To George Washington from Peter Hog, 14 June 1756
From Peter Hog
Fort Dinwiddie 14th June 1756
Sir
Inclosed are the Returns of the Company Untill this date1 that goes by the party for the pay.2 It is strange that Majr Lewis should Mistake his Instructions in refusing to pay arrears to any but the Men originally belonging to his Company. Lt Collo. Stevens who was pay mastr at that time can Inform you how I Came to have 2 Mos. Arrears due more than the other officers vizt from 29th Octr till 29th Decr3 pray Let me know where I am to Apply for the payment of that, as well as the Arrears due to my former Company, as most of it is owing to Majr Carlile for goods Advanced them & he Complains of Lying out of his money. I formerly Sent under Cover to you the pay Rolls for Jany & Decr Last4 in mine dated 3d February, and at same time the Accot of Debursements to the Commisy to him directed tho. both he & the pay Mastr Write as if they had never Recd them advise if the sd Lettr Came to hand. I am Sir Your Very hume Servt
Petr Hog
P:S. the Men are Importunate to know when they are to Receive their Cloaths & Serjt McCully how he is to be reimbursed for his Expences after the Deserters the accot I inclosed in mine of 3d February.5 P:H:
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. The returns dated after Hog’s letter of 14 May 1756 were prepared at Fort Dinwiddie by Ens. William Fleming and signed by him, Capt. Peter Hog, and Lt. John McNeill. They were dated 15 and 22 May and 1, 7, and 14 June 1756. All reported three sergeants, one drummer, and fifty rank and file in the company, except the return of 14 June reported only two sergeants present; the third was on party.
2. GW, in his letter of 2 June, ordered Hog to send “an Officer and a proper Guard” to Gabriel Jones to pick up money being sent to pay off Hog’s company until 1 July.
3. Hog’s pay for October through December 1754 was in arrears. In his letter to Hog of 21 July GW instructed him to draw this money from the paymaster if he “can make it appear” it was due. On 17 and 18 Nov. 1756 Hog was paid £49 4s. for 123 days due for service in 1754 and 1755 (Va. Regimental Accounts, 1755–58, DLC:GW). Adam Stephen acted as paymaster for the Virginia forces, as had GW, when he succeeded GW as commander of the old Virginia Regiment in November 1754. For earlier problems about arrears in the pay for Hog’s company, see Hog to GW, 14 May 1756, notes 15 and 17.
4. The payrolls for December 1755 (misdated 1756) and January 1756 are in DLC:GW.
5. The clothing of Hog’s men was in especially bad condition because of their difficult march during the Sandy Creek expedition in early spring. For Hog’s complaints and the men’s dissatisfaction about clothing, see Hog to GW, 3 April, 14 May, 14, 26 June 1756, and GW to Hog, 21 July 1756 (first letter). John McCulley of Augusta County had served with Andrew Lewis since the Fort Necessity campaign and was at Jackson River when Hog replaced Lewis there in September 1755. In 1758 McCulley was promoted to ensign upon the strong recommendation of several officers of the Virginia Regiment. For McCulley’s reimbursement for his expenses in going after the deserters, see Hog to GW, 17 Dec. 1755 and 3 Feb., 26 June 1756, and GW to Hog, 21 July 1756 (first letter).