USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VI > Part 41
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"The other Charges of 'denying the Governor Access to our Journals and printing the Secretary of State's Letters' having been made and answered in foriner Messages between the Governor and the House, We think it unnecessary to take any further Notice of them here. But We are surprised to find that after having effectu- ally given Fifteen Thousand Pounds in Provisions and other Neces-
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saries for the King's Forces, maintained at so great an Expence our Indian Allies, established a constant regular Post through Two Hundred Miles of Country merely for the Service of the Army, and advanced a considerable Sum to make a long and chargeable Road through the Wilderness and Mountains to the Ohio for the Use of the King's Forces, the whole Expence of which We have engaged to defray, We should still be flatly told by the Governor 'That he is convinced from the whole Tenor of our Behaviour that We have no Design to contribute any Thing towards the defence of this Country.'
" The Governor is pleased further to censure Us for not desiring a Conference on the Bill to prevent the Importation of Germans or other Passengers in too great Numbers in one Ship or Vessel, and to prevent the Spreading of Contagious Distempers, &c. We own that it is sometimes practised when the Governor and Assembly differ in Judgment concerning a Bill to request a Conference, if there be any Hope by such a Conference to obtain an Agreement; But we being from many Circumstances attending the Bill without such Hope at present, contented ourselves with laying before the Governor in a Message Our Reasons for not agreeing to his pro- posed Amendments, and submitted those Reasons to his Consider- ation, the Bill may still be resumed and a Conference entered into at a future Session if there should be any Prospect of Success. If our Proceeding was irregular, which we think it was not, the Gov- ernor may be pleased to remember he himself sets Us a more irregular Example at our last Sitting, When We presented him the Bill for granting Twenty-Five Thousand Pounds to the King's Use; for he neither proposed any Amendment nor desired any Conference, nor would return Us our Bill (when We expressly seut for it to be reconsidered) according to the constant Custom in this Government, but only acquainted Us that 'it being a Bill of a very extraordinary Nature he would send it home to the Ministry,' which We hope he has accordingly done, as we believe it will be found, however the Governor may have misapprehended it, to have nothing extraordinary in its Nature, or inconsistent with our Duty to the Crown, or assuming more than our just Rights and Privi- leges.
" On the whole, while We find the Governor transforming our best Actions into Crime, and endeavouring to Render the Inhabit- ants of Pennsylvania odious to our gracious Sovereign and his Ministers, to the British Nation, to all the neighbouring Colonies, and to the Army that is come to protect Us, We cannot look upon him as a Friend to his Country. We are plain People, unprac- tised in the Sleights and Artifices of Controversy, and have no Joy in Disputation. We wish the Governor the same Disposition ; and when he shall, as We hope he will on better Consideration, alter his Conduct towards Us, and thereby convince Us that he
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means well to the Province, We may then be able to transact the Publick Business together with Comfort both to him and ourselves, of which till then We have small Expectation.
" Signed by Order of the House.
"ISAAC NORRIS, Speaker.
"17th May, 1755."
On the Twentieth May the Governor wrote the following Letter to General Braddock :
" Sir :
" I had yours by Mr. Leslie on the Sixteenth Instant, and as my Assembly was then sitting and about to rise I sent it to them to know if they would furnish the Forage You wanted at the Expence of the Province, and by a private Message they gave me to under- stand that their Committee would purchase and send the Forage required; but upon my writing to the Committee they return'd me for Answer that they had no money in their Hands, and could only assist as private Persons; Upon which I have supplied Mr. Leslie with five hundred Pounds, and given Mr. Shippen, of Lan- caster, where Leslie has contracted for Part of the Forage, an Order to furnish him with any greater Sum he may want and to draw upon me for the same, which shall be punctually paid. Col. Hunter being here in his Way to New York desired me to recommend it to You to make as many Payments by Draughts to this Town as You could, where he would lodge Money subject to my Call or your Order. This he imagined would save the Money You have with You, and consequently the Trouble of sending and escorting money to the Camp.
" Mr. Leslie is to purchase what Oats, &ca., he can in the back Counties, and by Letter to inform me what further Quantity will be wanted, which I shall order to be brought here and sent to the Camp, and upon his Return' You will be kind enough to let me know of any Thing you may want for your own Use or for the Army, and I will order it to be immediately supplied.
