direct Mr. Swaine or some proper Person to have in View such a Number of 'em as may answer that Purpose, which shall be conducted to the Camp under a proper Escort. But I wou'd not have any Contract or positive Agreement made till further Orders, as I am in hopes this Measure may not be necessary and the Expence consequently avoided. "I hope soon to have an Express from You with an exact Account of the Place fix'd upon for the Communication between the Two Roads, And am, Sir, "Your most h'ble and most obed Serv "To the Honble. Gov" MORRIS. "E. BRADDOCK. "Camp at last Crossing of the Yaugyaughani, June ye 30th, 1755." Governor Morris' Answer to Gen'l Braddock's Letter of the 30th "Sir: June: "CARLISLE, July the 14th, 1755. "I have this Minute the favour of Yours of the 30th of last Month from y last Crossing of ye Yohiogany, upon weh. I congra tulate You, and hope this will find you in Possession of Fort Du Quesne. The opening the Road has been somewhat interrupted by some Indians who have killed some of the Waggoners and l'eople employed in carrying them Provisions, web. has greatly alarmed this part of the Province; and Mr. Burd writes me from Allegany Mountain that 30 of his Men had left him for want of Arms. As soon as possible after the People that escaped the Indians returned another number of Cattle were procured, And with a proper quantity of Flower were sent under the Protection of 64 Volunteers, who I imagine will meet the 30 Men in their Way Home and carry them back to their work. As soon as I am informed that the new Road is nigh joining your Rout, which, as I have wrote, I imagine will be about the Great Crossing, I shall send forward a Parcel of Oxen, some Pork, and some Flower, as much of the Two last Articles as I can procure Waggons to carry; and propose staying in this Part of the Province where I came to forward & secure y Magazine till that be done. The Letter herewith I wrote at Philad", but the Bearer has been detained a long Time on the Road on Account of the Murders committed by ye Indians, & in hopes of an Escort from me, but for want of a Militia it is not in my Power, so he goes round by Winchester, and may be some time before he reaches You with the good News he is chgd. with. "I am, Your Excellency's Most Obedient & most h'ble Serv "ROBT H. MORRIS. "To his Excellency General BRADDOCK." A Letter from Governor Sharpe to Governor Morris of y 15th Ins' enclosing Colon Innis' Intelligence of General Braddock's Defeat, which was the first Acco" receiv'd at Philadelphia 5 minutes past 3 o'clock on Friday the 10th Instant, P. M: "Sir: "ANNAPOLIS, July 15th, 1755. The enclos'd was just now sent me from Marlbro', whither it was brought from Belhaven Yesterday. I have not receiv'd any Letters from the General or the Camp since the 22nd of June, but one Mr. who belongs to the Train, in a Letter to a Gentleman of this Town, dated near the Great Meadows the 1st of this Month, says, "On the 9th of last Month the whole Army except 600 men wth Sir John S. Clair, who march'd two days before, went from Wills' Creek, and with infinite Difficulty thro' the worst Roads in the World, arrived Ten Days afterwards at the little Meadows where an Abatic was made by Sir John and Two Engineers, encircling the whole Camp, here the whole halted three Days, then the Barron' with his Party moved forward the Second Day after the General with four Howitzers, four 12 Pounders, 13 Artillery Waggons, besides Amunition Carts, followed him, and have kept marching ever since; And this Evening it is expected His Excellency will be within 25 Miles of the Fort. Colonel Dunbar with the remainder of the Army, ffour Artillery Officers, 84 Carriages with Ordnance Stores, and all the Provision Waggons from the Rear, amongst whom I am. The Night before last we were alarmed ffour different Times by the sculking Indians, on whom our out-guards and Centries fired. 'Tis said this Morning the General has had Advice that 500 Regulars are in full March to the Fort, which is the Reason he is determined to be there before them. As we have but very little fresh Provisions since we left the Fort at Wills' Creek, the Officers as well as private Men have been and still are extremely ill with the Flux, many have died. To-Morrow Morning we march again and are to encamp on the Western Side of the Great Meadows, ffrom whence we are to proweed after the General, But am fearfull it will not be before we have built some Fortification there, and leave a strong Party of Men with a great deal of Provisions and Artillery Stores, our Horses being so weak for want of Food & Rest that it is impossible for the whole rear to join the Front in five and Twenty days." The Gen of this Province are subscribing liberally toward the Support of Two or Three Hundred Men. I shall set off for Frederick in two days. With the greatest Regard, "I am, Sir, Your most humble & most obed't Servant, "Governor MORRIS." "Sir: A True Copy of Colon Innes' Letter. "I have this Moment receiv'd the most melancholy News of the Defeat of our Troops, The General kill'd, and Numbers of our Officers, our whole Artillery taken. In short, the Account I have receiv'd is so very bad that as please God I intend to make a Stand here, 'tis highly necessary to raise the Militia every where to defend the Frontiers. "Your