To George Washington from Abraham Bosomworth, 9 August 1758
From Abraham Bosomworth
Camp at Rays Town 9th Augst 1758
Dear Sir
I received your Canteens by the Waggons which brought up the Artillery & delivered them immediately to the Care of Capt. Stewart who informs me he forwarded them by Lt Campbell the day they arrived1, I wish you could have had them sooner, they cost £3.19.0 at Philada & 18/ for their Carriage to Carlisle the Ballance due you shall repay when I have the pleasure of seeing you again I’m afraid somebody has made free with two mustard Bottles as there seems a Deficiency I had no particular accot of the Contents therefor cant say what number of bottles there were Coll Stephens is on Command upon the road over the Hills with a Detachment of 500 men from the whole, the remaining Companies of your Regt all march to morrow upon the same Duty & Coll Byrds.2 I believe I may with some Certainty tell you that the Destination of all the Troops is this way, I know that will not be agreeable to you and My Friend Coll Byrd but we must Submit[.] Sr Jno. and some Engineers have reconnoitred as far as Lowalhannan (within 50 miles of Du Quesne) and report it practicable to make a very good road, superior to Braddock’s, The Genl was to sett off the 5th from Carlisle we have two Waggoners scalped & two wounded betwixt this & Lyttleton by two Separate Parties of Enemy Indians I have sent off two different Parties of Cherokees from hence to endeavour to intercept them3 excuse extreme hurry and believe me with all Sincerity Yr most Obliged Hble Servt
A. Bosomworth
Yesterday 48 of the Cherokees went away to their Nation.4
ALS, DLC:GW.
Abraham Bosomworth, captain in the Royal Americans, usually took charge of those Cherokee who arrived (and departed) from time to time.
1. This is Capt. Walter Steuart of the 1st Virginia Regiment, who was acting as the brigade major of Bouquet’s forces at Raystown. See Walter Steuart to GW, 20 July 1758. John Campbell, a lieutenant in the 1st Virginia Regiment, was killed in Major James Grant’s engagement on 14 September.
2. Bouquet wrote Forbes on 8 Aug.: “The rest of the Virginia detachment will set out to work with Colonel [Adam] Stephens, who is cutting on the [Allegheny] mountain, and Byrd’s second company of workmen [John Posey’s artificers] will join Major [Andrew] Lewis to open the gap” (, 2:335–39). See also Bouquet to GW, 3 Aug., n.2, and 10 August. Lt. Col. Adam Stephen conducted five companies of GW’s 1st Virginia Regiment and the one company of Col. William Byrd III’s 2d Virginia Regiment into Pennsylvania in early June 1758 (see GW to Stephen 24 May 1758, n.3).
3. See GW to Bouquet, 7 Aug., n.4.
4. Bouquet reported on 8 Aug. that although the Indians “were in a very good humor yesterday,” this morning “fifty . . . left secretly to return home” (, 2:335–39). See also Francis Halkett to Bouquet, 10 Aug., Lewis Ourry to Bouquet, 11 Aug., and Forbes to Bouquet, 15 Aug., ibid., 346, 358–59, 366–68.