"I am, Sir, Your Excellency's most obedient and most humble Servant,
" ROBERT H. MORRIS.
" Philadelphia, 20th May, 1755."
The Governor having received a Letter from Sir Thomas Robin- son, the same was read and ordered to be entered as follows :
A Letter from Sir Thomas Robinson to Governor Morris. " WHITEHALL, 23d January, 1755. " Sir :
"The King being determined that nothing shall be wanting to-
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wards the Support of his Colonies and Subjects in North America, has commanded me to signify to You his Majesty's Intention to augment the Regiments in British Pay, (viz+) : not only Sir Peter Halket's and Col. Dunbar's, but likewise those which are now em- ployed in Nova Scotia, to the Number of 1000 Men each. To which End you will correspond with Major-Gen1. Braddock or the Commander of the King's Forces for the Time being, from whom You will receive Directions for the sending such contributions of Men as shall be wanting, and to such Places where the same shall be quartered or employed under his Command.
" As there is probably a considerable Number of Persons as well among the Natives of America as among such Foreigners who may be arrived there from different Parts, particularly from Germany, who will be capable and willing to bear Arms upon this occasion, The King does not doubt but that You will be able by Care and Diligence to effect this intended Augmentation, and to defray the Charge of levying the same from the common Fund to be estab- lished for the Benefit of all the Colonies collectively in North Amer- ica pursuant to his Majesty's Directions signified to You by my Letter of 26th October last for that Purpose; and as an Encour- agement to all such Persons who shall engage in this Service, It is the King's Intention (which You will assure them in his Majesty's Name) that they shall receive Arms and cloathing at the King's expence, and that they shall not only be sent back (if desired) to their respective Habitations when the Service in America shall be compleated and ended, but shall be entitled in every Respect to the same Advantages with those Troops which may be already raised in consequence of your former Orders.
" I am, Sir, Your most obedient humble Servant,
"T. ROBINSON."
At a Council held at Philadelphia, Monday the 2d of June, 1755.
PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esqr., Lieu- tenant Governor.
John Penn,
Joseph Turner, 1
Robert Strettell,
Richard Peters, Esquires. Benjamin Shoemaker,
The Minutes of the preceding Council were read and approved.
Mr. Peters being returned from his Journey, informed the Coun- cil that the Provincial Road now opening at the Instance of General Braddock and for the use of the Army was in tollerable Forward- ness. That a Road was opened for Twenty Miles from Shippensburg
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at the Charge of the Commissioners to Anthony Thompson's. He found the Commissioners under great Discouragements for want of ready Cash. That there were one hundred and eight Men at Work, and they had proceeded as far as the Sugar Cabbins, which was Seven Miles from Anthony Thompson's; that finding rum and Car- riage set at too high a Price, he sent for the principal Men of Cone- gochege and other Places and agreed with them for what would be wanted and carriage thereof at moderate Prices. He then consulted with the Commissioners about the Breadth of the Road, and finding it Twenty Feet wide, which was an unnecessary Breadth, he ordered it to be opened no broader than Twelve Feet. And Whereas Two Roads were ordered to be cut when they should come to Ray's Town, One to go to Wills' Creek and the other to the Crow Foot of the Ohio- gany, he desired they might not proceed on the Road to Wills' Creek, as it would be of no Use after the Army should leave the Place. and the other Road of Communication should be opened ; and of these Matters he informed the General and Sir John St. Clair, who approved of what he had done, and said they should not want the Road to Wills' Creek, but desired the other Road might be opened with all possible Dis- patch, and as many Hands put upon it as could be got. The Gen- eral repeating several Times with great Earnestness that he would not stir from Wills' Creek till he had Mr. Morris' assurance that the Road would be opened in Time, Mr. Peters said it could not be done unless the General would furnish an escort to protect the Men whilst at work; that if this was not done he would not answer that the Men could be kept together a single Day in case of any alarm from the Indians, who might be expected to make their Appearance very soon and disturb them ; That it was his Opinion the General would find his March difficult if Indians could be got by the French to annoy him; and that if there should be an Army of Indians conducted by French Officers, he would not, with all his Strength and Military skill, be able to reach Fort Duquesne with- out a Body of Indians and Several Companies of Rangers, as well on Foot as Horseback. As to the new Road, he, Mr. Peters, re- peated, that it could not go on without an Escort ; but the General despised his Observations about an Attack from Indians, and said the Province might but he could not send men to protect the Road Cutters. The General was perpetually complaining of a Failure of every Body with whom the Government of Virginia had contracted for Provisions, Forage, Waggonage and Horses, and said, that un- less the Province of Pennsylvania would hearken to his Applica- tions to them by Mr. Franklin, the army could not stir this Sum- mer, and he would complain to the King of the Remissness of the contiguous Provinces. He besought me most earnestly to engage Governor Morris to purchase for him a Stock of Flower & Provi- sions, a id store them at Shippensburg or the most convenient Place thereabouts; and insisted on my taking Proposals, which I did, after telling him I was no Merchant, nor was the Governor neither,
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but he could employ the best merchants and procure Supplies of Flower and provisions on the cheapest Terms. The General ex- pressed his obligations to Mr. Morris, and said he would depend on him and no one else for the future for what he should want. Mr. Peters said further, that except in the Tents of one or two of the General Officers he saw no Butter, very little fresh Meat; and at the General's Table there was a very scanty Supply, and the Beef not sweet; and there was a general Complaint among the Officers of Want of necessaries.
