Forbes Road
Murrysville, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
On the hill one mile south was located the Washington Camp. This base for Forbes Road was built Nov. 1758 by Col. George Washington, "Commanding the Troops to ye Westward," on the order of Colonel Henry Bouquet.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In November 1758, as the British pushed toward the French stronghold at the Forks of the Ohio, a young Colonel George Washington established a supply camp on the hill south of here to help feed the advance along the newly cut Forbes Road. He did so under orders from Colonel Henry Bouquet, describing himself as commanding the troops "to ye Westward." The camp was one link in the long logistical chain that carried Forbes's army across the Pennsylvania mountains during the French and Indian War.
Why it matters
The Forbes campaign opened a durable road across the Alleghenies and helped decide the contest for the Ohio Country, shaping both the war's outcome and the future paths of westward settlement.
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Related people
- · George Washington
- · Henry Bouquet
Related events
- · Forbes Expedition
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Forbes Road, 1758, Fort Bedford to Fort Duquesne - Turtle Creek Defile (PLAQUE)
Murrysville, PA · est. 1930
Near the end of the 1758 Forbes Road, the Turtle Creek Defile marked the approach to the forks of the Ohio and Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War. The marker locates the nearby Washington Camp and the Bouquet Encampment along the army's final miles. This rugged passage was among the last obstacles before the British reached their objective.
Bouquet Camp
Penn Hills, PA · est. 1946
In 1758, British and colonial forces under General John Forbes cut a road across Pennsylvania to strike at French-held Fort Duquesne at the forks of the Ohio. Bouquet Camp served as a supply base along that campaign, named for Colonel Henry Bouquet, Forbes's able second-in-command and the builder of the Forbes Road. The French abandoned and burned Fort Duquesne rather than face the advancing army, opening the gateway to the Ohio Country.
Forbes Road, 1758, Fort Bedford to Fort Duquesne - The Bouquet Encampment (PLAQUE)
Penn Hills, PA · est. 1930
During the French and Indian War in 1758, General John Forbes cut a military road westward across Pennsylvania to seize the French stronghold of Fort Duquesne at the forks of the Ohio. This plaque marks the road's farthest northern point, near an encampment associated with Colonel Henry Bouquet, some 97 miles from Fort Bedford. The methodical Forbes campaign succeeded where earlier expeditions had failed.
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.