The cutting of Burd's and later Forbes' roads has been noted in various histories of the French and Indian War. But what exactly is meant by the phrase?
When it is said that roads were cut through the forests, that is literally what happened. The trees had to be cut down ~ or rather, chopped down with axes. At the time of the French and Indian War, saws had not yet become a standard tool for felling trees. Nor were those large, spade-shaped axes used for felling trees. Men were strong in those days, but wielding a large, five pound broad ax all day would wear down the strongest of men. Broad axes were used to 'dress' the trees that had already been felled and to cut the sides flat. The ax that was used to cut down trees was aptly known as the 'felling ax' and had a blade only four to five inches wide. Having only a single cutting edge, the felling ax of the 1700s needed to be sharpened often to make effective cuts.
In addition to cutting down the large trees, any and all small saplings needed to also be cut down. Likewise all of the bushes and low brush in the path needed to be cut away too. And all of the cuttings needed to be cleared out of the way. Anything that would hinder the marching of troops needed to be removed.
All of the tree stumps needed to be pulled out of the ground along with any boulders. The removal of stumps and boulders was usually performed by oxen. The cleared ground would then have been raked level.
The military roads were paths cleared through the forest to a width of between thirty and thirty-five feet, That would accommodate the troops marching eight to ten abreast or two supply wagons. A marching column of soldiers consisted of ranks and files. According to An Universal Etymological English Dictionary, dated 1789, a 'Rank' was "the straight line which the soldiers of a battalion or squadron make as they stand side by side" whereas a 'File' was "a row of soldiers standing one behind or below another". George Washington, in a letter to Colonel Henry Bouquet on 13 July 1758, noted that his men were widening the road from Fort Cumberland to Raystown to a width of thirty feet "that two Waggon's might conveniently go abrest".
It is important to note that despite what some historians might want to believe, neither Burd's Road nor Forbes Road were covered with a layer of stone paving. A section of stone-paved road was uncovered in Everett Borough in 2018, and some historians were excited to believe that it was Forbes Road. The section may indeed have occupied the footprint of the original Forbes Road, but consisting of a layer of stone, it certainly would not have been Forbes Road as it existed in the late 1700s. It may have been a later incarnation of the Forbes Road when it was known as the Great Road or the Pennsylvania Road before being covered with asphalt as the Lincoln Highway. Colonel Henry Bouquet, in charge of the cutting of Forbes Road, wrote detailed letters describing his progress to General John Forbes who remained at Carlisle due to illness. At no time did Bouquet mention the quarrying, hauling and placement of stone over the cleared road. Forbes Road was simply cut as described above, and providing a passable surface as quickly as possible was Bouquet's priority.
