USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VII > Part 4
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" I have also directed the Secretary to lay before you the Min- utes of the several Conferences held with the Indians at Carlisle, and other Papers relating to Indian Affairs, together with a Letter I lately received from Scarroyady and Andrew Montour, who were sent by me on a Message from this Government to the Six Nations, and to the Indians living on the Sasquehannah, by which it appears that the Bulk of the Indians on that River are in the French Inte- rest, and seem determin'd not to hearken to any thing the Six Nations may say to them in our Behalf. The Heads of these Nations have been convened by the timely Care and Orders of Gen- eral Shirley, and are now met in Council to treat on these and other Matters. I am informed they greatly disapprove of the conduct of he Delawares & Shawonese, and seem inclinable to chastise them or taking up the Hatchet against us; and I am in great Hopes hat the warmth with which General Shirley hath recommended this natter to them, may induce them to act vigorously for us on this Occasion.
"ROBT. H. MORRIS.
" February 4th, 1756."
The following Papers were also sent to the House with the fore- oing Message, being referred to, among other Papers, in the ame :
A Letter from General Shirley to General Johnson. "NEW York, December 7th, 1755. Sir :
" You already know I have the Honour to be appointed Com- ander-in-Chief of all his Majesty's Forces in North America, with le same Powers as the late Major General Braddock had the ommand.
"Inclosed is the Eighth Article of his Majesty's Instruction to
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me concerning Indian Affairs, which is a Copy of that, and the only Instruction which General Braddock had relating to that Matter ; will find it refers to some Appointment of you to the Service therein mentioned, supposed to be made by his Majesty before General Braddock left England. If you have received such a Commission, you will act in Pursuance of it according to the Instructions you may have received with it, and such farther Instructions as I do now or shall hereafter send you. In case you have received no such Com- mission, you will then act in Pursuance of the Commission which I send you herewith, by Vertue of the Power given me by his Ma- jesty, and founded upon the Words and Intents of his Royal Instructions ; looking upon the Indians called there the Northern Indians to be intended of those of the Six Nations and whatever Allies they may have to the Northward.
" Inclosed are general Instructions for your Guidance and Direc- tions in the Execution of your Trust, and some calculated for this Occasion, to which I refer you, and to the inclosed Papers, contain- ing an account of Governor Morris' Intelligence and Proceedings relating to the Shawonese, Delawares, and other Indians therein mentioned, and of his Messages to the several Tribes of the Six Nations, which last-mentioned Papers will throw Light upon the Service, I propose now by directing you to proceed to those Castles.
" You will let me know by the Return of this Express whether you have received any other Commission [than that from the late Majer General Braddock relative to the Care of the Indians], and how far I may depend upon your acting under the inclosed Com- mission, and Proceeding on the Service I now direct you to go upon, that in case you shall decline I may otherwise provide against his Majesty's Service being disappointed by that means.
" If the advanced Season of the Year or your State of Health will not suffer you to go as far as the Onondago's Castle, you will then transact the Business by proper Messages to such of them as you cannot Personally go to.
" As the effectual Execution of the Trust reposed in you will, on many accounts, require my having an Interview with you as soon as the Business I now direct you to do will admit, I must desire you to let me sce you at Boston this Winter, some time before the Month of March at farthest.
"I am, Sir, Your most humble Servant,
" Major General JOHNSON."
"W. SHIRLEY.
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[L. s.] " The Speech of his Excellency Major General William Shirley, General and Commander-in-Chief of all his Majesty's Forces in North America.
" To the Sachems and Warriors of the Indians of the Six Nations : " Brethren :
" The great King of England, your Father, having committed to me the Command of all his Forces raised and to be raised upon the Continent of North America, and in a particular Manner com- manded me to protect your Country and the Lands which your Forefathers have conquered, and are of Right your Territories, against all violence and attempts of the French, our common En- emy, and to cultivate a strict Friendship and Alliance between him and you, I take the first opportunity of communicating this to you by Major General Johnson, whom I have now ordered to visit you, and take Care of your Interest.
