were, will appear in the advertisement I published soon as I arrived at Lancaster; which being, from the great and sudden effect it" To the inhabitants of the counties of Lanproduced, a piece of some curiosity, I shall insert it at length, as follows:

the validity of regular troops, and too mean | flank: the officers being on horseback, were an one of both Americans and Indians. more easily distinguished, picked out as George Croghan, our Indian interpreter, join-marks, and fell very fast; and the soldiers ed him on his march with one hundred of were crowded together in a huddle, having those people, who might have been of great or hearing no orders, and standing to be shot use to his army as guides, scouts, &c., if he at till two thirds of them were killed; and had treated them kindly: but he slighted and then being seized with a panic the remainder neglected them, and they gradually left him. fled with precipitation. The wagoners took In conversation with him one day, he was each a horse out of his team and scampered; giving me some account of his intended pro- their example was immediately followed by gress. After taking fort Duquesne," said others; so that all the wagons, provisions, he, "I am to proceed to Niagara; and having artillery, and stores were left to the enemy. taken that, to Frontenac, if the season will The general being wounded was brought off allow time, and I suppose it will; for Du- with difficulty; his secretary, Mr. Shirley, quesne can hardly detain me above three or was killed by his side, and out of eighty-six four days; and then I see nothing that can officers sixty-three were killed or wounded; obstruct my march to Niagara." Having be- and seven hundred and fourteen men killed fore revolved in my mind the long line his of eleven hundred. These eleven hundred army must make in their march by a very had been picked men from the whole army; narrow road, to be cut for them through the the rest had been left behind with colonel woods and bushes; and also what I had read Dunbar, who was to follow with the heavier of a former defeat of fifteen hundred French, part of the stores, provisions, and baggage. who invaded the Illinois country, I had con- The flyers not being pursued arrived at Dunceived some doubts and some fears for the bar's camp, and the panic they brought with event of the campaign. But I ventured only them instantly seized him and all his people. to say, "to be sure, sir, if you arrive well be- And though he had now above one thousand fore Duquesne, with the fine troops, so well men, and the enemy who had beaten Bradprovided with artillery, the fort, though com- dock, did not at most exceed four hundred pletely fortified, and assisted with a very Indians and French together, instead of prostrong garrison, can probably make but a short ceeding and endeavouring to recover some resistance. The only danger I apprehend of of the lost honour, he ordered all the stores, obstruction to your march, is from the am- ammunition, &c., to be destroyed, that he buscades of the Indians, who by constant might have more horses to assist his flight practice, are dextrous in laying and execut- towards the settlements, and less lumber to ing them and the slender line, near four remove. He was there met with requests miles long, which your army must make, may from the governor of Virginia, Maryland, and expose it to be attacked by surprise in its Pennsylvania, that he would post his troops flanks, and to be cut like a thread into several on the frontiers, so as to afford some protecpieces, which from their distance cannot come tion to the inhabitants; but he continued his up in time to support each other." He smiled hasty march through all the country, not at my ignorance, and replied, "These sa-thinking himself safe till he arrived at Philavages may indeed be a formidable enemy to your raw American militia; but upon the king's regular and disciplined troops, sir, it is impossible they should make any impression." I was conscious of an impropriety in my disputing with a military man in matters of his In their first march too, from their landing profession, and said no more. The enemy, till they got beyond the settlements, they had however, did not take the advantage of his plundered and stripped the inhabitants, totally army which I apprehend its long line of march ruining some poor families, besides insulting, exposed it to, but let it advance without in- abusing, and confining the people if they reterruption till within nine miles of the place; monstrated. This was enough to put us out and then when more in a body, (for it had of conceit of such defenders, if we had really just passed a river, where the front had halt-wanted any. How different was the conduct ed till all were come over) and in a more of our French friends in 1781, who during a open part of the woods than any it had passed, march through the most inhabited part of our attacked its advanced guard by a heavy fire country, from Rhode Island to Virginia, near from behind trees and bushes; which was the seven hundred miles, occasioned not the first intelligence the general had of an smallest complaint, for the loss of a pig, a enemy's being near him. This guard being chicken, or even an apple! disordered, the general hurried the troops up to their assistance, which was done in great confusion, through wagons, baggage, and cattle; and presently the fire came upon their VOL. I.... H

delphia, where the inhabitants could protect him. This whole transaction gave us Americans the first suspicion that our exalted ideas of the prowess of British regular troops had not been well founded.

