1To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 26 October 1756 (Washington Papers)
I recd Your Letter from Augusta & observe its Contents —the Behaviour of the Militia is very unaccountable, & am convinc’d they are under no Command; I order’d Part of the Militia to the Frontiers & there to remain till reliev’d by others, which I propos’d shou’d be done in a monthly manner, & so to be continued by a proper Rotation, instead thereof they go & come at their own Pleasure, & many...
2To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 14 December 1755 (Washington Papers)
Your Letter by Capt. Mercer I receiv’d. I hope the Treasurer will send You the Money to make up 10,000 which I have desired him. If You find it for the good of the Service to remain below I have no Objection to it; but I hope the Men are duly exercised & taught the Indian Method of fighting, that they may be prepard for Action in the Spring. I am surpriz’d the Vessell with Arms &ca is not...
3To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 7 April 1757 (Washington Papers)
I recd Yours of the 2d last Night & must refer You to mine of the 5th which I sent You by Express, & doubt not You will receive at Fort Loudoun; The pressing Letter from Govr Littleton makes it absolutely necessary to send 200 of our Regimt to his Assistance; & I must therefore repeat my Orders for their march to Fredericksburg, & I hope they will be there by the 20th of this Month & I am...
4To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 8 May 1756 (Washington Papers)
Your Letter of the 3d I recd Yesterday, & observe its Contents. I have recd the Indian Scalp & I doubt not but many more were killed in that small Skermish. I am glad the Indians are gone over the Mountains, but I cannot think they were so numerous as represented, unless they have prevailed on the Twightwees to join with them; I am of Opinion if You cou’d send a Message to them by some trusty...
5To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 1 June 1754 (Washington Papers)
Mr Geo. Croghan, a Gent. well acquainted with Indn. Affairs is engag’d by me to serve His My as an Interpreter. I therefore desire You to shew him a proper regard & in such Matters relating to the Delivery of Presents, wt You may have to negotiate with the Half King & the Inds. in the British Alliance & Int[eres]t You will consult him. I am Sr Yr most humble Servt LB , ViHi : Dinwiddie Papers....
6To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 27 December 1756 (Washington Papers)
Yours of the 19th by Jenkins I recd last Night—& do observe You have ordered the Garisons on the Branch to Percealls, to escort the Flour to Fort Cumberland. The Provisions lying in Bulk at the different Forts, if possible shou’d be Smoked, which wou’d be a great Saving to the Country & I hope You have order’d it so. As we have had great Rains lately I hope a sufficient quantity of Flour may...
7To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 6 June 1757 (Washington Papers)
I recd Yr Letter of the 30th Ulto ⅌ Ct. Gist—I am sorry the Indians are so refractory, which I conceive is entirely owing to Capt. Mercer’s promising them Presents, which he had no Power or Authority to do—Those Indians had a sufficient Supply at Bedford Court House agreeable to the Treaty; but their Avarice is such that if they had all their Expectations, they wou’d demand more, & it is a...
8To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 26 July 1755 (Washington Papers)
The dismal Defeat of our Forces by such a handful of Men gives me very great Concern, as also for the Death of the Genl & so many brave Officers entirely owing to the dastardly Spirit of the private Men their Panick I suppose made them deaf to all Commands & in course was the Bane of all our Misfortunes[.] The train of Artillery being in the Enemy’s Possessn is a monstrous Misfortune; however...
9To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 18 June 1756 (Washington Papers)
I desire You to send me a List of the Volunteers ⟨You are⟩ to appoint to the Vacancies in Your Regiment—& the Number of Draughts from the Militia, which I am sorry to think will be much fewer than I expected. As the Regimt will be pretty much divided in Forts &ca I thot it proper & necessary to appoint Mr Boyd the Pay-Mr, Muster Master, by which on paying the Men he will be able to make an...
10To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 20 June 1757 (Washington Papers)
Yr Letter by Express, I received last Night, & I am sorry for the Intelligence it brings of such a No. of French & Indians marching from Fort Du Quesne, and it’s more than probable their Design is agst Fort Cumberland, and am sorry that Garrison is in so poor a Condition for Defence, & I really fear it is in the Enemys Hands before this can reach You. If so they probably will proceed to fort...
