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that our Militia Laws are very defective & that the Officers
are not vested with a sufficient power to compel the Men to
obey all such Orders as they may think proper to issue &c
[Sharpe to Pitt.]
Annapolis the 26th May 1757.
Sir
I do myself the honour to acknowledge the Receipt of your
two Letters dated the 4th & 19th of Feby last, & in answer
thereto to inform you that I have met the General Assembly
of this Province & pressed them in the most earnest manner
to raise with the utmost Expedition as large a Number of
Troops as they could support & as the Earl of Loudoun
required for the Service of the ensuing Campaign.
As there was enough Money already raised & in the
Treasury to support 500 Men during the Summer the As-
sembly were prevailed on without much Difficulty to pass a
Vote for supporting that Number but as this Colony has been
much drained of Men by the Officers of His Majesty's Regu-
lar as well as of the Provincial Troops, I am afraid it will be
some time before the two New Companies that I have given
Orders for raising will be compleated.
In answer to that part of Your Letter whereby You signify
it to be His Majesty's pleasure that these Troops should be
put under the Direction of the Earl of Loudoun or the Officer
that may be appointed to command in these parts I must
inform you that I earnestly recommended it to the Assembly
& insisted on their coming into this measure so long as it was
thought advisable to do so, but I was at length obliged either
to give up this point or dismiss the Assembly without obtain-
ing any Supplies for the general Service or the immediate
Defence of this Province.
In the Act that was made for the Support of the Men they
would insert a Clause directing how they should be posted &
disposed of & tho they were persuaded to leave it to Colo
Stanwix to march a part of them out of the Province on an
Expedition or if the Exigency of Affairs should so require yet
they would not agree to their being disposed of while within
the Province otherwise than is specified in the Act & I am
sorry to say that that Disposition is not quite agreeable to the
Earl of Loudoun's Plan or my own opinion. I learn from
Fort Cumberland that a Sergeant of the Virginia Regiment
& a Catawba Indian who were taken Prisoners & carried to
Fort Du Quesne in November last have lately made their
Escape & declare that the Garrison of that Fort did not in
the Winter exceed One hundred & fifty Men but that a large
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