Captain Orme, who was one of the general's aids-de-camp and being grievously wounded, was brought off with him, and continued with him to his death, which happened in a

few days, told me he was totally silent all the first day, and at night only said, "Who would have thought it?" That he was silent again the following day, saying only at last, "We shall better know how to deal with them another time;" and died in a few minutes after.

twenty thousand pounds, which to pay would have ruined me.

of my doubting: the subscription was dropped, and the projectors thereby missed the mortification they would have undergone if the firework had been prepared. Dr. Bond, on some other occasion afterwards, said that he did not like Franklin's forebodings.

Before we had the news of this defeat, the two doctors Bond came to me with a subscription paper for raising money to defray the expense of a grand fire-work, which it was intended to exhibit at a rejoicing on receiving The secretary's papers, with all the gene- the news of our taking fort Duquesne. Ĭ ral's orders, instructions, and correspondence looked grave, and said, "It would, I thought, falling into the enemy's hands, they selected be time enough to prepare the rejoicing when and translated into French a number of the we knew we should have occasion to rejoice." articles, which they printed to prove the hos- They seemed surprised that I did not imtile intentions of the British court before the mediately comply with their proposal. "Why declaration of war. Among these I saw some the d-1," said one of them, "you surely letters of the general to the ministry, speak- don't suppose that the fort will not be taken ?" ing highly of the great service I had render- “I don't know that it will not be taken; but ed the army, and recommending me to their | I know that the events of war are subject to notice. David Hume, who was some years great uncertainty." I gave them the reasons after secretary to lord Hertford, when minister in France, and afterwards to general Conway, when secretary of state, told me he had seen among the papers in that office, letters from Braddock, highly recommending me. But the expedition having been unfortunate, my service, it seems, was not thought of much value, for those recommendations were never of any use to me. As to rewards from himself, I asked only one, which was, that he would give orders to his officers, not to enlist any more of our bought servants, and that he would discharge such as had been already enlisted. This he readily granted, and several were accordingly returned to their masters, on my application. Dunbar, when the command devolved on him, was not so generous. He being at Philadelphia, on his retreat, or rather flight, I applied to him for the discharge of the servants of three poor farmers of Lancaster county, that he had enlisted, reminding him of the late general's orders on that head. He promised me that if the masters would come to him at Trenton, where he should be in a few days on his march to New York, he would there deliver their men to them. They accordingly were at the expense and trouble of going to Trenton, and there he refused to perform his promise, to their great loss and disappointment.

As soon as the loss of the wagons and horses was generally known, all the owners came upon me for the valuation which I had given bond to pay. Their demands gave me a great deal of trouble: I acquainted them that the money was ready in the paymaster's hands, but the order for paying it must first be obtained from general Shirley, and that I had applied for it; but he being at a distance, an answer could not soon be received, and they must have patience. All this however was not sufficient to satisfy, and some began to sue me general Shirley, at length relieved me from this terrible situation, by appointng commissioners to examine the claims, and ordering payment. They amounted to near

Governor Morris, who had continually worried the assembly with message after message before the defeat of Braddock, to beat them into the making of acts to raise money for the defence of the province, without taxing among others the proprietary estates, and had rejected all their bills for not having such an exempting clause, now redoubled his attacks with more hope of suc cess, the danger and necessity being greater. The assembly however continued firm, believing they had justice on their side; and that it would be giving up an essential right, if they suffered the governor to amend their money bills. In one of the last, indeed, which was for granting fifty thousand pounds, his proposed amendment was only of a single word: the bill expressed, "that all estates real and personal were to be taxed; those of the proprietaries not excepted." His amendment was; for not read only. A small, but very material alteration! However, when the news of the disaster reached England, our friends there, whom we had taken care to furnish with all the assembly's answers to the governor's messages, raised a clamour against the proprietaries for their meanness and injustice in giving their governor such instructions; some going so far as to say, that by obstructing the defence of their province, they forfeited their right to it. They were intimidated by this, sent orders to their receivergeneral to add five thousand pounds of their money to whatever sum might be given by the assembly for such purpose. This being testified to the house, was accepted in lieu of their share of a general tax, and a new bill was formed with an exempting clause, which passed accordingly. By this act I was ap pointed one of the commissioners for disposing

