To George Washington from Adam Stephen, 14 September 1758
From Adam Stephen
Camp on Loyal Hannon Sepr 14th 1758
Sir,
This is brought to Raystown Camp, by a detachmt of Invalids from the Troops on this side the mountains.1
In primaval times, you remember our state of provisions at Gists house, from that you can judge of present Circumstances.2
To testify our Inclination to post the service we have sent down our Own horses to Raystown for a supply.
You can judge how much that will Avail. Majr Grant marchd the Eight with a Chosen detachmt of 800 including Officers. In three days we Expect interesting Advice from him.3
The Enemy have Evacuated Venango, & the Fort on the head of Riviere de Beuf.4
The Genls Indisposition prevented his Answering the Sollicitations made him to determine the dispute Sr John St Clair as Qr Mr Genl & I had about Command; & Col. Bouquet has therefore ordered me to take upon Me the Command of the Detachmt again; promising that, as far as depends on him; it shall not prevent redress for any Insult offerd me or the Gentlemen under my Command5—It is a doubt with me whether it is necessary to send up the Cloaths or not6—I am with respect Sir, your most Obt huble Sert
Adam Stephen
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. On c.13 Sept. Bouquet at Loyalhanna ordered Lt. Col. Hance Hamilton of the Pennsylvania forces “to escort the Sick to Reas Town, where you are to take under your Escort a Convoy of flour for this Camp” (Stevens, , 2:495).
2. Presumably Stephen is referring to one of Christopher Gist’s places—either his plantation near Redstone Old Fort in the Monongahela Valley or his house across the Potomac from Wills Creek—during the Fort Necessity campaign in 1754 when Gist brought up supplies from Alexandria for GW’s party of soldiers. See William Trent to GW, 19 Feb. 1754, n.1, in , 1:67–69, and John Carlyle to GW, 17 June 1754.
3. See GW’s letters of 25 Sept. to George William Fairfax and to Governor Fauquier for GW’s accounts of the defeat of Maj. James Grant on 14 September.
4. The French did not evacuate Fort Machault at Venango or Fort de la Rivière au Boeuf up French Creek until after the surrender of Fort Niagara on 25 July 1759.
5. Bouquet’s letter to this effect is dated 13 Sept. (Stevens, , 2:496).
6. Stephen most recently wrote GW about the uniforms on 13 September.