Garrison) and killed, and scalped a great many, Strped all our brave Officers, with many other marks, of Cruelty, sufficient to Rouse this Nation from its Lethargy, Otherwise the Enemys Conquests, and Cruelty, will not end there General Webb, has not yet been able to muster Six Thousand Men at Fort Edward, where he expects to be Attack'd every Minute A Small Number to save a Country Therefore Men Properly provided, with Arms & Ammunition is what I repeat to you once more, are wanted with the Greatest Expedition, to Prevent the Down fall of the British Government, upon this Continent I am with respect Your most Obed' hble servt G Christie A. D. Q. M. G. Captain in the 48th Regt &c. P. SI have just now learned from Authority that our Cannon And Mortars, most of them had bursted, and our Ammunition near Expended, before any Proposal was made for a Capitulation, by the Garrison; Col' Young is wounds and Col' Monro' Came in Strip'd at the head of his brave Garrison to Fort Edward, which is not yet Invested To His Excellency Bening Wentworth Governor &ca New Hampshire [Captain Christie to Governor Wentworth.] [Ibid., p. 288.] Albany 14th August 1757. Sir Last Night I had an Express from General Webb with a Letter from Capt Bartman, his Aid De Camp in which is the following Paragraph, wrote by the General's Order, dated at Fort Edward 13th Currt Vizt "And desire you will send to Stop the New England, and other "Militia, from Proceeding untill we can be better able to judge, from "the Motions of the French, whether their Coming up will be "Necessary From the Above you will judge of the proper measures to be taken with the Militia, which can best fulfill the General's Intention - I have few other Particulars, with respect to the Garrison of Forte William Henry, more than I Communicated to you in my Letter the 11th Current, only I was Misinformed, with respect to Colonel Monro's coming in, for Neither he nor Colonel Young with a Number of their Officers, are yet Come But we have hopes they are in the hands of the French, Great numbers of the Garrison Came into Fort Edward, and many gone through the Woods towards New England - All confirm the Massacre Committed by the Indians, with the Connivance of the French the most Barberous crueltys Committed in their Sight, and Presence, Contrary, to a Solemn Treaty and Capitulation, exchanged between M: Montcalm and Colonel Monro'; wherein Officers and Soldiers were to march out, with all their Baggage, Drum's beating Colour's flying and One Piece of Cannon (A Six Pounder, which Montcalm, made Colonel Young a Present of, for his Gallant behaviour in the Lines) Likewise in the Capitulation says, the Garrison to have, for their brave Defence, all the honours, which that of Minorca had Many Officers came in has Authantick Copys of it, which will be a lasting reproach, on the ffrench Nation, for the most barefaced, and Barberous breach of Publick faith I am with Respect Your most Obedt hble servt G Christie A. D. Q. M. G. Captain in 48th Regi His Excellency Bening Wentworth [4-173] [Captain Ladd's Account.] August the 22 Day ye 1757 Ana Compt Exhibitd by ye Subscriber - for the Soport of Souldjer's under my Command while Detand at Londondary and for Sickness at Nombor four Paid at mr Blayrs at Dery for vitlin Eleven Souldjers 0508=00 at mr Tools at Kingstown at maj' Balluees [Bellows] for my self and two men and 3 Horses Sent with an express from N° 4 Paid for the Soport of the Sick for Rum and Shugar the whol of my account is in old tenor 16. .00 03 17 00 об 02 02 = 07 = 00 300000 £50 800 Trueworthy Lad Sence I have Returned Hom and have Recved my Hose those Passons that Keept my Hose while He was Gon from me in the Serves Have sent to me and have Charged me for Hose Keepen old tenor Province of - 18 - O £22 Trueworthy Lad New Hamps' In the House of Representatives March 30th 1758 In Council March 30th 1758 the within Vote read & Concurrd Consented to B Wentworth [Lord Loudoun to Governor Wentworth.] [Belknap Papers, Vol. II., p. 289.] New York September 7th 1757. Sir As I find that after the Surrender of Fort William Henry, Major General Webb had on finding a very great deficience in the Number of the Provincial Troops under His Command, Assembled for the defence of those Provinces, Partly from those rendred uncapable to Serve at Present from the Capitulation, and Likewise from desertion, made a demand from You of a Number of Men to Compleat Your Quota. As I have now arrived here with a considerable Body of His Majesty's Forces, and as I am willing as far as it is Consistant with the safety of those Provinces, and the Good of the Service, to save every Expence Possible to the Provinces, I shall not now insist on Putting them to that Expence, but must Insist on your taking all Proper Measures to Prevent and discourage all further desertion from the Troops of Your Province, till the Time I find I can with safety dismiss