Edward Braddock

"Were that we applied the sword more liberally and more often, the world would be a better place than it is today."

- General Braddock.

General Edward Braddock, also known as The Bulldog, is an antagonist in ''Assassin's Creed III. ''He is a British Army officer and (formerly) a member of the Templar Order. He was a character in the novel Assassin's Creed: Forsaken and the main antagonist of Haytham Kenway's storyline in Assassin's Creed III. He was very much like Abbas Sofian in Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade and Assassin's Creed: Revelations, but much crueler.

Biography
In 1754, Braddock was stationed in Boston, with Charles Lee serving under his command. Braddock noticed John Pitcairn's unauthorized presence in Boston and had him arrested and charged for desertion and treason. Haytham Kenway and Lee arrived, revealing that both Lee and Pitcairn were in Haytham's service under Templar orders. Despite this, Braddock reluctantly consented to give Lee to Haytham, but bitterly denied releasing Pitcairn and forced him to remain under his command.

In a plan to retrieve Pitcairn, Lee followed and pretended to be an angry citizen against the Redcoats, provoking Braddock into a chase by throwing horse manure on him. Lee lured Braddock and his men to a dead end, which allowed him, Haytham, and Pitcairn to attack and eliminate Braddock's patrol. Haytham spared Braddock before warning him that he would kill him in their next encounter, leaving Braddock humiliated and furious.

As conflict and territorial disputes between the British and the French colonies escalated, Braddock was given command of two regiments and was assigned to retake Fort Duquesne from the French. In order to navigate through the frontier, Braddock enlisted George Washington, a volunteer from the Virginia Militia, as a guide. In the winter of 1754, the French offered a truce, which Braddock refused. Instead, Braddock continued on his offensive, determined to defeat and drive the French from the land. While rallying his troops and supplies, Braddock attacked several Native American villages, driving the inhabitants out of their land. As a result, Braddock became an enemy of several Iroquois clans, whom Haytham would eventually join forces with in plan to murder Braddock.

The expedition continued on until July of 1755, during which Braddock killed one of his own soldiers after accusing him of treasonous and insubordinate behavior. Braddock was then approached by Haytham, disguised as a British soldier, who held him at gunpoint. The expedition was then ambushed and attacked by Iroquois warriors, devastating and killing many Redcoats.

In the resulting chaos, Braddock attempted to flee on horseback while Haytham chased close behind. Washington briefly came to Braddock's defense, but was subdued by a Kanien'kehá:ka woman. Haytham then continued to pursue Braddock on foot, quickly catching up and impaling him with his Hidden Blade. During Braddock's final words, Haytham admitted to him that he had killed him out of necessity, but that some semblance of personal motivation compelled it as well. From there, Haytham departed, taking Braddock's Templar ring from his finger.

Braddock's body was later discovered by Washington, who proceeded to carry him away, eventually burying Braddock under a road in the Great Meadows, preventing the Native Americans and the French from finding and desecrating the body.

Personality
Braddock was originally described by Haytham as brave and bold, perhaps implying he was also a well respected and honorable man during their years as brothers in arms. However, Braddock changed into a definitively ruthless and violent man, driven by the belief that force was necessary to ensure resolution and success. His reliance on force resulted in indiscriminate killings of even civilians and his own allies. Braddock was quick tempered and cruel; he applied strict discipline to the point of brutality against his own soldiers. As a result, Braddock maintained loyalty through fear and intimidation rather than through respect and heroism. His aggressive and violent tendencies resulted in contempt for non-British soldiers, for example, he displayed intense hatred for the French and even killed those who expressed opposite sentiments. Ultimately, Haytham gave up on the hope that Braddock could be redeemed and showed no remorse in killing his former ally and friend.