George Washington to Robert Dinwiddie, 16 April 1756
Winchester April 16th 1756
Honorable Sir
All my Ideal hopes, of raising a Number of Men, to scour the adjacent Mountains, have vanished into Nothing. Yesterday was the appointed Time, for a general Rendezvous of all who were willing to accompany Me, for that desirable End; and only 15 appeared: so that I find myself reduced, to the farther Necessity, of waiting at this Place a few Days longer, till the Arrival of a Party, which was ordered from Fort Cumberland, to escort Me up; the Roads being so infested that none but Hunters who travel the Woods by Night, can pass in Safety. 1
I have done every Thing in my Power, to quiet the Minds of the Inhabitants, by detaching all the Men that I have any Command over, to the Places, which are most exposed: there have also been large Detachments from Fort Cumberland, in Pursuit of the Enemy these 10 Days Past; & yet nothing I fear will prevent them, from abandoning their Dwellings, and flying with the utmost Precipitation.
There have been no Murders committed since I came up; but the Express I sent to Colo. Stephen (notwithstanding he was an excellent Woodsman, & a very active Fellow) was fired upon 5 Times, at a place called the Flats, within 6 Miles of Fort Cumberland: He had several Balls thro. his Coat, and his Horse shot under him, yet made his Escape from Them. 2
By a Letter from a Gent. in WmsBurg, 3 we are informed, that the Assembly have generously given the further Sum of £20,000, and voted the augmenting our Forces to 2000 Men, which is a Number that 4 under good Regulations, We may have some Expectation from, if they are properly appointed; for which Purpose as I have never heard your Honour offer your Opinion, I have been free enough, to project a scheme, which is now inclosed, 5 to have the whole 2000 formed into one Regiment, consisting of two Battalions, of ten Companies each, with five field Officers, each of which to have a Company; & every other Company to consist of 1 Captain, 2 Lieutenants, one Ensign, 4 Serjeants, 4 Corporals, 2 Drums, & 87 private Men, which will save the Country the annual Sum of £5006.16.8. and We be better appointed, and established 6 more after the British Manner, than We now are, or shoud be, if formed into two Regiments, or one Regiment with only 50 Men in a Company and I humbly concieve, where We can pattern after our Mother Country, upon as easy Terms, as pursuing Plans of our own, tha[t] We shoud at least pay that Deference to her Judgment, & Experience[.] By the Scheme I proposed, of forming the Regiment into two Battalions, & of encreasing the Number of Men in a Company to 87 Private, the Country will save the Pay of many commissioned, as well as Noncommissioned officers, who are the Persons that enhance the Expence; for the whole annual Pay of the 2000 Men, including all the Staff Officers, as well as other Commissioned Officers, Serjeants, Corporals, Drums, & private Men, amounts only to £34,145.10.0–whereas were they formed into two Regiments, or one Regiment, of Fifty–s (but that woud be quite incongruous) the Expence, woud amount to £39,152.6.8–which make the aforesaid Difference of £5006.16.8. Then again, We do not allow our Field Offrs Companies, which I believe is the only Instance that can be given, where they are not; & this makes the Difference of three Captains Pay, for the Country allows in the same Proportion.
I have been free enough to offer my opinion very candidly; and in that Light I hope it will be received; tho. it may meet with your Honours Approbation, I had no other Motive in proposing this Scheme, but the pleasing Hope of serving the Country; if I have mistaken the Means, I am sorry for it, & beg pardon for my Presumption.
As I am convinced that no other Method can be used to raise 2000 Men, but by draughting; I hope to be excused, when I again repeat, how great Care shoud be observed in choosing active Marksmen; the manifest Inferiority of inactive Persons, unused to Arms, in this Kind of Service (tho. equal in Numbers) to lively Persons, who have practised hunting, is inconceivable; the Chance against them is more than two to one.
Another Thing I hope will merit the Consideration of the Assembly, and that is that they will put all such Men as are raised for the Expedition, & in actual Pay; 7 under the same Discipline that ours are at present; 8 otherwise I am very well convinced their good Intentions will prove abortive, and all the Draughts quit the Service, as soon or before they are brought into it. I dont concieve it to be a Hardship, to put even Draughts under Martial Law, if they are only taken for a certain Time, which I coud wish to be the Case, as I thereby hope for better Men. I am Your Honour–s most Obedt Hble Servt
Go: Washington
P.S. I have a brother that has long discoverd an Inclination to enter the Service; but has till this, been disswaded from it by my Mother, who now I beleive will give consent. I must therefore beg, that if your honour shoud issue any new Commissions before I come down that you will think of him & reserve a Lieutenancy. I flatter myself that he will endeavour to deserve it as well as some that have, & other–s that may get. 9 I am Yr honour–s most obt
G. Washington