" Brethren :
" Since I came to this Place I have heard much news which con- cerns you as well as all the English, and, therefore, do now send General Johnson to you to speak my Mind to you. ,
" Brethren :
" Perhaps you think the Weather looks somewhat Cloudy, the French are proud, and have for some time past been very insolent, more so than is fit for you and us to bear ; they threaten more, but be not frighted, I am not so; they are but few, we are many; they are but a handful, we will all take up the Hatchet against them. It behoves you, Brethren, to be wise, and to remain stedfast to your old Friends, the English ; the Great King of England is determined not only to protect you as well as his Subjects in America, but to chastise the French for their repeated Insolencies.
' Brethren :
"The Governor of Pensilvania hath informed me that he has Fent a Message to you of great Importance by Scaroyady and An- drew Montour. I hope you have heard them with Attention, and have considered well what they said.
" Brethren :
" The Indians called the Delawares and Shawonese, who live in and near Pensilvania, have for a long time past lived in Friendship with the People of that Province, Maryland, and Virginia. Those People have always treated them as Friends and Brothers, and yet they have without any Provocation and without giving any Notice taken up the Hatchet against them and stuck their Tomahawks in them whilst they lay asleep in their Beds, not expecting any Harm from them. They have killed and scalped Numbers. They burnt their Houses and Barns, and have killed their Horses and Cattle.
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" Brethren :
"The People of Pensilvania were always a peaceable People. They did not love war, not because they were weak and not able to fight, they are strong, and have great numbers of Men. This Behaviour of the Delaware and Shawonese Indians hath made them resolve to fight, and they will have Revenge.
" Brethren the Indians :
" The Delawares and Shawonese always lived under your Direc- tion. They looked upon you as their Masters, and you looked upon them as Women who wore Petticoats. They never dared to do any- thing of Importance without your Leave; for they knew if they did you would chastise them ; yet those People have now dared to make War upon your antient Friends.
" Brethren :
"It behoves you to join heartily with the People of Pensilvania in punishing those Indians, for unless you do, we can't but think you have given them Leave to do what they have done; and if they have not your leave, yet it behoves you the more to punish them. If you don't they will dare look you in the Face. They will think themselves as good Men as you, and you will lose the name of being their Masters.
" Brethren :
"I must again desire you will join in chastising those Indians, that you will send some of your Warriors against them, that they may know you are still our Friends, that you are Men, and that they are but Women.
" Brethren of the Onondagos and Cayugos :
"When I saw some of your chief Sachems and Warriors at Oswego, your Hearts and my Heart seemed to be one. You promised to be true Friends to the English, and to Join with us against our Enemies the French, and I promised to do all in my Power to protect you against the French. You desired I would build a Fort in your Country, which I will do as soon as the Weather is fit for Men to work. You also promised to send some of your Sachems to meet me next Spring at Oswego.
" Brethren of the Oneidas :
"Some of your chief Sachems and Warriors met me in my way from Oswego, at the great Carrying Place; I desired them to tell me whether your Nation would join heartily with us against the French, but they told me they could not give answer till they had con- sulted the rest of your Sachems and Warriors. You desire me to send you a Number of Men to build you a Fort, which I under- stood was to be for you and the Tuscororas ; I sent you a Number of Men to build you a fort, but I have heard that they went away, since which, I have sent more Men to you for that purpose, and I hope they have almost finished it.
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" Brethren of the Mohawks :
"In my Return from Oswego I had not Time to stop at your upper Castle at Conejoharrie, but I sent my Secretary and some of my Officers there to condole with you for the Loss of your great Sachem Hendrick and other Warriors at Lake George, and to wipe away your Tears and enquire after your Health. I visited your lower Castle, where your chief Sachems and Warriors there told me that they and we were one, that our Enemies were their Ene- mies, and that when the Hatchet was lifted up against our Head it was against their Head.
" Brethren of the Six Nations :
" It is now your Time to resolve, whether you will Join heartily with the English against their and your Enemies. I told you before that the Great King of England is determined to chastise the French and all those who join with them, and for that Purpose I am now raising a great Army to go against them early in the Spring. If you join heartily with us the Work will be easy, your Country will then remain in Peace to you, and the neighboring Nations will know that you are still able to conquer them."
Minutes of a Council of War held at New York, December the 12th, 1755.
