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New film about 1755 defeat of British General Braddock premieres tonight
Thursday, September 20, 2001 By Marylynne Pitz, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Driving French soldiers from Fort Duquesne was British Maj. Gen. Edward Braddock's goal in 1755 as he led 2,000 men toward the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.
The veteran Coldstream Guard did not know Pennsylvania's thick woods and was unprepared for Native Americans' guerrilla warfare.
The 60-year-old general got sage advice from Benjamin Franklin, which he ignored, and bad military advice from a callow George Washington, which he followed.
So, it seems appropriate that a film about Braddock's famous defeat began shooting about 18 months ago on April Fools' Day.
"When the Forest Ran Red: Washington, Braddock and a Doomed Army" premieres tonight at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center in the Strip District.
"People thought I was an April fool to go up on the top of the mountain and start recording at Jumonville Glen. We just had a camera and some film and we started shooting," said Robert Matzen, owner of Paladin Communications in Bethel Park.
Written, directed and produced by Matzen, the 55-minute documentary dramatizes the ambush of Braddock by 250 French soldiers and 600 Native Americans.
Before the military disaster, Washington advised Braddock to divide his army so that he could reach Fort Duquesne more quickly.
On July 9, 1755, Braddock marched ahead with a column of 1,200 men, leaving behind his wagons and another 1,000 soldiers.
"Splitting up his army was what caused his defeat. If he had approached carefully like his officers wanted to do, he might have won the battle. He would have ended up being Sir [Edward] Braddock," Matzen said.
In June , Matzen filmed additional scenes that included the Fort Pitt 60th of Foot Royal Americans, a 40-member group of re-enactors who support the Fort Pitt Museum.
Members of the 60th of Foot Royal American Regiment spent an entire day at Jumonville Glen staging scenes and aiming their .75-caliber Brown Bess muskets.
The group's ace seamstress, Mary Jo Kulik of Mt. Lebanon, stitched bright yellow trim onto the cuffs and facings of their uniforms so they would appear authentic.
Andrew Masich, president and chief executive officer of the history center, said the film's computerized graphics offer viewers "a then and now perspective that is first-rate."
Historical interpretations of the battle for control of North America are offered by Masich, Fred Anderson, author of "Crucible of War," and R. David Edmunds, author of "The Shawnee Prophet."
The historical interpretation is fresh because past films, such as "The Last of the Mohicans," portray the white man's conquest of North America as inevitable.
"This was a three-way struggle for empire ... with very strong antagonists. It was by no means a foregone conclusion that the Anglo-American element was going to win out," Masich said.
Television fans may do an audio double take as they listen to the narration of George Washington's letters. That's because the voice of Washington is supplied by Michael Rothhaar, a Mt. Lebanon native and character actor who has a recurring role as Judge Prentiss on the TV show "Family Law."
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