To George Washington from Christopher Gist, 30 July 1756
From Christopher Gist
Conegocheeg [Md.] 30th July 1756.
Sir
Inclosed you have my Companys Receipts as far as I have been able to have them Signed,1 the two Wilsons are yet with Govr Sharpe, Thomas Pritchard is with You, or at Edwards’s, Gist Vaughan is on Command after Deserters, that left Us sometime before we went to Fort Cumberland; George Plummer and William Fulton are dead.2 Pray speak to Mr Kirkpatrick to Settle my Country Accots with the Bearer, I have sent what Accots I have paid here with the Receipts, hope to receive that money with the Ballance of the Country Accot by the Bearer, as I imagine there is a large Sum due to me & my Son for Recruiting.3
I should be obliged to You for your Interest to Mr Welder to be Deputy Commissary at Maidstone if any occasion for one there.4 I am sir Your most hume Servt
Christr Gist
Please to forward the inclosed Letters.
LS, DLC:GW. The letter is in the hand of Gist’s clerk, S. S. Welder.
1. There are two copies of the July 1756 payroll for Christopher Gist’s company of scouts in DLC:GW. They were signed by three sergeants, two corporals, one drummer, and thirty-seven men (only one of the thirty-seven could sign his name); and the payrolls were witnessed by John Blagg, the lieutenant in Adam Stephen’s company, and a man named Andrew Crawford.
2. The two company payrolls are in DLC:GW. Aquila Wilson, 21, and Samuel Wilson, 19, both enlisted in March 1756 and were Marylanders. Thomas Pritchard enlisted in the Virginia Regiment in February 1756 in Frederick County, Md., and was 30 years old. Cpl. Gist Vaughan was from Baltimore. The names of George Plummer and William Fulton were not on Gist’s company size rolls of 13 July 1756.
3. GW wrote to Dinwiddie on 4 Aug. and to Treasurer John Robinson on 5 Aug. 1756 strongly supporting Gist’s plea that his accounts with the colony be settled in his favor.
4. This was probably the company clerk, S. S. Welder. Welder was probably also “the Bearer” of the letters, receipts, and accounts from Gist as well as of the letter from Capt. Robert Stewart of this date.