular soldiers and a larger force of Canadian militia and Indians sallied forth from the fort in a more-or-less desperate attempt to stave off a hammer blow from Braddock’s 1,400-man-strong column.
The forces collided head-on in the forest. The Indians and French militia scattered into the woods and flanked Braddock’s column, which bunched up, and started falling in heaps under galling fire from the trees. The battle became a slaughter, and the slaughter a rout. Braddock tried to rally his panicking men, and was mortally wounded by at least two musketballs. More than 500 British and American colonial troops were killed, and more than 450 were wounded.
Braddock died on the retreat back into Maryland, and was buried in the middle of the road his troops had cut, his grave disguised to avoid it being dug up and his body scalped and mutilated.
The defeat left the French in control of the Forks of the Ohio — and it ripped the Pennsylvania and Virginia frontier wide open. Devastating raids followed through the next year. Many colonial settlers died; more fled. It would take three years before the British would regain the initiative as the titanic struggle for North America turned into a world war.
The tale of Braddock’s Gold is authentic folklore. Doesn’t mean it’s real, but it’s not just a plot device. Dan Whetzel wrote an article entitled Where is Braddock’s Gold? for Mountain Discoveries Magazine.
It is following the armed clash that most legends begin because the general allegedly carried a gold-laden chest that went missing during or soon after the battle. The location of Braddock’s gold seems to be dependent upon the geographic locations of the authors who write about it. Stories have been passed down through generations that place the cache anywhere from Alexandria, Virginia, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the general route of Braddock’s mission in 1755. Fairfax County, Virginia’s claim to the treasure, is traced to the general’s arrival in Alexandria and the subsequent problems he encountered building a road to Winchester, Virginia, for equipment laden troops. After being slowed by rain and mud, General Braddock ordered that two brass cannons be removed from wagons and buried. Gold coins, intended for payroll, were poured into the cannons for safe keeping. The Centerville, Virginia, location was noted and plans were made to retrieve the items at a later date. This story was given credence after it appeared in a historical society publication in 1954.
Like tales of buried pirate treasure, this bit of folklore is almost certainly nothing more than folklore. There’s no evidence that Braddock was hauling a chestful of gold through the woods. As Whetzel writes:
…[T}here is considerable evidence that Braddock’s gold fits more comfortably with leprechaun folklore than historical accounts of the time period. Professional historians pay little attention to the treasure stories and even consider them a distraction to more serious matters.
Sure enough, though, it makes a fun premise for a National Treasure-style yarn.
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Braddock’s Defeat is well-depicted in the documentary series The War That Made America. The battle starts at 42.36.
David Wrolson says
I can’t remember if it was from the National Treasure movies or North by Northwest but in one of them (NBN, I think) there is a stairway up the backside of Mount Rushmore. On one of our trips to Rushmore when the kids were pretty young, they were looking for that stairway as we followed the trail through the woods there.
JimC says
Not to mention the secret chamber…
David Michael Fink says
The contents of Braddocks personal chest were recorded being seen by survivors. Some warriors were fingering the coins, not knowing their value. My theory is they took the coins to a trading post and tried to trade for booze or weapons and blankets. One of the largest and well known trading posts mentioned by Christopher Gist, is Cockeye’s Fur Trading Inn, “well known to traders.” Some coins may have gone there. My hope is, they were buried in a horde for later retrieval. I know where to look.
David R Leng says
There was a man on the riverbank with a metal detector, and my friend asked me what I thought he was doing. I made the mistake of joking that he was hunting Braddock’s lost gold.
My kids laughed. My friend gave me the look, the one that says you have three heads.
So we paddled over and asked, and that was exactly what he was doing. He’s descended from a British captain who served under Braddock, and his family has been following the clues for generations.
That conversation became a book. Then a series.
Because that’s the thing I can’t get over about Braddock’s gold. It never became history. It’s still happening.
JimC says
Wonderful. And welcome to the campfire.