" At a Council of War held by his Excellency WILLIAM SHIRLEY, Esquire, General and Commander-in-Chief of all his Majesty's Forces in North America, at New York, on Friday the 12th of December, 1755.
" PRESENT :
" His Excellency WILLIAM SHIRLEY, Esquire, General, &ca.
" His Excellency Sir CHARLES HARDY, Knight, Governor and Commander in Chief of the Province of New York.
"The Honourable HORATIO SHARPE, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief of the Province of Maryland.
" The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of Pensilvania.
" The Honourable THOMAS FITCH, Governor and Comman- der in Chief of the Colony of Connecticut.
" Colonel Thomas Dunbar.
" Major Charles Craven.
" Sir John St. Clair, Deputy Quarter Master General,
" Major James Kinneer.
" Major John Rutherford.
" The General's Commission being read, together with Part of a
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Letter to him, dated the 28th of last August, from the Right Honourable. Sir Thomas Robinson, one of his Majesty's Principal Secretarys of State, and Part of his Majesty's Seventh Instruction to the late General Braddock ; several Points of Rank, which were moved by some of the Members of the Council, were settled, after which his Excellency adjourned the Council to the next Day at 9 o'clock in the afternoon.
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" Saturday, December 13th, 1755.
" The Council met according to adjournment.
" Present as before, together with Col. Peter Schuyler.
" His Excellency acquainted the Council that he had convened them to give their opinion and advice upon a Plan of Operations, which he proposes for the next Year's Campaign, in order to effect the several Services he is directed by his Majesty's Instructions to carry into Execution; That in order to inform them fully of the State of those Services, it was necessary for him to acquaint them, that in his Majesty's said Instructions it is declared :
""' Ist. That whereas the French would in all Probability en- deavour to reinforce the several Posts they have on the River Ohio, and on the Lakes, to the Westward of it, by sending Troops up the River Mississippi ; it was his Royal Will and Pleasure, that as the Season would allow Troops to take the Field much sooner in the Southern Parts than in any other Parts of his Colonies, they should begin his Operations there as soon as the Weather would permit; and was, therefore, ordered to direct the Troops under his comand, to be carried up the River Potomack, as high as Willis' Creek, in order to proceed to Fort Du Quesne.
"' 2dly. That as soon as the late General should have been able to drive the French from their Posts upon the Ohio, he should take proper Measures for erecting a good and sufficient Fort on the most convenient Pass upon the said River, and to leave a strong Garrison consisting of the Three Independent Companies then in Virginia, sustained by such a Part of the whole of the Provincial Troops as he shall find necessary to defend the same and to protect the Indians in those Parts as well as the Settlements which had been broke up.
"'3dly. That the next Service which his Majesty directs and de- clares to be of the greatest Importance, and, therefore, to demand the utmost Care and Attention, is the dislodging the French from the Forts they have at the Falls and Passes of the Niagara, and the erecting such a Fort there as shall for the future make his Majesty's Subjects Masters of the Lake Ontario, and that if for this Purpose the said late General Braddock to have Ships upon the said Lake Ontario, he should concert with the Commander-in-Chief of his Ma- jesty's Ships and the Governors of New England and New York, the
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Manner and Means of Building and manning such Vessels as shall be most proper for that Service.
"' 4thly. That it is in the said Instructions, declared to be his majesty's further will and Pleasure, that in order to accelerate the Execution of so salutary an undertaking, the said General Braddock should, in case the Regiments intended to be rais'd by Governor Shir- ley and Sir William Pepperel should be ready to act before the French could be drove from their Posts on the Ohio, to employ the said Two Regiments in the immediate Reduction of Niagara and Crown Point.
"' 5thly. That in case the said two Regiments of Shirley and Pepperel's should not be raised and ready to act till the Time that the Service on the Ohio should be finished, it is declared to be his Majesty's Will and Pleasure that if then the said General Braddock should find it necessary to march his whole Force to make himself Master of the Posts before mentioned at Niagara, he should take the most prudent Means of joining his said Force with the British Battallions to effect the most essential and necessary Service.
