1757. September 10, all the King's troops must do so when ordered, but the Governor has now consented to allow the men repairing the fort two gills of rum daily at the experse of the Province. Hopes to hear no more complaints; every man refusing to work is to be confined and punished. Details of the work to be done. Arrival of Montgomery's Highlanders. Page 4 Bouquet to Captain Paul Demeré. Rolls of men, &c., received. Hopes Charlestown. that he may succeed in keeping the Indians and engaging them to go to war. If the Carpenter should go in good faith, he could render a good account of the enemy's settlements and the nature and distance of the route by which to reach them. Satisfaction must be received from the people of Silkio (Chilcothe ?). 7 September 10, Same to General Webb. Arrival of Montgomery with 106 superCharlestown. numerary men; very healthy on arrival, tut have become extremely extren sickly. Demands for transports, &c. 8 September 10, Same to Lord Loudoun. Substantially the same as the letter to Webb, Charlestown. with the addition that the country is so unhealthy, that all the officers sent out to recruit, as well as the men, have fallen sick. 9 September 15, Same to Dolbs. Thanks for the care taken of recruiting officers. Owing Charlestown. to the great expense for provisions will not send Hay and his party further than Newbern. Respecting Montgomery's Highlanders. The news of the grant of £50,000 to Virginia and the two Carolinas is very agreeable to him; this gratification was necessary to enable these Provinces to support the extraordinary expenses of the service. Is desirous to have a statement of the military condition of the Southern Provinces, and hopes His Excellency will let him have it. 11 September 17, Same to Governor Ellis. Tharks him for the care he has taken of the Charlestown. troops. Will take care to put the Province to no expense whatever. No rum is to be provided for the troops in his (Ellis') garrison. His trouble about quarters for the Highland battalion; would rather make two campaigus than settle the quarters in any of the American towns. The great loss of Fort William Henry and the disappointment of the great expedi tion, the superior force of the eremy having occasioned the return of Lord Loudoun to New York. Prosecution of Sloagman. The exchange of artillery is agreeable to Governor Littleton and to him. To send the pieces at the expense of South Carolina after being proved on the spot. His disappointment regarding the provincial troops of South Carolina prevented him from disposing of the independent companies employed in the forts at too great a distance to be relieved by the regulars, their establishment is more suitable to Georgia and he is disposed to employ them in that way. Believes that at present more troops would be burdencome to the town, but so soon as he (Ellis) asks for a reinforcement it shall be sent. Respecting recruiting and the loss of so many men by death, owing to the sickliness of the season, and by desertion. Should be glad to see the progress made in the fortifications. 15 September 17, Same to Lieut. Shaw. On account of his-ill health he will be Charlestown. relieved by Ensign McIntosh. As the fort is of great importance, asks him to remain with Ensign McIntosh to help him. If his health does not admit of this, he is to give McIntosh all instructions. Nothing has been paid the men for working, except two gills of rum daily. Has done his best to get pay for the men with him (Shaw), but they must be content to be used like the others; as soon as possible they shall be relieved. It is not easy to get what is necessary to carry on the work, but the best must be done to forward it. How far the officers may go in conciliating the Indians. 18 Same to Dobbs. Hopes that his letter arrived in time to prevent the embarkation of his (Dobbs') troops. The term of six months is too September 29. 1757. October 15, short to enlist men. Pennsylvania, Virginia and South Carolina enlist for the whole war. He would rather have no troops, than after they began to be of use to have to disband them. Asks him to make suitable arrangements about the troops, as the want of regulations makes him sensible of their necessity. Asks leave to enlist the disbanded six months' men for the Royal Americans. It seems impossible to get recruits in these parts. No news since the report of the loss of Fort William Henry. Troops very sickly; the Highland battalion has over 400 sick. Page 20 Bouquet to General Napier. Had sent in July the military returns Charlestown. of the Province for June and July; now sends those for August and September. Work on the fortifications goes on as quickly as circumstances will admit. The Highlanders landed on 1st September; they are very sickly; hopes that as the air is beginning to cool they will soon recover. Death of Dusseaux and resignation of Prevost. Applies for one of the two vacancies in the American battalions. Limited by Act of Parliament to this regiment, there are no other hopes of preferment left, and asks that he will not forget the officers in America. October 15, 22 Same to Lord Barrington. Enclosing returns of the troops. Arrival Charlestown. and sickly state of the Highlanders under Montgomery. 