Archives of Maryland, Volume 0006, Page 0553 - Correspondence of Governor Sharpe, 1753-1757

Correspondence of Governor Sharpe, 1753-1757

Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 553

the Troops in the pay of this Province as a Standing Garrison
in that Fort & I have been obliged to desire Col^o Stanwix to order a Command to releive Capt Dagworthy as soon as pos-
sible or at least to send some Officer to take the Command
for till he be superceeded no Provisions can be issued by the
Agents for him or his Company. I have endeavoured to con-
vince the Assembly of the Impropriety of such a Prohibition
seeing Lord Loudoun had made the Disposition & had ordered
Dagworthy to take possession of the Fort but they were deaf
to all the Arguments I could use & lest they should appear
more tractable than the Pensilvanians (who have refused I am
told to transport any Men to Carolina) they took the Liberty
to tell me that Lord Loudoun must be little acquainted with
the Situation of Fort Cumberland & the Frontiers of Mary-
land or else he never could expect or desire the Inhabitants of
this Province to support Troops to garrison that Place. They
have however put it in the power of Col^o Stanwix to draw as
many of our Men when they are raised out of the Province as
I shall choose to part with or I may order a Detachment from
every Company to do Duty at Fort Cumberland for a Month
& then to be relieved by other Detachments & upon these
Conditions or Considerations I have this Morning assented to
their Bill. I have received a Message from Sixty two Chero-
kees who are come into Fort Frederick wherein they tell me
that they have taken up the Hatchet against the French &
their Indian Allies & that they are come from home by your
Invitation to prosecute the War against them. I shall send
them an Answer with a Present to the Value of Ł100 which is all
that our Assembly have thought proper to appropriate to their
use. I have also ordered the Commissary at Fort Frederick
to supply them with Provisions during their Stay on our Fron-
tiers. I have this Instant received Advice from Fort Cumber-
land that Part of the Garrison under the Command of a Cap-
tain Lieutenant & Ensign had a Skirmish near that place the
fourth of this Month with a Party of Indians who had killed
three Soldiers that were cutting Wood at a little Distance
from the Fort. After Skirmishing some time our people
being much inferiour in Number to the Enemy retreated to the
Fort with two of the Detachment wounded, the Indians dis-
appeared soon afterwards leaving a Matchcoat & a few Trink-
etts on the Place where the action happened. About half an
hour after Sergeant Fent of the Virginia Regiment & a
Catawba who were both taken Prisoners in November last &
carried to Fort Du Quesne came into Fort Cumberland. I
presume you will receive an Account of this & a Copy of
Fents Deposition before my Letter can reach you, wherefore I
will no longer detain the Post but conclude with assuring you
that I am &c

Letter Bk. III

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Correspondence of Governor Sharpe, 1753-1757

Volume 6, Page 553 View pdf image (33K)

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