"David L. Preston's gripping account of Braddock's Defeat, also known as the Battle of the Monongahela, is the most authoritative ever written. Using previously untapped sources, Preston's work challenges the stale portrait of an arrogant European officer who refused to adapt to military and political conditions in the New World and is the first to show fully how the French and Indian coalition achieved victory through effective diplomacy, tactics, and leadership. Those who were there, including George Washington, Horatio Gates, and Charles Lee, never forgot its lessons and brought them to bear when they fought again --whether as enemies or allies--two decades hence."--Back cover.

Introduction : remembering Braddock's Defeat -- Paths to the Monongahela -- Braddock Americanus -- Confrontations -- Beaujeu's voyage -- Braddock's march -- The Battle of the Monongahela -- Consequences -- Epilogue : legacies of the Monongahela.