them which I will do as early as Possible. But to Enable me to Part with Your Troops the Earlier and to secure the Back Settlements, and to Annoy the Enemy, it will be absolutely necessary that I should be furnished with a number of Rangers, to Continue with me the whole Winter, to be disposed of for those Purposes, the necessity of this Measure will I dare say appear to You, and I have the Pleasure to acquaint You, that Lieutenant Governor Delancey has already agreed with me, to furnish for the Province of New York, Two Companys of 100. men Each, and to take Care to have them Composed of Proper Persons, for the Nature of the Service, both Officers and Men by which Proportion Your Quota will Amount to Fifty Men. I must beg that there may be no delay in Your giving your Orders on this Subject, & that In case there's not Proper People to be found among Your Troops for this Purpose, You will be so good as to give directions to have them from the Frontiers, where the Men are Inured to this sort of Service I am with great Regard Sir Your most Obedient Humble Servant Loudoun P. S. I need not recommend to You, to see Your Men well provided with Good Warm Winter Cloathing To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq [Secretary Pitt to Governor Wentworth.] [Ibid., p. 290.] Whitehall, Sept 16th 1757. Sir, Mons' d'Abreu, Envoy Extry from His Catholick Majesty, having lately delivered divers Complaints of Violences & Depredations (particularly mentioned in the inclosed Paper) committed by His Majesty's Subjects in America, against those of Spain; I am to inform you, That The King seeing, with the highest Disapprobation, the daily Growth of such Scandalous Disorders, and having nothing more at Heart, than to stop the Progress of Practices, which, if not repressed, must involve His Majesty in Odious Disputes with all the Neutral Powers in Europe, is determined to exert the full Authority of the Law, in Vindication of the Justice of His Crown, & of the Honor of the British Nation; And, in this View I am hereby to signify to you His Majesty's Pleasure, that you do enforce with the utmost Vigor, the Observance of the additional Instruction of Oct the 5th to all Privateers, & employ uncommon Care & Diligence, effectually to prevent, &, if possible, to cut up, by the roots, all Excesses & Enormities, alledged to be committed in Violation of the just Freedom of Navigation of His Cathk Majesty's Subjects; And, Whereas, with regard to all Spanish Vessels, bound to a Port of Spain in America, the Case of Contraband cannot exist, it being self-Evident, that no Effects whatever, carried by a Nation to It's own Ports, can, in any Case, fall under that Description; It is His Majesty's Pleasure that you do give the strictest Orders, that no Spanish Ship, under those Circumstances, be disturbed or molested in their Navigation; and that in Case of Outrages, or Depredations, committed on the same, you do your utmost to discover all such Violators of Justice, and Disturbers of the Harmony subsisting between the Two Nations, and to bring the same to condign and exemplary Punishment. I am Sir, Your most obedient humble Servant. [A note by Dr. Bouton reads, "The signature was torn off by some person unknown." — ED.] [Governor Wentworth to Lord Loudoun.] [Ibid., p. 291.] Copy of my letter to Ld Loudoun 21 Sept May it please Your Lordship Portsmouth Sept 21t 1757 I had the Honour to receive your Lordships letter of the 7th of Instant under Governor Pownalls Cover, & shall use my utmost endeavours that a proper Company of rangers shall be raised, to Consist of Fiffty men, which is the proportion your Lordship has assigned this Government - but as the men fittest for that service are now Actually abroad, or rendered Incapable of bearing Arms by the Capitulation at Fort William Henry, it will be Impossible to raise Suitable men to be on that duty; until the Muster rolls are made up, & the Men paid off, which cannot well be done, until Coll° Meserves return. Upon adviseing with Some of His Majestys Council, & the leading men in the Assembly in whom I could Confide, on the Subject of your Lordships letter another difficulty arose in regard to raiseing the Company of rangers at this Juncture, that near one third part of Coll Meserves Regiment that were posted at Fort William Henry were either killed or Captivated, And it was their opinion that if I convened the assembly & proposed the Grant of fiffty men as rangers now there was a great danger of looseing the grant, which I thot would be Injurious to His Majestys Service therefore it was Advised to let the Matter rest for the present, until this Misfortune had become a little more familiar; to this may be added that at the requisition of Major General Webb I have raised two hundred & fiffty men, to be posted at N° 4 or Charlstown on Connecticut River, under the Command of Major Thomas Tash, to make Coll° Meserves Regiment |