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168 Correspondence of Governor Sharp e.
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Letter Bk. II.
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Ino St Clair who arrived there himself two Days after being the
26th Jany when it was thought unnecessary to put the Govt to
that Expence as the Season wd be sufficiently advanced to
admit of an Encampment before the Artillery could be got
thither, or provisions & Forrage cd be well laid in. should that
place be judged a proper Rendezvous which Sr Ino is in doubt
about & I am of the same Way of thinking.
The next Day Sr Iohn examined some Hunters that I had
appointed there to go with me & reconnoitre the Highlands
between that & the French Fort; amongst whom he found but
one person that understood or cd give him any tolerable
information about the matter. After this & fixing upon a
proper Magazine for powder we set off to explore Potowmack
River which proved from the number of shoals & falls to be of
no Service in transporting- either Artillery or other Baggage OC5 O
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p. 59
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in our passage down Sr Iohn contracted for all the Forrage
Flour & Calavances on the Banks of that River the next
thing we went upon was a proper Disposition for Quartering
the Troops of all wch Sr Iohn St Clair having given you a dis-
tinct Acct I shall not trouble you with a Repetition I have
inclosed Major Stobo's Accot of Fort Du Quisne on Monon-
gahela & the Ohio Rivers when prisoner there (he was one of
the Hostages delivered to the French after the Action of the
Meadows) likewise a Journal Descriptive of some of the
French Forts from Fabres a french Deserter, this is the latest
& best Accot that I have been able to get, & the Examination of
Cha: Courtenay a Deserter from the French taken upon Oath
before the Chief lustice of Pensilvania.
I have not been able to review the Virginia Regiment as
they are not as yet got together, therefore I can make you
no other Return at present than of those Troops now at Wills
Creek which is herein inclosed, & I am sorry to find myself
obliged to declare that the three Independant Companies by
no means answer my Expectations, particularly those from
New York, that from So Carolina is by much the best not-
withstanding their Loss in the Action at the Meadows.
I hope soon to have the pleasure of seeing you myself &
assure you that nothing less than the Meeting of the Assembly
should have prevented my Stay here till your Arrival in my
way to Maryland I propose reviewing as many of the Vir-
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p. 60
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ginia Regiment as are at Fredericksburg, & shall form a Com-
pany of Carpenters at Alexandria at which place I have
ordered them to rendezvous. I am with the greatest Esteem
& Respect
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