To George Washington from Archibald Cary, 28 June 1757
From Archibald Cary
Chesterfd June 28. 1757
Dear Sir,
By Capt. Bell I receiv’d yours and am Greatly oblig’d to you, for your Good Intentions to Serve him, and must beleive that the hopes the Gover. his Given him is due to you.1
Notwithstanding I hold no Milatary Commn I thought it my Duty to do all I Could to raise the Men due from our County for the presant Service and I judg’d those most proper who would Volantaryly Inlist, I Apply’d to the Bearer Drury Pucket a person who was last Year in the Service (& as I have been Inform’d behav’d well,) he is a Person of Good report here and has been Extriemly Active on this Occasion, he has desir’d me to Mention so much to you, and if he Should Continue to behave Well & should deserve to be Taken Notice of a Serjts Post is the Most of his Ambition at presant; I hope you will Excuse this fredom.2
We are here a little unesey on a report of an Army of French Marching Your Way if it Should be so, I hope it will Give you an oppartunity of Gaining Fresh Lawrels And I do Assure you no Man more Wishes to See You Crown’d with them than Your Most Obedt Humble Servt
Archd Cary
P.S. Mrs Cary & Miss Randolph joyn in wishing you that Sort of Glory which will most Indear you to the Fair Sex.3
A.C.
ALS, DLC:GW.
Archibald Cary (1721–1787), a great planter and a manufacturer, was at this time one of the two representatives of Chesterfield County in the House of Burgesses.
1. For GW’s rather lukewarm recommendation of David Bell who had just lost his company in the Virginia Regiment, see GW to Dinwiddie, 10 June 1757.
2. Drury Pucket was one of the draftees from Chesterfield County discharged in December 1756 (see GW’s Memorandum, 4 Dec. 1756).
3. Mrs. Cary was Mary Randolph Cary (1727–1781), daughter of Richard and Jane Bolling Randolph. She married Archibald Cary when she was about seventeen. “Miss Randolph” was probably Mrs. Cary’s unmarried sister Elizabeth.