History & local legend
At the National Road crossing of Braddock Run near Farmington, a local legend describes a soldier who escorts travelers across the water. He is identified as a grenadier from General Edward Braddock’s army.
The tradition places him in country crossed by the army during its retreat after the Battle of the Monongahela in July 1755. Braddock had been mortally wounded, and his surviving troops carried him back along their military road. After his death, they buried him in the road near present-day Farmington.
In the story recorded by folklorist George Swetnam, the grenadier accompanies a traveler until the crossing is safely completed. Then he disappears, leaving his companion on the opposite bank.
Sources
- The Shadowlands, Farmington, Braddock’s Run Bridge and the grenadier escort
- October 2003 Mohican Board discussion quoting the crossing from George Swetnam’s Devils, Ghosts, and Witches
- National Park Service, Braddock’s retreat and burial
- USGS National Hydrography Dataset, Braddock Run GNIS 1170125 and National Pike crossing
- OpenStreetMap, present culvert at the National Pike crossing