24 October 16, Same to Colonel Hunter. Was glad to hear of his recovery. The Charlestown. difficulty of negotiating bills; the inconvenience of this for paying the troops. Had succeeded in getting money by mere chance, but that pre carious way will not suit, as besides the pay of the Americans there is the subsistence of the Highlanders to provide for. Can pay until Christmas, but after that does not know where he can place a single bill. There will be such a demand for bills for indigo that military bills cannot be negotiated before spring. Suggestions for overcoming the difficulty. In consequence of the capture of ships by the French, the merchants require six bills to each set. He has only four; asks for two additional with official authority. Respecting the rate of money. Loudoun bas ordered back the Virginian troops, but they cannot be spared till January. If they are to go then transports must be sent at the expense of the Province of Virginia. The irregularities of the posts; hopes that the Governor may improve the service. The bad climate; hopes he may not pass another summer here; does not like the country. Friendly messages. October 16, 25 Same to Loudoun. Though the Highlanders left with 130 supernuCharlestown. meraries, they have lost so many men that they want all to make up 1,000 privates. Except quartere, they are well provided for. Care shall be taken of the clothing, firelocks, &c. Bill for £5,000 received and receipt sent. Is sorry that Hunter had advised sending bills instead of money; the inconvenience thus caused; the merchants have agreed on a rate to be charged so as to force him to comply with their terms; can see no way to do but to give two per cent. for negotiating the bills; Mr. B. Smith, the Speaker, is the only man who would do it even at that rate. If the contractors would write themselves, they might get it done at one per cent., but he cannot. Respecting the indigo market and the Virginian troops, who cannot be dispensed with till January, the Highlanders being new to the country and so many sick. The three independent companies are on the frontiors; the provincial regiment has not yet 70 men. The net force for the present consists of the Americans only, reduced by sickness to 300 men fit for duty. Has sent 100 men to Georgia, 100 more are wanted at Port Royal to work on the now fort and with the militia jointly protect that harbour against privateers. It is not "well possible" to carry on the service in this wide 1757. country without provincials; it would be the ruin of the troops if they were scattered over 400 and 500 miles on the frontiers besides the immense expense for their provisions. The provincial regiment can never be raised unless the Assembly agree to his proposition to oblige the militia to serve by lot two or three years in the provincials; does not expect them to do it. The arrival of the "Winchelsea " disabled. Transports wanted if the Virginians are to go back. These could be provided from Hampton and if Hunter sent early notice, the men in Georgia could be sent for. This would prevent difficulty in the pay of the transports; no money has even been seen from that Province for the pay of their troops. The difficulties of communication. Sends accounts and vouchers. Has been saving to Government, having charged the Province what he could, convinced that the people were able to pay, and seeing how unwilling they were to spend money in providing quarters and necessaries for the troops. Georgia is different. Though extremely poor they have done a good deal, influenced by their Governor, who is indefatigable for their safety and welfare. As it is a frontier to the two powers, and the people unable to repair their decayed forts, recommends that that should be done and the garrisons supplied with provisions at the expense of Government. The bad state of Forts Augusta and Frederica. Fort William is only an advanced post kept to test the right of possession against the Spaniards, the limits not being well fixed. The difficulty of recruiting. The unhealthiness of the country. Names of officers on the invalid list. Letter from Governor Dobbs respecting the difficulty