Mr. Peters related further, that he found Scarrooyady, Andrew Montour, and about Forty of our Indians from Aucquick, at the Camp with their Wives and Families, who were extremely dissatis- fied at not being consulted with by the General, and got frequently into high Quarrels, their Squas bringing them money in Plenty which they got from the Officers, who were scandalously fond of them; that he represented the Consequences of this Licentiousness to the General, who issued Orders that no Indian Woman should be admitted into the Camp, and insisted with the Indians that their Women should be sent home.
Mr. Peters further reported, that he had delivered the Warrants committed to his Care for the Apprehension of Two Persons charged by Arthur Delap with having carried on a Correspondence with the French at the Ohio, to Mr. Potter the Sheriff, who took them into Custody ; and as some Magistrates and other Inhabitants of Cum- berland County went with him to the Camp, he persuaded the Sheriff to go also and bring with him the Prisoners, and he deliv- ered them to the Provost at the Camp; but the General thought not proper to examine the matter least he should have been obliged to punish them too severely in case they should be found guilty, and, therefore, they were taken back by the Sheriff and committed to the Goal of Cumberland County. Mr. Peters added that they were examined very accurately in his Presence by the Magistrates, and it did not appear that they were guilty but rather that Delap had from ill Nature lodged the accusation against them.
Then the Governor laid before the Council the following Letters and Papers, viz“:
A Letter from General Braddock of the 20th of May.
A letter from George Croghan of the 20th of May.
General Braddock's Letter of the 24th of May.
General Braddock's Proposals of the 24th of May.
A Letter from John Armstrong of 18th May.
Another letter from John Armstrong of the 26th May.
A Letter from James Burd of 31st May.
Which were read and ordered to be entered in the above Order.
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.
A Letter from General Braddock to Governor Morris. "FORT CUMBERLAND, May 20th, 1755.
" Sir :
"I received your Letter yesterday acquainting me with your Pro- ceedings relating to the Road to be made from Philadelphia to the Forks of Yaughyaugani, to which I shall only say that as I am convinced of your Zeal for his Majestie's Service and the Success of the present Expedition, I make no Doubt You have already and will continue to use your utmost Endeavours for carrying that necessary Work into Execution.
"I have engaged between 40 and 50 Indians from the Frontier of your Province to go with me over the Mountains, and shall take Croghan and Montour into Service. In a few Days the Women and Children which accompanied 'em hither will return to your Gov- vernment; and I must repeat my Desire to You that You would take particular Care of 'em, of which I have given 'em the strongest Assurances.
"I have signified to Mr. Shirley my Approbation of his taking Col. Scuyler and the 500 Men raised in the Jerseys under his Com- mand, and have acquainted Governor Belcher with my Resolutions.
" This will be delivered to You by Mr. Franklin; I have received great Assistance from his Father and himself, for which I think myself the more obliged to 'em as I have hitherto met with very few Instances of Ability or Honesty in the Persons I have had to deal with in the Execution of his Majesty's Service in America.
"I am, Sir, Your most humble and most obedient Servant,
" E. BRADDOCK."
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A Letter from George Croghan to Governor Morris.
