Forbes Road, 1758, Fort Bedford to Fort Duquesne - Fort Ligonier (PLAQUE)
Ligonier, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Built by order of General Forbes. Was located 200 yards west of this marker. The road leads south-westward to 12 mile encampment. Eminent service was rendered here by Colonel Henry Bouquet and Colonel John Armstrong and in engagements with the French and Indians. Near this place Colonel George Washington, Colonel James Burd, and Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Mercer distinguished themselves, 50 miles from Fort Bedford.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Fort Ligonier was raised in 1758 by order of General John Forbes as the last major stronghold on the road to Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War. Officers including Colonel Henry Bouquet and Colonel John Armstrong distinguished themselves here, and young Colonel George Washington, Colonel James Burd, and Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Mercer all served in the campaign that passed this way. The fort anchored the British advance through the Pennsylvania wilderness.
Why it matters
Fort Ligonier withstood French and Indian attack and secured the supply line that let Britain seize the forks of the Ohio, a turning point in the struggle for the continent — and an early proving ground for George Washington.
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Related people
- · John Forbes
- · Henry Bouquet
- · John Armstrong
- · George Washington
- · James Burd
- · Hugh Mercer
Related events
- · Forbes Expedition of 1758
- · Defense of Fort Ligonier
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Twelve Mile Camp
Unity Township, PA · est. 1946
In 1758, as British and colonial forces cut Forbes Road through the wilderness toward the French stronghold at the Forks of the Ohio, a young George Washington helped set up an encampment near this spot. The rough military road was a decisive artery of the French and Indian War, opening the western country to armies and, later, settlers. A generation on, in 1774, Fort Shippen rose on the same ground as the frontier remained contested.
Forbes Road, 1758, Fort Bedford to Fort Duquesne - Tomahawk Encampment (PLAQUE)
Jenner Township, PA · est. 1930
Part of the 1758 Forbes Road built during the French and Indian War, this point at the foot of Laurel Hill marks the Tomahawk Encampment on the army's push toward Fort Duquesne. Each such camp was a measured stage in General John Forbes's methodical advance, guarded and provisioned as the troops climbed the Alleghenies. The marker fixes the spot along the road running toward Fort Ligonier.
Forbes Road - The Clear Fields
Jenner Township, PA · est. 1952
When General Forbes weighed how to reach Fort Duquesne in 1758, open meadows like the Clear Fields along the Raystown Path tipped the balance. Ample forage for cavalry and draft animals led him to favor this northern route over Braddock's older road to the south — a logistical choice that shaped the whole campaign. Fort Dudgeon, known as Tomahawk Camp, stood a short way to the north.
Forbes Road - Stony Creek Encampment
Quemahoning Township, PA · est. 1951
During the French and Indian War, British General John Forbes cut a military road across Pennsylvania toward Fort Duquesne, and along it his army built fortified supply depots to feed the advance. The Stony Creek encampment stood just north of here, a stockaded storehouse on the route that then climbed toward Laurel Hill and the site of Tomahawk Camp. These depots kept Forbes's 1758 campaign supplied through the rugged Alleghenies.