of raising men. Has hinted to Governor Dobbs the necessity of having regulations concerning quarters, &c. When the sickly season is over shall try, but does not expect, to complete the five companies. The air has been so infected that even the borses died. Loss of horses by officers; this, with the abominable imposition of the inhabitants, renders it impossible for any officer to be employed on his pay in recruiting. Has shown Governor Lyttleton the necessity of putting a stop to such robbery by a law to fix the rate to be charged the troops for diet, when provisions cannot be sent, with regulations as to deserters, &c. Hopes the new Assembly will pass such laws. The eternal struggle in America is about quartering the men in towns; the only effect of solicitations is ill humour; cannot even get straw for the Americans, what could be got was given to the Highlanders. The town is large, the public houses few and bad; had the men been divided among the inhabitants nobody would have suffered much, and half of the men lost by death or desertion would have been saved. How the troops are quartered. Sends plan of the town and fortifications; how the works were carried on. Notwithstanding the risk of the town lying open, it has never been possible to get a sufficient number of negroes on the work. Private interest is the first point here. Troops to be employed in building. His design is to make the town defensible. Page -9 Bouquet to Governor Dinwiddie. Cannot send back to Virginia the two Charlestown. companies as ordered, from want of transports, &c. If they are to go back in January, begs him to arrange for transports, &c. One of the companies has been sent to Savannah, Georgia; as it will require time to recall it, asks him to send notice of the time the transports are to be sent so that the company may be ready. Calls attention to the want of pay of the two companies, October 18, October 18, 44 Same to Colonel Stanwix Returns sent. Respecting recruiting. No Charlestown. supernumeraries from the Highlanders for the Americans, owing to the many deaths. Clothing received. Ourry has left some in Philadelphia; asks him to inquire about it. Is heartily tired of disputes about quarters. 1757. November 9, November 12, Transports still here waiting for convoy; fortifications, &c., as in previous letters. Page 41 There was added to this letter, dated 27th and 28th October, a request for him to take charge of certain men left, and giving the names of officers on the sick list at Philadelphia and Hampton. Hopes he may be in comfortable winter quarters. Results of recruiting. The Assembly has voted £1,000 sterling for barracks for 1,000 men, but declined to do anything about bedding, &., without which the barracks are useless. There is no danger of falling in love with South Carolina. If there had been any inclination that way their genteel proceedings would have cured it. 46 50 Bouquet to Do' bs. Has received list of arms, &c., in his Province; shall Charlestown. write to Lord Loudoun on the necessity of providing arms for the militia. Respecting the sending back of provincial troops to Virginia. Of the steers sent 43 had died and Mr. Stead had to pay for burying them. Late news is so bad that it would be better to have none at all. 49 Same to Governor Ellis. The provincial troops at Savannah are to be removed to Virginia. The state of the troops generally. Same to Captain Demeré (in French). Hopes he may enjoy his Charlestown. pleasant place of retreat. In respect to replacing the men of the independent companies discharged or recommended to Chelsea, Lord Loudoun writes that each captain must keep his company complete and that returns will show that there are funds enough for this purpose. The companies must be filled with serviceable men and the discharge of all who are unserviceable will increase the recruiting fund. All invalids may, therefore, be sent from Savannah to Charles Town with the company of Virginians. Has no doubt he (Demeré) will do all he can to complete his men in which he (Bouquet) will assist him to be on the same footing as the other King's troops. Asks his opinion of Fort Frederica, and if it is worth being repaired. So soon as he can find time he proposes to visit Georgia. December 2, 52 Lieutenant Doyle to Bouquet. Cannot send any wood to the sick Charlestown. people, no provision being made by the Assembly for wood for hospitals, and only two cords a week for every hundred men. 66 December 8, Bouquet to Lieut. Outerbridge, Fort Augusta. Thanks for reporting Charlestown. the state of the fort. Shall desire Governor Ellis to send him a barrel or two of powder. Intends to visit the forts. Asks him to assist in recruiting. 