of the money; sixty thousand pounds. I had It was the beginning of January when we been active in modelling the bill, and procur-set out upon this business of building forts; I ing its passage; and had at the same time sent one detachment towards the Minisink, drawn one for establishing and disciplining a with instructions to erect one for the security voluntary militia; which I carried through of that upper part of the country; and another the house without much difficulty, as care to the lower part with similar instructions: was taken in it to leave the quakers at liberty. and I concluded to go myself with the rest of To promote the association necessary to form my force to Gnadenhutten, where a fort was the militia, I wrote a dialogue stating and thought more immediately necessary. The answering all the objections I could think of Moravians procured me five wagons for our to such a militia; which was printed, and tools, stores, baggage, &c. Just before we had, as I thought, great effect. While the left Bethlehem, eleven farmers, who had been several companies in the city and country driven from their plantations by the Indians, were forming, and learning their exercise, came to me requesting a supply of fire-arms, the governor prevailed with me to take charge that they might go back and bring off their of our north-western frontier, which was in- cattle. I gave them each a gun with suitable fested by the enemy, and provide for the de- ammunition. We had not marched many fence of the inhabitants by raising troops, and miles before it began to rain, and it continued building a line of forts. I undertook this raining all day; there were no habitations on military business, though I did not conceive the road to shelter us, till we arrived near myself well qualified for it. He gave me a night at the house of a German, where, and commission with full powers, and a parcel of in his barn, we were all huddled together as blank commissions for officers, to be given to wet as water could make us. It was well we whom I thought fit. I had but little difficulty were not attacked in our march, for our arms in raising men, having soon five hundred and were of the most ordinary sort, and our men sixty under my command. My son, who had could not keep the locks of their guns dry. in the preceding war been an officer in the The Indians are dextrous in contrivances for army raised against Canada, was my aid-de- that purpose, which we had not. They met camp, and of great use to me. The Indians that day the eleven poor farmers abovemenhad burned Gnadenhutten, a village settled tioned, and killed ten of them; the one that by the Moravians, and massacred the inhabi- escaped, informed us, that his, and his comtants; but the place was thought a good situa- panions' guns would not go off, the priming tion for one of the forts. In order to march being wet with the rain The next day bethither, I assembled the companies at Bethle- ing fair we continued our march, and arrived hem, the chief establishment of those people; at the desolate Gnadenhutten; there was a I was surprised to find it in so good a posture mill near, round which were left several pine of defence: the destruction of Gnadenhutten boards, with which we soon hutted ourselves; had made them apprehend danger. The an operation the more necessary at that incleprincipal buildings were defended by a stock- ment season, as we had no tents. Our first ade; they had purchased a quantity of arms work was to bury more effectually the dead and ammunition from New York, and had we found there, who had been half interred even placed quantities of small paving stones by the country people; the next morning our between the windows of their high stone fort was planned and marked out, the circumhouses, for their women to throw them down ference measuring four hundred and fifty-five upon the heads of any Indians that should at- feet, which would require as many palisades tempt to force into them. The armed bre- to be made, one with another of a foot diamethren too kept watch, and relieved each other ter each. Our axes, of which we had seventy, on guard as methodically as in any garrison were immediately set to work, to cut down town. In conversation with the bishop, trees; and our men being dextrous in the use Spangenberg, I mentioned my surprise; for of them, great despatch was made. Seeing knowing they had obtained an act of parlia- the trees fall so fast, I had the curiosity to ment exempting them from military duties look at my watch when two men began to in the colonies, I had supposed they were cut at a pine: in six minutes they had it upon conscientiously scrupulous of bearing arms. the ground, and I found it of fourteen inches He answered me, "That it was not one of diameter: each pine made three palisades of their established principles; but that at the eighteen feet long, pointed at one end. While time of their obtaining that act it was thought these were preparing, our other men dug a to be a principle with many of their people. trench all round of three feet deep, in which On this occasion, however, they to their sur- the palisades were to be planted; and the boprise, found it adopted by but a few." It dies being taken off our wagons, and the fore seems they were either deceived in them- and hind wheels separated by taking out the selves, or deceived the parliament: but com- pin which united the two parts of the perch, mon sense aided by present danger will some- we had ten carriages with two horses each, times be too strong for whimsical opinions. to bring the palisades from the woods to the