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Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 115
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the Messengers Return with this answer Governor Denwiddie
thought proper to order a party of 30 Men to advance to the
Ohio some miles below the French Fort & prepare Materials
for erecting a Fortress also upon that River hoping the general
Assembly of Virginia (whom he immediately convened) & the
neighbouring Colonies would enable him not only to compleat
& garrison that Fort but also to recover all the Lands that the
French had taken possession of on that fine River. With the
Supplies granted by the Assembly He proceeded to raise 300
Men in that Province having been also informed from home
that 2 from New York & one of the Independant Companies
from South Carolina were ordered round to Virginia to attend
His Orders & Directions. The Company from Carolina
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Letter Bk. II.
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arrived in Virginia the Latter End of April & those from New
York within 3 or 4 weeks after, but whatever hopes He had
entertained of receiving Assistance from the other Colonies
proved entirely vain & illusive it being not possible as yet to
persuade any of them that they were at all interested in the
Affair or could be in the least affected by the Event & Issue of
the Dispute. With the Force however above numbred &
about 300 Men that were to be sent out from N Carolina to
join them Govr Denwiddie hoped to be able at least to act
defensively & to proceed to erect a Fort or two on Ohio till
He should receive farther Instructions from home for his
Conduct, while He was about to order this Scheme into Execu-
tion Intelligence was brought him that a Body of about 200
French Regulars had on the 17th of April come down on the
small Party who had been ordered out to prepare Materials
for a Fort & had obliged them to relinquish what materials
they had collected for that purpose & to return again to Vir-
ginia. This Information was too soon confirmed to us & the
Enemy immediately begun & have now compleated a Fort
considerably strong & large near the Spot on which our People
had begun to build & have mounted therein several swivels &
some Carriage Guns. At the time that Ensign Ward & His
Detachment made the Surrendry above mentioned the Rest of
the Virginia Corps & the South Carolina Company under the
Command of one Mr Washington were advancing to support
them & fortify themselves on the River but on being acquainted
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p. 14
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with the cause of this their unexpected Return as soon as the
Party met him He declined proceeding till He should be rein-
forced by the other Troops who were now in motion toward
him & in the mean time employed himself in opening a Road
from the Frontiers of this Province toward the Enemy's Fort,
while He was in this situation about Midway between the
English Settlements & the Enemy a Party of His Men fell in
with Monsieur Jumonville a Lieutenant & about 30 Men
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p. 15
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