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Letter Bk. III
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those that want it so well as the Person that is best acquainted
with both. I am glad however that some of those you regard
& esteem are left behind & I most heartily wish you & them
the greatest Success. I am obliged to you for encouraging
General Forbes to entertain a favourable opinion of me & of
my Desires to forward the Service but I am much afraid that
it will not be in my power to confirm it. In short I cannot
promise him any men from this Province unless He or General
Abercromby will engage to pay them & I have taken the
Liberty to tell him as much in the Letter I have now sent.
It is well Cape Dagworthy & the Rest of our Officers taught
their men to live without Victuals last Summer otherwise they
may not have found it so easy a matter to keep them together
6 months without pay in the Winter, how much longer they
will be contented to serve on this Footing I cannot tell but
lest Accidents should happen I hope some other Troops will
be ordered to Fort Cumberland as soon as possible. I wish
you had told the General when he was writing to me to get a
quantity of Forage laid in at the mouth of Conegochiegh that
it will be impossible to get any thing in those Parts without
ready money there being more than £2000 still due to the
People of Frederick County on Account of General Braddock's
Expedition, I will however write to a Trusty Man a Colo of
Militia who lives in that neighbourhood & desire him to
engage as much as he can get at a reasonable price but you
must not expect that a Ration will be delivered till the People
are well assured that the Cash is at the mouth of the Creek.
By the time that our Assembly breaks up it is likely you will
be on the Frontiers of Maryland in that Case vou may expect
a Visit from me but a Journey to Phila is really what I cannot
think of, tho I would most readily take a much longer one if
I could thereby contribute in the least Degree to the Success
of the Expedition you are about to engage in. If you cannot
be supplied with any tolerable Wine at Phila I will upon the
least Intimation endeavour to get you any quantity that you
may want in this Province but it will be out of my Power to
send you such Madeira as you had at Fort Cumberland or
better that what you commonly meet with in Philaa I have a
Hhd of Prize Claret at my Command which if it be agreeable
to you shall be bottled & sent to Fort Frederick —
[Sharpe to St. Clair.]
29th of March 1758.
Dear Sir
Since I wrote to you the 27th Inst I have talked with Lieut'
Shelby an Officer of our Provincials who is well acquainted
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