Braddock’s Troops at Owen’s Ordinary
In April, Braddock split his forces for the first part of the march to Fort Duquesne; the 44th Regiment under Peter Halkett was sent to Frederick Town, Virginia (present-day Winchester) and the 48th under Thomas Dunbar was ordered to Frederick Town, Maryland.  Dunbar’s troops crossed the Potomac to George Town and marched up the Great Road to Owen’s Ordinary, where they stayed the night
of April 14.  A seaman wrote in his diary:

On the 14th:—We began our march at 6, and were ordered with our detachment to go in front, and about 2 o’clock at one Lawrence Owens, 15 miles from Rock Creek, and 8 miles from the upper falls of Potomack; and encamped upon good ground.

 A batman (servant) of a British officer commented that:

We Marched to larance Owings or Owings Oardianary, a Single House, it being 18 miles and very dirty.

 As the troops trekked up the Great Road to Dowden’s Ordinary (Clarksburg) the next day, the weather changed suddenly from hot and sultry to chilly and rainy.  The temperature dropped and a snowstorm followed;  the troops stayed an extra day at Dowden’s.  According to writtenc acounts, there was more than a foot of snow and some feared the tent poles would break from the weight of the snowfall.

Who Came Through Owen’s Ordinary?
While it’s impossible to know exact numbers of people who camped here, records indicate that the 48th Regiment had 500 troops who had come from Ireland.  Colonial soldiers, some who joined the regiment and some in militia groups, swelled the ranks.  There were also specialists such as seamen, sailors needed to manage the boats that ferried troops across rivers in a land where there were few bridges and to handle the ropes, blocks and tackle used to maneuver heavy equipment.
 

Approximately twenty women accompanied the 48th Regiment.  They cooked, nursed, or did laundry and drew military rations just as the fighting men did.  Many were the wives or sisters of soldiers.

George Washington did not come through Owen’s Ordinary in 1755.  From Virginia he crossed the
Potomac north of here to join Braddock in
Frederick Town.

The Calvert Arms/King's Colors
This flag, which was probably carried by Maryland's colonial soldiers who came through Owen's Ordinary, has the antique gold and black diamonds of the Calvert coat of arms as the field. The Calverts were the Lords Baltimore, lord proprietors of the Royal Colony of Maryland. This is the same design as in the first and fourth quarters of the flag of the State of Maryland. The King's Colors of 1606 is used as the canton.  The earliest use and display of this flag is unknown.  A description appears in the minutes of the Governor's council of 1755 when Maryland ordered guns and powder from London for the campaign against the French.I