To George Washington from Henry Bouquet, 13 June 1758
From Henry Bouquet
Carlisle1 [Pa.]
Answer to Col. Washington’s Quaries.213th June 1758
1. In case his arms, Blankets, and Provisions could not possibly be ready by the 24th Instt he may differ his march for one or two days.
2. What relates Col. Birds Regiment is explained in the orders.3
3. No Arms are to be taken from Maryland. I hope the Col. will be able to arm the two Regimts and the Militia Compa: in having the arms in Stores repaired: but if it was found that Some more were wanted, In that Case Sir John will Send them.
4. Lt Col. Mercer is to remain to take Care of the men left behind and march them according to his orders to Fort Cumberland.
5. 30 men lame, or otherwise unfit for the Expedition can be lefft at Fort Loudoun: and a few more at Edwards, and Pearsal as the Col. will think proper to Keep the Communication open.
6. The Col. is desired to collect in Virginia as many Powder horns as can be got, all that can be had from Pensilvania shall be ordered.
For Shot Pouches, osnabrug will be bought, wth thread to make them one yard will make 8 Bags.
7. As Soon as the Troops are encamped & Settled at Fort Cumberland, Col. Washington is desired to order a Sufficient number of men, wth the artificers Company: to open a Waggon Road from Fort Cumberland to Reas Town, observing to have always a Party Sufficient to cover the Workmen who are to carry their arms and Ammunition.4
Two Guides will be Sent to Fort Cumberland to give the direction of the Road.
Col. Bird is desired to engage the Indians to flank our Troops, during this Work.5
A Couple of Waggons must be Kept at Fort Cumberland to carry the Tents & Provisions upon the New Road. the others are to be Sent back to Winchester at the disposition of Mr Walker.6
The King’s allowance pr Week
7 lb. of flour
7 lb. of Beef, or in lieu 4 lb. of Pork
3 Pints of Pease[,] ½ ounce of butter[,] ½ Pint of Rice[,] or in lieu thereof one Pound Weight of flour, and 1 lb. of Beef, or Pork.
So the Allowance at Fort Cumberland will be untill further orders.
8 lb. of flour[,] 8 lb. of Beef, or 5 lb. of Pork[,] pr Week.
N.B. The officers are allowed one Ration only, which is to be taken in Kind.
Henry Bouquet
ADS, DLC:GW. GW docketed this document: “From Colo. Bouquet, answers to Sundry quaris put to him 13th June 1758. This Rout—
- June 15th from Fort Loudn [Pa.] to Ft Littleton
- 16 Halt at Ditto—
- 17 To Juniatta
- 18 Halt there
- 19th Ditto
- 20 to Rays Town”
Bouquet in fact did not arrive at Raystown until 24 June.
1. Bouquet should have written Conococheague, Md., instead of Carlisle. He arrived at Conococheague on 12 June from Carlisle, via Fort Loudoun, Pa., left Conococheague on 13 June, and was back only as far as Fort Loudoun, Pa., on 14 June. From there he began his trek to Raystown, Pa. (see note 4), without ever returning to Carlisle.
2. The entries 1 through 6 are specific answers to GW’s queries to Bouquet of this date.
3. For the initial action taken on this and Bouquet’s other responses to GW’s questions, see St. Clair’s Orders to GW, 13 June.
4. Raystown, Pa., was about thirty-five miles north of Fort Cumberland. GW expected that Forbes’s expedition to Fort Duquesne would depart from Fort Cumberland and follow Braddock’s Road toward the French fort, but Bouquet and Forbes hoped the expedition could follow a more northerly route from Raystown instead of going by way of Fort Cumberland. See GW to Stanwix, 10 April, n.4.
5. William Byrd wrote Forbes from Winchester on 29 May: “On Saturday [27 May] I arrived here with fifty seven Cherokees in high good humor, & before the Middle of the next Month (I flatter myself) the Little Carpenter & Mr [George] Turner will be here with two hundred more Warriors. . . . I found two hundred & thirty odd Indians here, besides those I brought, who Sr John St Clair thought proper to put under my care. . . . Many others are out a scouting. You have undoubtedly heard about two hundred are gone home again” (ViU: Forbes Papers). Less than a month later, on 23 June, Byrd confessed to Forbes that the Cherokee “are all return’d home but eighty seven, fifty seven of those I brought in with me” (ibid.). George Turner wrote Byrd from the Cherokee country on 23 June that the Little Carpenter and his followers had backed out and would not march north to join the expedition against Fort Duquesne.
6. Dr. Thomas Walker (1715–1794), who served with Charles Dick as chief commissary for the Virginia forces in Braddock’s expedition in 1755, served in the same capacity in the Forbes campaign of 1758.