54 December 9, Same to Governor Ellis. Has heard that he had engagel a transport Charlestown. for the Virginian company. Has yet had no answer as to supplying the troops with utensils, &c., at the expense of Government. To send ammunition to Fort Augusta. Congratulates him on the treaty with the Creeks. December 10,' 55 A letter dated 9th December, to Governor Dinwiddie, has a note that it was not sent, but instead of it one dated 16th December. 58 Same to Lord Londoun. Acknowledges letters; regrets the disagree. Charlestown. able contents of his letters. Major Tulleken will give His Lordship details of the present situation. The arrangements for transports. Refusal of some of the masters to sail without convoy; refers to Captain Hale for details. The Virginian company has arrived; will sail in January. Disposal of troops; would have sent a company of Americans to Savannah, had there been any appearance of danger. The Governor says no troops can be furnished there with bedding or utensils. By the treaties with the Creeks the Province is safe on the land side, and by the fortifications of the town it is safe from privateers. The orders to com 1757. December 10, plete their number have been given to the captains of the independent companies. They have applied for leave to go north or to England for men. State of Lieutenant Outerbridge's health. Has referred the question of allowance of provisions to the consideration of the governor as to the proper time to submit it to the Assembly. Repairs to Fort St. George have changed for the better the conduct of the Indians. The Choctaws are buying goods from the traders and beginning to give up the French interest. The new fortifications are going on with dispatch. He dare not speak of quarters; sends the resolutions of the Assembly on the question. The officers cannot agree to the arrangement made by the Assembly. Owing to the delays by the Assembly troops cannot be in quarters before February. Page 59 Bouquet to Governor Ellis. Captain Mercer arrived with his company; Charlestown. his satisfactory report of the treatment received from him (Ellis). Expects answer as to utensils from Loudoun; has sent no troops as it would be disagreeable to him (Ellis) to see them without bedding, &c., in winter, with no means of supplying them. Had hoped his Indian affairs were settled, but sces that he is still pestered with them. Hopes he has more satisfaction with his transactions than he (Bouquet) has; is heartily tired of America; if he could once get rid of it, no consideration would make him return. 56 December 16, Same to Governor Dinwiddie, the arrangements for returning the Charlestown. provincial troops to Virginia. 64 65 December 23, December 25, 69 Same to General Webb. Sends returns of troops in the Southern Charlestown Province. 68 December 25, Same to Colonel John Forbes. Has received the general orders Charlestown. sent him. 68 December 25, Same to Captain Demeré, (in French). The barracks of the old fort Charlestown. are to be demolished, new ones to be built in the fort now being erected. How he is to dispose of his troops. In a month or two will send troops to Georgia for its defence and will visit it to see what is necessary for its security. Has represented to Lord Loudoun the bad condition of his aims; Governor Ellis might lend him the requisite number. 67 Same to Shall supply the 100 men with provisions on the King's account since the Province cannot furnish them, provided that the carriage of troops and provisions be borne by the Province. What the Act of Parliament specifies is to be furnished by the Province, besides quarters. The commissary has been ordered to supply the troops in Savannah with fresh meat daily. The 100 men will embark when advice is received that quarters are ready. 13 1758. January 19, Remonstrance of Bouquet to the Governor, Council and Assembly of Charlestown. South Carolina against the imposition of duty on the import of provisions for the troops, sent here only for the defence of the Province. 70 On the 25th another application was sent substituting the word petition for remonstrance but in the same terms otherwise. January 24, 72 Bouquet to Governor Ellis. Is glad to find the Assembly so well Charlestown. disposed. This disposition is so unusual on this continent, that it appears extraordinary. Ore company of the Highlanders to be sent to Savannah; expects orders from Lord Loudoun relative to troops for his Province. His Lordship has allowed provisions for the independent companies, on condition that the Province, should bear the expense of carriage to the lack settlements, which has been agreed to. Will supply Fort Augusta with powder as he (Ellis) cannot do so. 72 |