" FORT CUMBERLAND, May the 20th, 1755. " May it please your Honour :
"To-morrow what Indian Women and Children came here with me set off back for Aucquick by Order of the General, the Men entirely go with the General, and the General insists on my going with him, so that it is out of my Power to provide for those Women and Children that will remain at my House. Mr. William Frank- lin and I, with Mr. Montour, spoke to the Indians and endeavoured to get them to consent to send their Women and Children nearer to the Inhabitants, but their Answer was that Aucquick was the Place they had fix'd on for their Residence till the War was ended, and as many of their Women and Children were there already planting they were determined not to remove from thence, and that the
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General had promised they should be provided for, so that I shall make bold to give your Honour my Opinion in what Manner they should be maintained. There will be about 120 Women and Child- ren behind, and if Mr. Smith or Mr. Armstrong, assemblymen in Cumberland, were employed to purchase Provisions and send it out to my House for them, I would order my Brother to deliver it to them every Day; but if your Honour would appoint any other Per- son to reside there and have the Care of them it would be much more agreeable to me. They must have both Flower, Indian Corn, and salt, and I assure You one Pound of Flower with Corn will be little enough for them # head, for it would be much easier to main- tain double the Number of Whites. I have engaged all my Horses for the Expedition, which makes it impossible for me to bring the Provisions to them; nor do I care to be concerned in purchasing any more Provisions for the Govrenment, as I find it very difficult to settle my Accounts, as I can't go to Philadelphia myself to see them settled. . I have left no Family behind me but my Brother and a few Negroes, so that if your Honour appoints any Person to take care of the Indians he may live in my House with my Brother, who will assist him as much as in his Power. What Expences has accrued for the Maintenance of the Indians since I sent down my accounts by Mr. Joseph Armstrong, and the Expences of bringing the Indians here to meet the General, he desires me to charge to your Honour, and what may accrue till I receive your Honour's Answer, which I would be glad to have by Express, as it is likely the Army march soon. We heard Yesterday that the French Indians have killed four of the Delawares. The Messengers I sent to the Shawonese, Twightees, and Owendats are not yet returned, but I hear they are coming, so that I hope they will join the General before the Army gets to the Ohio. I have here about 50 Men and in a few Days expect 20 more, which were left behind at my House, some sick and others sent on Messages to Sasquehannah. By all Oppertunities I will acquaint Your Honour what number of Indians joins the General and of what Tribes.
"I am Your Honour's most humble and obedient Servant,
"GEO. CROGHAN.
A Letter from General Braddock to Governor Morris. " Sir :
" As I propose soon to begin my March for Fort Duquesne, I am desirous of adjusting every future Contingency with the several Governors in such a Manner as to avoid any Mistake or Misunder- standing. If I take the Fort in its present Condition I shall make what Additions to it I shall Judge necessary, and shall leave the Guns, Ammunition, and Stores belonging to the Fort with a Gar-
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rison of Virginia and Maryland Forces. But in case, as I have some Reason to apprehend, they should abandon and destroy the Fortification, with its Guns, &c2., I will repair or construct some Place of Defence and leave a Garrison as before. But as to the Artillery, Ammunition, Stores, Provisions, &a, they must be imme- diately supplied by the Governments of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland, separately or conjunctively, for the Train I take with me I shall find absolutely necessary for the farther Execution of my Plan, and therefore am determined to leave none of them in the Fort.
" And that I may not by any Delays in yours and the other Gov- ernments be detained so long for the Arrival of your Guns and Con- voy as to frustrate any other Designs for this Year, I must beg that Artillery, Ammunition, Provision, Stores, &aa, may be sent with all Diligence to the Fort. And a proper Quantity of Flower and Meat should be preparing, as these in every Situation must be required ; and if Care is not taken to send these Convoys to them the Men must Starve and his Majesty's Arms be dishonoured (should they prove successful) and the Expences and Trouble which His Regard to his Colonies have engaged him in rendered useless. A Neglect of this kind must, therefore, consequently be highly disapproved by the King and the Ministers.
"Some Indians lately arrived from Fort Duquesne mention a Bravado of the French and their Indians (at best it appears to me as such), that they propose, when the Army is far advanced, to fall upon this back Country and destroy its Inhabitants. Make what Use or give Credit to this Intelligence as You please. How- ever, It may not be amiss to take all possible Precautions. I am, Sir,
"Your most obedient and most humble Servant,
"E. BRADDOCK.
