Maryland Governor Horatio Sharpe to General William Shirley, August 29, 1755
extracted from
Correspondence of Governor Horatio Sharpe, Volume I, 1753-1757, edited by William Hand Browne
(Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1888), page 273.
[Sharpe to Shirley.]
August 29th 1755
Dr Genl
I take this Opportunity by a young Gentn one Mr West who is ambitious of serving under your Command to acknowledge the Receipt of Your Favr of the 13th together with a Copy of your Lettr & Instructions to Colo Dunbar. I presume the Colo Concluding from the Resolutions of the Pensa Assembly that little was to be expected from either of these Provinces towards carrying on another Expedition to the westward till the Legislature of great Britain shall compell us is proceeding to receive your immediate Commands in the Province of N York. The Provincial Troops that were left to Garrison Fort Cumberland I hear desert daily. near a fortnight since they had reduced themselves to 160, & Govr Innes tells me he is not without Apprehensions of being attacked or invested by the French & their Indians, who according to some Intelligence he has lately received have discovered & dug up the Artillery & Stores that Colo Dunbar buried in his Retreat, & were about to construct some place of Defence at Coll Dunbars Encampment. The Virga Assembly has granted 40000 for the service & Govr Dinwiddie speaks of raising 1200 men therewith & sending them to build a Fort somewhere near the meadows or just over the Alleganny Hills, but I doubt he will scarcely execute such a scheme for it will require no small number of Men to protect the Frontiers of that Province wch have been much infested by Indians since Generl Braddocks misfortune. The Inhabitants who dwelt in the distant parts of Virga on New River & that called Green Brier have all left their Plantations: Our People too have many of them fled to the more populous Parts of the Country tho no Enemy has lately appeared on this side Potowmack River - Beside Capt Dagworthys Company (that followed the Genl) which is now at Fort Cumberland we have a Command of 20 on our Frontiers which are supported by a subscription till some Lettrs from England shall determine our Controversies & give me room to meet our Assembly & ask them for Supplies with greater probability of being regarded more than I have hitherto been when I mentioned such a Subject. Wishing you Success &c I am