Statue of Colonel George Washington in Braddock, PA - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

The Battle of Braddock's Field (more commonly known as the Battle of the Monongahela or simply Braddock's Defeat) was part of the French and Indian war (1754 - 1763) which itself was part of the larger global conflict known as The Seven Years' War.

In 1755, a British expeditionary force led by Major General Edward Braddock set out to capture Fort Duquesne in western Pennsylvania and then push on to other forts with the eventual goal of taking Fort Niagara. Fort Duquesne was located at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela rivers and controlled access to the Ohio river valley. Braddock's army consisted mainly of British regulars along with a contingent of American colonials from Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas and others.

On July 9, 1755, less than 10 miles from their goal, Braddock's army had a surprise encounter with the French and Indians in a dense wooded area. Though outnumbered approximately two to one, the French and Indian forces routed the British who suffered enormous casualties (more than half killed or wounded). Braddock himself was mortally wounded and died several days later.

Why would such an event be commemorated on a postage stamp? Well, it seems that a young colonial from Virginia was instrumental in organizing a retreat, saving what was left of Braddock's army. He also assisted in removing the wounded Braddock from the field. His name was George Washington. I suppose that retreating and saving the army was significant since Washington would do this time and again during the American Revolutionary War.

Fort Duquesne was eventually won by the British a few years later when a second expeditionary force (this one led by Brigadier General John Forbes) arrived in September of 1758. The French had fled, burning the fort to the ground prior to Forbes' arrival. The British built a new fort on the same spot and named it Fort Pitt after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham and British leader during the Seven Years' War. The town that eventually grew up around this fort became known as Pittsburgh. And, as the late radio commentator Paul Harvey might have said, now you know the rest of the story.

The person most responsible for this stamp was Clyde Kelly, a Pennsylvania congressman who happened to be from the town of Braddock and who also happened to be chairman of the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads. After a personal meeting with Postmaster General Walter Brown, it was agreed to issue a stamp on the 175th anniversary of the battle coinciding with the unveiling of the Vittor statue. The subject chosen for the vignette of the stamp was this same statue. It had been commissioned by the town of Braddock to honor the event that put their town on the map.

Frank Vittor was born in Italy and moved to the United States when he was eighteen. He eventually settled in the Pittsburgh area where his wife's family was from. He was a prolific sculptor and many of his statues and sculptures can be found in and around Pittsburgh.

This stamp is misleading for a couple of reasons. Few Americans have ever heard of Braddock's Defeat let alone the Seven Years' War. A common misconception among stamp collectors is that this stamp honors a battle in the American Revolutionary War. This is because it was issued during the Revolutionary War sesquicentennial period, when several other stamps of similar design were issued commemorating Revolutionary War battles. But this stamp was issued on the somewhat unusual 175th anniversary of a battle that occurred 20 years prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Moreover, it pictures Revolutionary War hero, George Washington.

Another problem is with the inscription "Colonel George Washington". The stamp uses the same inscription that appears on the statue but Washington was not a colonel in the British military nor did he hold that rank during the Braddock campaign. Washington had attained the rank of colonel in the Virginia Militia at the age of 21, but that group had been disbanded by 1755. According to a British war office decree at that time, no colonial could have a rank higher than captain. Washington's official title during the expedition was Aide-de-camp to General Braddock.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 1930 Denomination: 2c Color: carmine rose Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/22/2012 uccacher visited it