George Washington Papers
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From George Washington to Henry Bouquet, 19 July 1758

To Henry Bouquet

Camp near Ft Cumberland—19th July 1758.

Sir,

Your obliging favour of this date, I just now had the pleasure of receiving.1 You make me quite happy by your coinciding in opinion with me, relative to the proposd Expedition.

Captn Dagworthy’s Party returnd hither Yesterday, in consequence of Orders from Sir Jno. St clair forwarded by the Commanding Officer at Fort Frederick.2 I have directed him to finish a Bridge at this place, which I imagine he will effect by tomorrow Night; with his Tools I will next day send out a Party on General Braddocks Road, which I shall be able to reinforce when Colo. Mercer Returns.3

I am excessively obligd in the very handsome and polite Manner, by which you are pleasd to give me leave to attend the Election at Winchester. Tho. my being there on that occasion woud, at any other time, be very agreable to me—yet, at this juncture, I can hardly perswade myself to think of being absent from my more immediate Duty, even for a few days—however, I will not come to any absolute determination in this matter till I receive answers to some Letters on that Subject (which I expect this Night or tomorrow)4 in the mean time I beg you will allow me to subscribe myself with great truth and sincerity Yr most Obedt & Obligd Servant

Go: Washington

ALS, British Museum: Add. MSS 21641 (Bouquet Papers); LB (original), DLC:GW; LB (recopied), DLC:GW.

1Letter not found.

2Forbes wrote Bouquet on 14 July: “I have just now sent orders for those troops who have been working from F: Frederick to F: Cumberland to march and join you at Raes town” (Stevens, Bouquet Papers description begins Donald H. Kent et al., eds. The Papers of Henry Bouquet. 6 vols. Harrisburg, Pa., 1951-94. description ends , 2:207–10).

3Bouquet had retained George Mercer’s company of artificers in order to have them build log houses for a post to be maintained on the road they had just cut from Fort Cumberland to Raystown. For the decision to clear a part of Braddock’s Road, see Bouquet to GW, 14 July, n.4.

4For references to the pressure put upon GW to come to Winchester before the Burgess election on 24 July, see Gabriel Jones to GW, 6 July, and note 8 of that document. See also Adam Stephen to GW, 19 July, and GW to Bouquet, 21 July.

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