" Dear Morris :
" You will by the Bearer, Mr. Peters, be informed of the Situa- tion I am in by the Folly of Mr. Dinwiddie and the Roguery of the Assembly, and unless the Road of Communication from your Prov- ince is opened and some Contracts made in Consequence of the Power I have given, I must inevitably be starved. ST. John Sinclair (who by the by is ashamed of his having talked of You in the Manner he did) has employed, by the Advice of Governor Sharpe, a fellow at Conegachege, one Cressup, who has behaved in such a Manner in Relation to the Pennsylvania Flower that if he had been a French Commis. he could not have acted more for their Interest. In short, in every Instance but in my Contract for the Pennsylvania Waggons I have been deceived and met with nothing but Lies and Villainy. I hope, however, in Spite of this that we shall pass a merry Christmas together.
" May 24, 1755."
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Proposals for a Contract or Contracts for supplying the Forces under General Braddock's Command.
" That Governor Morris, in Conjunction with Mr. Peters, do find out some proper Persons who may make one or more Contracts for furnishing Bread or Flower and Beeves, or in Want of them Salt Beef, Pork, or Fish, sufficient to subsist Three Thousand Men for three Months, to be laid in at Shippensburg until any other more convenient Place can be proposed by Letters and agreed to by me, which will be necessary in order to avoid the Disappointment and ill Consequences that must happen through Mistakes. These Provi- sions to be in Store and ready to be fetch'd or sent to the Forces early in July.
"In case it should be found impracticable to make such Contracts the most early Accounts must at all Events be sent to me to prevent my depending upon them. And I do hereby promise to fulfil and perform my Part of the Contracts so made in my Behalf by Gor- ernor Morris and Mr. Peters for the Purpose aforesaid, and to be accountable for the Expence and Charge attending 'em.
"E. BRADDOCK.
" Camp at FORT CUMBERLAND, May 24, 1755."
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" A Letter to Governor Morris from Mr. John Armstrong. " CARLISLE, 18th May, 1755.
" Honoured Sir :
"Yesterday Afternoon on returning from the New Road I met the Secretary and Mr. Hockley about eight Miles Westward of Carlisle, and upon knowing the Number of Labourers and the Space yet to make 'twas agreed immediately to convene the Com- missioners for laying out the road with the Representatives of this County, in order to regulate Matters so as to make the Expence to the Province as easy as possible, also to make the best Calculations We can of the Number of Persons yet wanted to give the Road necessary and reasonable Dispatch. These Things, &e., your Honor will receive by Express, which will also as far as may be right sud- denly be laid before the General.
" The Work was begun on the Sixth Instant with only Ten or Fifteen Men; I went out to see them and staid several Days ; their number increased by the 15th to about Seventy Labourers, besides Overseers and Cooks, &- in which Time they made about Six Miles thirty Feet wide. To make the Road the same Wedth throughout, one Mile will require near Sixty Men & Day.
"The Expence of opening both Roads will be little under Two Thousand Pounds, unless the difficult Parts be made narrower. Mr. VOL. VI .- 26.
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Burd has the whole Management hitherto, none other of the Com- missioners for laying out being at Liberty to take the Oversight of Opening. In case any Regulation with Respect to Overseers be necessary, the Secretary expects your Honour will approve what may be done. I wrote twice to Mr. Peters that the difficult Dis- putes among the irregular Settlers over the Hills would not suffer me to attend the Opening of the Road.
"This Week will bring in, with what already is, about one hun- dred Labourers, and two or three hundred more will undoubtedly be necessary to finish the Work by Harvest. As a proper Reward is not like to excite a sufficient number of Persons to undertake this necessary work, 'tis probable your Honour will be obliged to use compulsive Measures or at least to intimidate, and that as early as possible. Our Country has but few Labourers left in it betwixt the Road and the Army. Lancaster County doubtless must have a great many in it. I have wrote to Mr. Shippen and am to set out this Afternoon for the Road. We hear Sir John is return'd with- out finding a Road from the Camp to where We stopped on & Branch of the Yohiogain, and is determined to take the Virginia Road to the Meadows. This is bad for Us as 'tis likely the Province must extend the present Survey until it intersect their rout.
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