Existing comment:
From 1754 to 1765, Fort Cumberland existed in the hills currently covered by churches as a British garrison against attacking French and Indian troops. George Washington started his military career here. He lived in this cabin during 1755 while he was serving as aide-de-camp to General Braddock. Braddock was later killed in an ill-fated attack on the French. George had his only military surrender later in that war at Fort Necessity in Pennsylvania. In 1794, George came here as commander-in-chief in full military uniform to assemble troops from Maryland and Virginia who would be crushing the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania. (The actual armies for that battle were led by Daniel Morgan and Henry Lee--Robert E's father.) It is thus said that George Washington both began and ended his military career in Cumberland Maryland. |