An ailing man, a dour man and a strong and brave man was the “Head of Iron”,
General John Forbes who led some 6,000 soldiers into Fort Duquesne. Here at the
Forks of the Ohio, the city of Pittsburgh was born, named by Forbes on November
27, 1758.
Accompanied by Washington and Henry Bouquet, Forbes commanded a motley band
of soldiers, Scottish Highlanders and provincials whom he described to William
Pitt as “an extremely bad collection of broken innkeepers, horse jockeys and
Indian traders”.
Young Major Grant (after whom Grant Street in Pittsburgh is named) was sent
out to reconnoiter in September. He disobeyed orders and moved in to attack Fort
Duquesne. His company was routed and he was captured.
Two months later, General Forbes, by then so ill that he bad to be carried by
litter, entered the ruins of Fort Duquesne which the French had abandoned and
had tried to burn to the ground.
In his letter to William Pitt, in which he explained that he had taken the
liberty of naming the place Pittsburgh, General Forbes said, somewhat
prophetically, “I hope the naming Fathers will take (it) under their
Protection, in which case these dreary deserts will soon be the richest and most
fertile of any possessed by the British in North America”.
Vivien Richman
Listen to a Schmertz clip (at Smithsonian Folkways site)
In seventeen hundred fifty and eight
A truly most significant date
John Forbes the general at Carlysle
Assembled his motley rank and file!
Backwoodsmen, farriers, waggoners, scouts
And Forbes of some bad serious doubts
But his kilted Highlanders Scottish all
Delighted the crusty general!
A crusty Scot was General John
He roused his men at crack-o-the-dawn -
Six thousand soldiers he firmly led -
They christened him proudly “Iron Head!”
“We’ll build a road!” the general said,
“We’ll build a road!” the general said,
And his soldiers grumbled into their bread
“We heard you the first time, Iron Head!”
An ailing man was General John
A jouncing litter carried him on
(But) He wouldn’t take to his painful bed
“Our Laddie is brave”, the soldiers said.
George Washington and Henry Bouquet
From Raystown gap came all of the way
To Loyal Hanna they hacked a road
And Jupiter Pluvius rained and snowed.
The endless mountains shadowed them drear
The heavens mourned the dying old year
And through the muddy and rough terrain
They laboured their way to Fort Duquesne.
Young Major Grant was sent on ahead
“Just Reconnoiter” the general said
But he came a cropper at Fort Duquesne
And many a Highland man was slain.
Our General John, he wasn’t dismayed -
His drummers drummed, his bagpipers played -
“March on, my ladies”, he stoutly said.
They shouted, “Hurrah for Iron Head!”
The French and Indians faded away
Before John Forbes’ gallant array
By swift canoe and by great bateau
They paddled away down O-hi-o!
The woodsmen, farriers, waggoners, scouts
Advanced upon the burning redoubts
They passed the bodies of Highland slain
And entered abandoned Fort Duquesne.
(Now) We should all remember the date
November seventeen fifty and eight
When Forbes to Pitt sent a billet-doux
I’ve called the place Pittsburgh, Sir, for you!