11To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 29 April 1756 (Washington Papers)
Your Letter of the 24th was delivered me by Capt. Peachy, which Letter with his Information gives me great Pain & Uneasiness for the back Settlements, & Your present distress’d Situation, I have & continue to do every Thing in my Power for Your relief. The Militia of ten Counties are ordered to march directly for Winchester, Small Arms, Powder Shott &ca have been sent from this to...
12To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 2 November 1757 (Washington Papers)
Yr Letter of the 24th Ulto I recd—And as You observe the absolute Necessity of having a Company of Rangers, I agree to the raising sixty, seventy or 80 Men to be Commanded by Mr Rutherfurd, but You must be certain of his raising the Men, not to load the Country with a Charge, as formerly, without Men to the different Companies; I do not doubt of Yr keeping them strictly to their Duty—his Pay,...
13To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, January 1754 (Washington Papers)
E ditorial N ote The reports that GW made to Dinwiddie upon his return from his mission to the French commandant reinforced the governor’s conviction that no time was to be lost in taking action against French encroachment on the Ohio. Dinwiddie had held a British vessel, the Speedwell , in port pending GW’s return from the Ohio and at once notified Holderness and the Board of Trade that the...
14To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 13 September 1756 (Washington Papers)
Your Letter of the 8th I recd last Night—I am affraid the Draughts from Prince William, Culpeper & Fairfax are not made agreeable to expectation, as I hear many of the Young Men have made their Escape & do not appear at the Musters. Sir, I mention’d in my Letter of the [1]9th Ulto to enlist Servants agreeable to the Act of Parliament; that of Act of Parliamt I wrote from Yr Letter to me, I...
15II. Instructions from Robert Dinwiddie, 14 August 1755 (Washington Papers)
Instructions for Colonel George Washington Commander in Chief of the Virginia Regiment. Whereas the French have unjustly invaded His Majesty’s Lands on the Ohio, and have sent flying Parties of French and Indians, to robb, and murder our back Settlers to the Westward, which the Legislature of this Dominion having seriously taken into their Consideration, and voted Money for the Protection of...
16To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 22 January 1756 (Washington Papers)
Your two Letters of the 13th and 14th I shall answer Paragraphically. The Expedition against the Shawnesse I hope will be attended with Success, as two Women who were taken Prisoners made their Escape mention their being in their Towns & did not hear of their Intention of moving. You have done very right in ordering the Men to be train’d in the Indian Method of fighting but I can give You no...
17Instructions from Robert Dinwiddie, 30 October 1753 (Washington Papers)
Instructions for George Washington Esqr. Whereas I have receiv’d Information of a Body of French Forces being assembled in an hostile Manner on the River Ohio, intending by force of Arms to erect certain Forts on the said River, within this Territory & contrary to the Peace & Dignity of our Sovereign the King of Great Britain. These are therefore to require & direct You the said George...
18To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 27 June 1754 (Washington Papers)
Yr Letter without Date I recd am sorry You have occasion to complain for want of Flouer &ca it gives me much Uneasiness, & have wrote strongly to Majr Carlyle to prevent any such Complaints for the Future, & I hope You will have no room to complain for the want of Provisions or Ammunition having desired that the last may be immediately sent out. Before this reaches You I doubt not Colo. Innes...
19To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 14 November 1757 (Washington Papers)
Yr Letter of the 5th I duly recd & I am much surpriz’d at what You write that the Indn Affairs have been impeeded by a Train of Mismanagemt when I consider Mr Atkin’s Report that he had established every Thing in regard to those People in a most regular Manner I have wrote the Necessary to Ct. Gist on that Head, & order’d up a Quantity of Goods from Petersburg for that Service which I hope...
20To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 16 May 1757 (Washington Papers)
Whereas I have thought proper to discontinue the two pr ct Commissions (which the Country Committee have allowd you) for your trouble, Risk and loss; in receiving and Paying away the Publick Money; settling and adjusting of accounts &ca; I shall only lodge a fund of Money in your hands to answer Contingent Expences; as they shall arise from time to time in the Execution of your Command. The...
