George Washington Papers

From George Washington to William Smith, March–April 1757

To William Smith

[March-April 1757]

[March-April 1757]. The text of this letter is printed as Document III of “The Capitulation of Fort Necessity.”1 There William Smith is tentatively identified as the addressee. On 3 Mar. 1757, while GW was in Philadelphia to attend Loudoun’s meeting with the southern governors, the printer James Chattin announced in the Pennsylvania Gazette (Philadelphia) his intention to publish within two months “A MEMORIAL, containing a summary Account of Facts, in Answer to the Observations of the English Ministry, addressed to the Courts of Europe.” Among other things, the Memorial included GW’s journal of his 1754 campaign and “The Journal of M. de Villiers,” the two documents with which GW’s letter is mainly concerned. The contents of the letter suggest that GW wrote it not long after Chattin’s announcement, either in March 1757 while he was still in Philadelphia or in April in Winchester shortly after his return to Virginia.2

Sparks, Writings of Washington description begins Jared Sparks, ed. The Writings of George Washington; Being His Correspondence, Addresses, Messages, and Other Papers, Official and Private, Selected and Published from the Original Manuscripts. 12 vols. Boston, 1833–37. description ends , 2:463–65.

1. Papers, Colonial Series description begins W. W. Abbot et al., eds. The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series. 10 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1983–95. description ends , 1:168–72.

2. Diaries description begins Donald Jackson and Dorothy Twohig, eds. The Diaries of George Washington. 6 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1976–79. description ends , 1:162–73.

Index Entries

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    Source Project
    Washington Papers
    Title
    From George Washington to William Smith, March–April 1757
    Author
    Washington, George
    Recipient
    Smith, William
    Date
    March–April 1757

    Reference

    Cite as
    “From George Washington to William Smith, March–April 1757,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/02-04-02-0070. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Colonial Series, vol. 4, 9 November 1756 – 24 October 1757, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1984, p. 126.]

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