The Braddock force is on the land owned by the Chief Scout, Lieutenant John Fraser, by July 8, 1755.

This evening, the natives send a delegation to the British to request a conference.

Braddock sends Washington and Fraser.

The natives ask the British to halt their advance so that they can attempt to negotiate a peaceful withdrawal by the French from Fort Duquesne.

Both Washington and Fraser recommend this to Braddock but he demurs.

Braddock's men cross the Monongahela on July 9, 1755, without opposition, about ten miles (sixteen kilometers) south of Fort Duquesne.

The advance guard of three hundred grenadiers and colonials with two cannon under Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage begins to move ahead.

George Washington tries to warn him of the flaws in his plan—for example, the French and the natives fight differently than the open-field style used by the British—but his efforts are ignored; Braddock insists on fighting as "gentlemen".

Then, unexpectedly, Gage's advance guard comes upon the French and natives, who are hurrying to the river, behind schedule and too late to set an ambush.

In the skirmish that follows between Gage's soldiers and the French, the French commander, Beaujeu, is killed by the first volley of musket fire by the grenadiers.

Although some one hundred French Canadians flee back to the fort and the noise of the cannon holds the natives off, Beaujeu's death does not have a negative effect on French morale; his patronage of native customs has helped raise the morale and fighting tenacity of the warriors under his command.

Dumas rallies the rest of the French and their native allies.

The battle, known as the Battle of the Monongahela, or the Battle of the Wilderness, or just Braddock's Defeat, is officially begun.

Braddock's force is approximately fourteen hundred men.

The British face a French and native force estimated to number between three hundred and nine hundred.

The battle, frequently describes as an ambush, is actually a meeting engagement, where two forces clash at an unexpected time and place.

The quick and effective response of the French and natives—despite the early loss of their commander—lead many of Braddock's men to believe they had been ambushed.

However, French documents reveal that the French and native force had been too late to prepare an ambush, and had been just as surprised as the British.

After an exchange of fire, Gage's advance group falls back.

In the narrow confines of the road, they collide with the main body of Braddock's force, which had advanced rapidly when the shots were heard.

The entire column dissolves in disorder as the Canadian militiamen and natives envelop them and continue to snipe at the British flanks from the woods on the sides of the road.

At this time, the French regulars begin advancing from the road and begin to push the British back.

Following Braddock's example, the officers keep trying to reform units into regular show order within the confines of the road, mostly in vain and simply providing targets for their concealed enemy.

Cannon are used, but in such confines of the forest road, they are ineffective.

The colonial militia accompanying the British takes cover and returns fire.

In the confusion, some of the militiamen who are fighting from the woods are mistaken for the enemy and fired upon by the British regulars.

After several hours of intense combat, Braddock is shot off his horse, and effective resistance collapses.

Colonel Washington, although he has no official position in the chain of command, is able to impose and maintain some order and form a rear guard, which allows the remnants of the force to disengage.

This earns him the sobriquet Hero of the Monongahela, by which he will be toasted, and establishes his fame for some time to come.

By sunset, the surviving British and colonial forces are fleeing back down the road they had built.

Braddock dies of his wounds during the long retreat, on July 13, and is buried within the Fort Necessity parklands.

Of the approximately thirteen hundred men Braddock had led into battle, four hundred and fifty-six have been killed and four hundred and twenty-two wounded.

Commissioned officers are prime targets and suffered greatly: out of eighty-six officers, twenty-six were killed and thirty-seven wounded.

Of the fifty or so women that have accompanied the British column as maids and cooks, only four survive.

The French and Canadians report eight killed and four wounded; their native allies lose fifteen killed and twelve wounded.

Colonel Dunbar, with the reserves and rear supply units, takes command when the survivors reach his position.

He orders the destruction of supplies and cannon before withdrawing, burning about one hundred and fifty wagons on the spot.

Ironically, at this point the defeated, demoralized and disorganized British forces still outnumber their opponents.

The French and natives do not pursue and are engaged with looting and scalping.

The French commander Dumas realizes the British are utterly defeated, but he does not have enough of a force to continue organized pursuit.