Forbes Road - Washington & Bouquet Meeting

Near this site in July 1758, George Washington and General Henry Bouquet met to discuss which routes General Forbes' army would take to attack the French at Fort Duquesne. The men had a difference of opinion of which route to take. Washington, who traveled with Braddock's company during its defeat, proposed that the soldiers took a southern route like Braddock, dipping down near what is now the Maryland state line.

Bouquet proposed a route that went straight west, through Bedford (then Raystown). Forbes chose to take the western route through Bedford, possibly in part from some persuasion from Bouquet, who joined Forbes on the mission. By the time the calvary reached Fort Duquesne, it had already been abandoned and burnt to the ground by the French.

Thanks to the Library of Congress, you can read transcriptions of the actual correspondence letters between Washington and Bouquet leading up to their meeting.

The Washington & Bouquet Meeting Plaque was dedicated on July 26, 2008. The plaque reads: "Near this site on July 30, 1758, Cols. Bouquet and Washington discussed proposed routes by which Gen. Forbes' army would attack French Ft. Duquesne. Bouquet preferred the route due west from Bedford, while Washington advocated Braddock's 1755 road to the south. Forbes himself chose the route from Bedford, and as a result occupied the ruins of Ft. Duquesne on Nov. 25, 1758. Forbes Road encouraged subsequent westward expansion through Pa.

We can't find an image of the Washington & Bouquet plaque, can you?