"' 6thly. That if the said General Braddock should find that the two British Regiments would be sufficient for performing the Ser- vice at Niagara, he might then employ the Two American Regi- ments at the same time in dispossessing the French from their Posts at Crown Point on the Lake Champlain, which was the next Post he was to endeavour to gain ; but that no positive Instructions could be given him on this head, as he could only judge hereafter, whether such a separate Operation could be undertaken at the same ime that he was making himself Master of the most material one it Niagara ; however, that after he should have possessed himself of he Niagara Forts, and should have opened a safe communication betwixt that and Oswego, it was his Majesty's Will and Pleasure, that the next Service which he should proceed upon should be.
"'7thly. The Reduction of the Fort at Crown Point and erecting another upon the Lake Champlain, in such Place as he should find nost effectual for bridling the French Indians in those Parts, and for securing and protecting the neighbouring Colonies. His Excellency thereupon observed to the Council that the Reasons assigned in his Majesty's Instructions for ordering General Brad- lock to begin his operations upon the Ohio, seems to be prin- cipally founded on some Information which had been given that the Support of the French Forts and Settlements upon that River is drawn from their Settlements upon the Mississippi.'
/ " His Excellency the General then acquainted the Council that hone of the attempts made for effecting the beforementioned Ser- rices in the last Summer had been carried into Execution ; but that hese several beforementioned Parts of the Expedition ordered by, his Majesty remained to be executed in the ensuing Spring.
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" His Excellency then observed to the Council the only practicable Entrance which his Majesty's Subjects have into the Lake Ontario, is at Oswego thro' the River Onondago, which is the only Harbour fit to receive Vessels of any Force that his Majesty hath upon that Lake, and that Oswego is situated in the Country of the Onondagos, which lies in the middle of that inhabited by the Six Nations, and is the only trading House the English have for carrying on a Com- merce and Correspondence with the western Indians.
"That the only practicable Entrance the French have into the same Lake, is thro' the River by them at first called the River Iroquois, but in some of their late maps the River St. Lawrence, and near Fort Frontenac, which is situated on the North-East Edge of that Lake, at about 50 miles distant from, and nearly opposite to Oswego. That whilst the French are in Possession of that Fort and the Harbour there, with a free Passage into the Lake thro' the River Iroquois, together with their Harbour at Fronto on the Lake, they will have it in their power to build and maintain Vessels of Force upon the Lake, which, unless his Majesty shall keep up at least an equal naval Force there, may not only greatly annoy any Fort which should be erected by his Majesty's Subjects at the North-East End of the Pass at Niagara, but endanger the Loss of Oswego itself to the French, which would inevitably be attended with the Defection of the several Castles of the Indians of the Six Nations to the French Interest in a short Time, and with the Loss of the whole country as far as Schenectady, and very possible be soon followed with the Loss of the City of Albany.
" That from the best Information he can procure, it appears to him that the French Forts and Settlements at Niagara, upon Lake Erie and the Ohio, and oven as far as Missilimackinack, upon the Lake Huron, are wholly supported with Stores and Provisions from Mont Real, by Water Carriage thro' the River Iroquois and across the Lake Ontario, and not from the French Settlements on the Mis- sissippi, which being at near the Distance of 200 Miles from any of them, are too remote to afford them any Support, especially as the Navigation from thence to the French Settlements on the Ohio is against the Stream, and attended with other Difficulties in many Places.
" That consequently the dislodging the French from Fort Fron- tenac and their small Fort at Fronto, and barring up their Entrance into the Lake of Ontario, thro' the River Iroquois, would cut off All their Forts and Settlements upon that and the other Lakes and the River Ohio, from all Support from Canada, without which they could not possibly long subsist.
"That, therefore, his Excellency proposes the following Plan of Operations for the ensuing Year, viz. :
"'That a Body of 5,000 Troops should be assembled at Oswego by the last week in April, and Fort Frontenac and La Gallette, upon
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the River Oswegatie, be attack'd with 4,000 of them in the Begin- ning of May, leaving 1,000 at Oswego for the Protection of that Place.
"' That after dislodging the French Troops at Cadaraqui and La Gallette, they should be employed in attacking the French Forts and Settlements at Niagara, Presqui Isle, the River au Baeuf, De- troit, and Missilimackinac, and to secure the several Posts there ; That 3,000 Troops should at the same time be marched to Fort Du Quesne by Land from Wills' Creek to attack that Fort.
