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228 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. II,
p. 108
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[Sharpe to Lord Albemarle.]
Iune 22. 1755 —
My Ld
About a Month since I had the pleasure to receive by the
hand of a Stranger the Letter wch you did me the honour to
write the 11th of last July, by wt Accident I have been so long
deprived thereof I could not learn: I also embrace this Oppor-
tunity of Acknowledging the Receipt of your Ldps Favour
including a Lettr to Genl Braddock & to express my Thanks
& Gratitude for the kind mention you were pleased to make
of me therein. Your Ldp I flatter myself will be readily per-
suaded, that neither Disposition nor Endeavours were wanting
on my Part to recommend myself to the General & to approve
myself not entirely unworthy of the notice your Lordsp had
taken of me to him & I have the Satisfaction to think he is not
displeased at my Behaviour or Conduct) tho I should have
been exceedingly glad to have assisted in Person & to have
been better enabled than our assembly thought fit to contribute
to the Success of the Expedition in which he is engaged. I
have this Day received a Letter from him dated the 17th Inst
when he was advanced about 25 Miles from Fort Cumberland
(sometimes called Wills Creek) Westward but perhaps before
I acquaint your Ldp what is now in Action I may be expected
to give a short Relation of wt has been already done or rather
left undone in Consequence of His Majesty's honouring me
with the Commission that I acknowledged the Receipt of to
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p. 109
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your Ldp in Novemr When I was at that time at Williamsburg
tho the winter was then unhappily just approaching I was not
absolutely without hopes of being enabled to satisfy in some
measure my Friend's wishes for my Success & Prosperity I
proposed to Govr Dinwiddie (who had £20000 from England
at his Disposal beside £1500 which his Assembly had granted)
to raise 500 or 600 Men immediately & with them & the
Independant Companies to have made an Attempt on the Fort
that the Enemy had raised at the mouth of the Monongahela,
but whatever were my hopes at that time I was soon convinced
of their Vanity when in Novemr I arrived at Wills Creek
there I learnt that the number of the French at their Fort
exceeded 600, beside several Parties of Indians who were at
their Devotion & submitted to their Command, The Fort tho
small was rendered pretty defensible by a Ditch & two Out
Works before the Curtains that faced the Land on the side of
the Rivers it was well secured by Palisadoes & the Garrison
had laid in a sufficient quantity of Provision for at least the
whole winter. On the Contrary, we had no Provisions yet
procured & with great Difficulty could a Sufficiency be at that
late Season purchased & collected; neither had Govr Din-
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