humble Serv "To all to whom this may concern." "JAMES INNES. "FORT CUMBERLAND, July 11th, 1755. "A true Copy of Col. Innes' Letter, "(Signed) FAIRFAX. "I have sent an Express with the Original Letter to the Gov ernor." And a Letter from Colonel Innes to Governor Sharpe of the 13th Instant with a Copy of the Colonel's Letter to Governor Dinwiddie of the 14th July, 1755, received at Philadelphia about 1 o'clock on Monday Noon the 21st July, enclosed in a Letter from Governor Sharpe of the 17th Ins "Sir: "FORT CUMBERLAND, 13th July, 1755. "Herewith I send your Excellency a Copy of my Letter to Gov Dinwiddie, which is the fullest Account I am able to get. I am this Instant getting anor. Person & anor. Horse to send out to the Army with Directions not to return without some Accounts. "Your Excellency's most obed humble Serv "To the Honble. HORATIO SHARPE, Esqr. "P. S.-The Action is said to be on the 8th Curr1 and within 4 Miles of the French Fort." "Honoured S": "FORT CUMBERLAND, 14th July, 1755. "My Letter of the 18th June bro' you the defenceless Situation that I was left in here, Notwithstanding in all this Time I have not seen the face of one single Person come here as Militia from either Virg or Maryland either to strengthen the Defence of the Place or to be ready as Escorts for sending out with Provisions. De pending upon some Succours I have from time to Time detach'd Party after Party to the Army, so that I now have very few real healthy Men to do the Duty. "This dismal News brought down here on the 11th Curr Friday at Noon, oblig'd me to send it as it came to my Ears from Waggoners & such People. "I was surprized not to have some Mess' sent me from the Army with Accounts that I might depend on, which obliged me to send a Boy on purpose next Day, and gave him one of the best and freshest Horses I had here; and this Moment he is return'd with much the same Accounts. His Horse giving out he cod. proceed no further than the little Meadows, 25 Miles from this. All the Accounts I get from him is related by the Waggoners, and much to the same Purport as at first; That the General and several Officers are killed, and half of our Soldiers with most of the Artillery taken by the Indians; But not in this Time having any Accounts from the Army gives me Hopes things cannot be so very bad with Us. "However, I think it is highly requisite and full Time that the Malitia in the Neighbouring Provinces shou'd be immediately drafted and sent out to their Assistance; Horses and Waggons will be absolutely needful. 3,000 or 4,000 Men will absolutely carry Victory before us, when 5 Times their Number in a little Time hence will not do. All which I most humbly submit. You may depend as soon as I receive any Accounts I shall forward them; You may likewise depend, please God I live, I will do my best to maintain this Post. "I am Your Honour's most obed' h'ble Serv "To the Honble. Goy". DINWIDDIE." "JAMES INNES. MEMORANDUM. On the 16th Instant the Governor issued his Writs for the Sheriffs of the several Counties to summon their respective Members to meet his Honour in General Assembly at Philadelphia on Wednesday the 23d of this Inst July. At a Council held at Philadelphia on Wednesday the 23d July, 1755. PRESENT: The Honble. ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieuten ant Governor. John Penn, Joseph Turner, This being the Day on which the Assembly was required to meet by the Governor's Summons, the Matters proper to be mention'd to them were taken into Consideration, and for the Information of the Council the Governor laid before them the Intelligences receiv'd by the Secretary in his Absence and such as he had received himself concerning the Defeat of General Braddock; observing that all such as were Favourers of the Schemes of the Assembly wou'd not give the least Credit to the Papers, and had even insulted him after reading them as He walk'd the Public Streets, for giving out that General Braddock was defeated. Then the following Papers were read in these Words, to wit: A Letter received at Carlisle on Tuesday the 16th Instant from Captain Glazier, who was charg'd with the Dispatches to Gen Braddock, giving him an Account of the taking the French Forts at Chignecto and Bay Verte by the New England Forces under the Command of Colonel Monckton, and of Two French Ships of the Line taken by Adm'. Boscawen. "Sir: "There are three Men belonging to the Waggons who have made their Escape from Camp, who say that there hath been an Engagement last Wednesday between the General with an advance Party of Fifteen Hundred Men, within 5 Miles of Fort Du Quesne, in which General Braddock was killed and the Party defeated; And that they saw St John Sinclair brought back by a Party of Soldiers, wounded, to Colon Dunbar's, who was left with his Regi ment with all the Baggage; and several Soldiers coming from the defeated Party running in every Moment; And that Colon' Dunbar's Regiment was alarmed immediately, and beat to Arms; And it was more than the Centry's cou'd do to keep the Officers and Soldiers from running away from His Party. This they seem all to agree in and offer to make Oath to. I thought proper you sho'd know to-Night. I am, Sir, "Your most humble and most obed Serv "To the Honble. ROBERT H. MORRIS, Governor of Pennsyl vania." |