From George Washington to Horatio Sharpe, 16 June 1757
To Horatio Sharpe
Fort Loudoun June 16th 1757
Sir
This Moment the inclos’d Letters came to My hands:1 I have not lost a moments time in Transmitting them to you—as I look upon the Intelligence to be of the utmost Importance. If the Enemy is coming down in Such Numbers, and with such a train of Artillery as we are bid to Expect Fort Cumberland Must inivitably fall in to their hands as no Efforts can be timely Made to save it.
I Send you Sir a Copy of a Council of War held at This place; and I intend to pursue the resolutions theirin co[n]taind, ’till I receive orders how to Act. It is Morally certain that the next Object Which the French have in view is Fort Loudoun—and that it is yet in a very untenable Posture; they have no roads for carriages in to any other Province but thrô this place, and their lyes hear a quantity of Stores Belonging to his Majesty & this Colony very much expos’d and unguarded.
I shall not taken up your time Sir With Sending a tedious detail of the Fort—I have disp[a]tch’d one Express [to] Governor Dinwiddie and an Other to Colo.2 I am Yr Excellency’s most Obedt Hble Servt
Go: Washington
LS, MHi: Guild Library.
1. The entry for 18 June 1757 in the Maryland Council’s journal (, 226–29) includes copies of this letter and of John Dagworthy’s and James Livingston’s letters to GW of 14 June. See GW to Dinwiddie, 16 June 1757.
2. GW was referring to John Stanwix. GW’s letter to Stanwix of this date has two additional sentences, as does his letter to Dinwiddie to which he also added a postscript.