To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 20 August 1756
From Robert Dinwiddie
Williamsburg Aug. 20th 1756
Sir
Since writing You Yesterday The Express I sent to the Cherokees arrived & they have engag’d to send us 150 Warriors, who I expect with Major Lewis in about a Fortnight; I shall order the Majr to march them to Winchester to be under Your direction.1
The Cherokees & Catawbas are at prest strongly attach’d to our Interest; the Catawba King2 is gone to Chas Town So. Carolina & on his return he promises to send fifty of his Warriors—I am greatly hurried & have only Time to write the above. I remain Sir Your humble Servant
Robt Dinwiddie
P:S: Pray write to Mr Mason to know if he has any Guns fit for Inds. or any other Person of Yr acquaintce.3
LS, DLC:GW; LB, ViHi: Dinwiddie Papers.
1. Andrew Lewis arrived on 28 June at the Cherokee town of Chota (Chottee) with his party of sixty men to build a wooden fort nearby on the Little Tennessee River (see Dinwiddie to GW, 23 April 1756, n.6). Lewis was initially hopeful about leading a large party of Cherokee warriors to join GW. On 23 Aug. Dinwiddie wrote Lewis: “Yr Letter of 23d of July from Chotee I recd a few Days since. . . . I observe the Cherokees intend one 100 men or more to our Assistance. . . . I am glad they want to see Colo. Washington, I therefore expect you’l conduct ’em to him & our Forces at Winchester” (ViHi: Dinwiddie Papers). But even before this, on 15 Aug., Lewis wrote at Chota to Capt. Raymond Demeré: “My Prospect is not so great since the Fort was finished, in getting a Number of Indians to march with me as was before” (, 2:166–67). When Lewis left for Virginia in mid-September, he had with him only seven Cherokee men and three women (see GW to Dinwiddie, 10 Oct. 1756).
2. The Catawba king was Hagler.