21To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 18 October 1755 (Washington Papers)
Yours of the 8th ⅌ Colo. Stephens I recd & am heartily sorry for the Acct he brings, but am in hopes from the Assistance of the Militia, & the Recruits You will be able to drive those Banditti from our Frontiers; I wish You may get a Troop of Horse from Fairfax County, as they will be of great Service in clearing the Woods, & I shall be glad if they can send down a Number of their Scalps. One...
22To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 26 January 1757 (Washington Papers)
Yrs of the 12th I recd—I am very sorry for the Mutiny You mention on the So. Branch, & I greatly approve the Steps You took to stop it; I hope the six Deserters have been apprehended & punish’d; the Persons under Sentence of Death, I hear some of them are Serjeants & Corporals, it’s a most aragant Affair in them to promote & countenance Mutiny for which they deserve the Sentence pass’d on...
23To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 19 August 1756 (Washington Papers)
Yr Letter of the 4th I recd & note it’s Contents —I observe You have been much engag’d in settling the proper Plans for the Chain of Forts propos’d to be built; & I doubt not the Places You have fix’d on are the most proper as You know the Situation of the Cotry You are the best Judge thereof. With Concern I see the Roll of Yr Companies & I am sorry they are so deficient in Numbers, the...
24To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 24 September 1757 (Washington Papers)
Yours of the 17th ⅌ Jenkins I recd—Ive wrote Colo. Read about the Lunenburg Draughts. I’m sorry to see the List of so many Deserters & I’m fully of Opinion that those that recd the Bounty, Cloaths & Arms ought to be outlaw’d & the Desertion of the Person that was condemn’d & afterwards pardon’d appears to me so villanous that I can’t prescribe any Rule to keep ’em together, but gt Severities,...
25To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 16 November 1756 (Washington Papers)
Yr Letter of the 9th I recd with a Report of Yr Journey along our Frontiers—The abuses mention’d in Yrs I have been made acquainted with from several Hands, but I expected You wou’d have been more particular in regard to the Officers neglecting their Duty, & the different Forts not being properly garrison’d with Men, nay witht their Officers: this vauge Report makes it impossible for me to...
26Enclosure: Commission to Hold General Court-Martials, 18 July 1757 (Washington Papers)
Whereas by an Act of Assembly of this Colony made at a General Assembly held at the Capitol the Fourteenth Day of April in the XXXth Year of his present Majesty’s Reign and in the Year of our Lord 1757 Intituled “An Act for preventing Mutiny and Desertion,[”] it is among other Things enacted That if any Person being mustered or in Pay as an Officer, or who is or shall be inlisted or in Pay as...
27To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 2 February 1757 (Washington Papers)
I detain’d Jenkins here till my Express arrived from Ld Loudoun. His Lordship has desired all the So[uth]ern Governors to meet him at Philada the 17th of this Month, to consult what is proper to be done in these Parts; as this appears to me the Design of their Meeting I cannot conceive what Service You can be of in going there, as the Plan concerted will in course be communicated to You & the...
28To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 23 April 1756 (Washington Papers)
Your Letr of the 19th by Mr Rutherfurd came to my Hands Tuesday last, but Yours of the 16th by Express did not reach me till the day after. I am heartily sorry for the Death of Capt. Mercer, & the other poor Men that were killed with him, it appears to me that the Enemy drew them out after them, pretending to fly, in order to destroy them from their lurking Places; but it surprizes me that we...
29To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 30 September 1756 (Washington Papers)
Last Night I recd a Letter dated the 23d from Alexaa not sign’d, but by its purport I believe it from You—Jenkins’s delay prevents laying any Thing before the Assembly as they were prorogued the Morning he arriv’d —I am of Opinion You may enforce the Articles of War the same as in the British Establishmt that with tenderness as the Exigency of Affairs may require; & tho’ no Crimes but Mutiny &...
30To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 1 August 1754 (Washington Papers)
The Council met Yesterday & considering the present State of our Forces, & reason to think the French will be strongly reinforc’d next Spring—It was resolv’d that the Forces shou’d immediately march over the Allegany Mountains, either to dispossess the French of their Fort, or build a Fort in a proper Place that may be fix’d on by a Council of War—Colo. Innes has my Orders for the executing...