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388 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. II!
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[enabled & took such Steps to confute a Report which was
entirely groundless & might have been very prejudicial to my
Interest: The inclosed Copy of my Letter to Governor Din-
widdie on my Return from Fort Cumberland will support what
I writ to you about the same time & will shew I presume that
Colonel Dunbar never consulted any of us on the propriety of
marching the Regiments to Phila immediately after the Action
& leaving the Frontiers of these provinces exposed, had he
asked my Opinion thereon He would not I assure you have
obtained my Consent for I thought then as I do now that there
was a wide Difference between marching such an Army as his
was then to attack Fort Du Quesne without Artillery or other
Stores, & remaining on the Defensive at Fort Cumberland or
any other advanced post between that & the Ohio; The last
in my Opinion would have been proper & a very prudent Step
but the first the Height of Quixiotism. As the Assembly of
Pensilvania did not grant any Supplies upon the General's
Defeat, I never met our Assembly on that Event but contented
myself with laying out the little money that was in my hands in
the best manner to secure our back Inhabitants from the Bar-
barities which have been severely felt by those of the Neigh-
bouring Colonies & declined calling the Assembly till I could
lay some Scheme or Plan of Operations before them, & till
I should see their Neighbours set them a laudable Example.
When they met the 23d of Feby I recommended it to them to
contribute to the Execution of the Plan that was concerted at
N York which they have now had under Consideration 6
Weeks without being able to frame or perfect a Bill which the
Committee was ordered to prepare upon their passing a Vote
for £40000. It will make its Appearance I am told next week
but by what I can find in such a Dress as will lay the Upper
House or Myself under a Necessity of refusing it: Should
this be it's Fate & the Virga Assembly break up as that of
Pensilvania has done without granting any Supplies as I have
some reason to fear it will, I leave you to judge whether I have
not a very fair Prospect of being able to reduce Fort Du
Quesne this Summer as I am directed by General Shirley to do
with the Forces that these Colonies shall raise for that purpose.
I inclose you a Copy of the General's Letter which I received
with the Commission & Instructions & also my Answer thereto
since the writing of which my Hopes have daily diminished &
I begin to think that I ought not to be sorry at His Excellency's
having ordered all the Field Pieces that were in these parts
round from Virga to N York; May he use them with greater
Success than I could hope to do here tho I dare not be very
sanguine even in such hopes so much is the Face of Affairs in
America altered within this twelve month —
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