"' That Crown Point should be at the same time attacked with 6,000 Troops ; a Fort afterwards built on lake Champlain, and one or more Vessels built to navigate that Lake ; and in order to divide the Force of Canada more effectually, after breaking up all French Settlements upon the River Chaudiere with 2,000 Troops, about the same Time to make a Feint with them on Quebec at the Mouth of the said River, which is within three miles distant of that Metrop- olis, situated on the opposite Side of the River St. Lawrence.'
" His Excellency then desired the Opinion and advice of the Council upon every Part of the proposed Plan, and particularly whether the Number of Troops proposed for carrying every Part of the said Expedition into Execution at one and the same Time was sufficient, or whether any less or greater, and what number might be sufficient to do it.
" His Excellency then observed to the Council that if the before- mentioned Attempts for the Reduction of the French Forts and Settlements upon the Lake, and the Ohio and Crown Point, should not be made at the same Time, but one of them only carried on at a Time, these Dangers would ensue, vist: If an attempt should be made upon the lake Ontario for the Reduction of the Forts at Cadaraqui and Niagara, &ca., without any against Crown Point, the French would either lend the chief Part of the whole Force of Canada to oppose it, in which case so large a Body of Troops would be required to encounter it there as would make the Transportation of them and their Stores and Provisions to Oswego in time almost impracticable ; or else the French would muster so Strong a Force against Albany as might take it, and by that means likewise cut off all communication between it and the Forces at Oswego, which must receive its whole Support of Stores and Provisions from thence.
" On the other Hand, if an attempt should be made for the Re- duction of Crown Point only, and not against Fort Cadaraqui, Ni- agara, &ca., at the same Time Oswego, which from the Intelligence gained at that Place appears to be the great object of the French, would be in danger of being lost to them in case they should bend their principal Force against it, which Loss would be an irretriev- able one to the English, as it would not only be the Loss of the Country as far as Albany, together with the Six Nations, but give
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the French the Dominion of the Great Lake of the whole Southern Country.
" His Excellency then acquainted the Council that immediately be- fore his Departure from Oswego, as well as since, he had received Intelligence that the French are building at least Three large Ves- sels of Force in the Harbour of Cadaraqui, which together with those they had already built, will be much superior to those built. by us on the Lake ; whereupon he likewise desires the Opinion and Advice of the Council Concerning his causing more Vessels to be built and of a larger Force upon the Lake than what his Majesty hath there already, and how many such Vessels it is necessary to have built for gaining the Mastery of that Lake.
" The Council after taking the several Matters into Consideration, gave it as their unanimous Opinion :
""'1st. That it is most essentially necessary at all Events to se- cure the Navigation of the Lake Ontario, and from the Intelligence the General has informed them he has already received of Vessels building by the Enemy at Fort Frontenac, that at least three Vessels be built immediately at Oswego, of as large a Size and Force as the Depth of the Water at the Entrance of the Harbour of Oswego will admit, and that on any future Intelligence of the Enemy's encreasing their Naval Force, that the General should build such and so many more Vessels as he finds necessary for secur- ing the Mastery of that Lake.
"'2dly. That one Expedition be carried on against Crown Point, and another against the French Settlements and Encroachments on Lake Ontario, and that both Armies rendezvous at their respective Places of Destination as soon as possible in the Spring.
"' 3dly. That an Army of 10,000 Men will be necessary for the Expedition against Crown Point.
"' 4thly. That an Army of 6,000 Men at least will be necessary for the Expedition against the French Encroachments on the Lake Ontario, &ca.
'"5thly. That as to the attempt proposed to be made upon Fort Duquesne, they are unanimously of Opinion that such a Measure would answer very good Purposes by availing the English Forces of the Assistance of that Part of the Southern Indians which are still in alliance with them, and preventing those in Alliance with the French from opposing our Operations to the Northward, and there- fore advise the General to recommend it to the Western Govern- ments to undertake an Attempt upon that Fortress, and do it in such a manner as will not in the least interfere with the Expedition already agreed on.
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