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254 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. III
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You cannot easily conceive how the Loss of the Earl of Lou-
doun is now regretted in America, as well in these Southern
Colonies as to the Northward, indeed nothing has seemed to
go on rightly with us since His Lordship was superceeded,
the plan which he had laid for an early Expedition agst Fort
Du Quesne was at once overset by the Troops which he had
quartered for that purpose in Maryland & Pensa last Winter
being ordered to the Northward as soon as General Aber-
cromby assumed the Chief Command, beside you must know
that His Ldp begun to be regarded among us as a Vice Roy
& to have great Influence in all the Colonies which I am apt
to think his Successors will never have. The Inactivity as it
has been called of the last Campaign was indeed censured for
a while but after the People had heard Affairs represented in
their true light they were perfectly reconciled to His Ldp's
Conduct & were universally of opinion that the Event of this
Campaign had he continued at the Head of His Majesty's
Forces in America would have been equal to their wishes, at
least that His Ldp would have used his utmost Endeavours
to make it answer their Expectations. I had before heard &
since I have seen Brigadier Forbes I have the greatest Reason
to believe that General Abercromby & he have been on very
ill Terms ever since the Earl of Loudoun left them, who has
been to blame for this I cannot tell as I have only had an
opportunity of hearing one of them speak of the Affair & he
too at a time when his Indisposition & several Disappoint-
ments which he had met with had rendered him much dissat-
isfied with his Situation & prospect.
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Letter Bk. I.
p. 366
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[Sharpe to Baltimore.]
F Frederick the 2yth of Augst 1758.
My Lord
In the last Letter which I did myself the Honour to address
to Your Ldp the 9th of Inly I gave it as my opinion that the
Troops destined for this Western Expedition would not be on
the Alleganny Mountains before the Middle of this Month but
I have now the Pleasure to inform you that 3000 of them
among whom are most of the Highland Battalion & the four
Companies of Royal Americans are advanced to a River called
the Laurel hannon which is about 70 Miles beyond Rays
Town & 35 to the Eastward of Fort Du Quesne & near this
River Sr Iohn St Clair is I am informed building a Stoccado
Fort for the Reception of a quantity of Stores & Provisions.
There remain at Rays Town about 1800 & some Detach-
ments are still employed in convoying Stores from different
places to Raes Town. The General is at Shippensburg more
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