Wednesday, April 24, 2019

George Washington's Southwestern Virginia Frontier fort Tour, 1756


 George Washington by Peale, ca 1772, Washington & Lee, Lexington, Va.

On October 10th, 1756, Colonel George Washington sent an express to Lt. Governor Robert Dinwiddie including an overview of his "remarks and observations on the situations of our frontiers". Washington had left his quarters in Winchester for Augusta Courthouse (Staunton) in late September. Hoping to gather a large militia force to "scour the woods,..and,... fall in with the enemy", he waited in vain for several days before proceeding with only five men including Virginia Ranger Captain and militia officer William Preston to Colonel Buchanan's house at Looney's Ferry (modern Buchanan Virginia).



A modern, conjectural sketch of William Preston as a Virginia Ranging company officer, ca. 1756

From there he rode roughly 60 miles away to the modern town of Shawsville, Virginia at  "Vass's, on the Roanoke" where Virginia Provincial Captain Hogg was [re] building a fort." The earlier Fort at Vass or Vause/Vauxe/etc. (termed a "blockhouse" in the Boston and NY papers) was burned in a June 1756 raid by a war party led by Battle of the Monongahela veteran François-Marie Picoté, sieur de Belestre II- likely the southernmost attack conducted by Canadian troops in that war. Some of the prisoners from the Fort were carried into captivity as far off as Detroit and Quebec. Ranging Company Sergeant Peter Luney testified that he lost “a rifle Gun of the value of Four Pounds ten Shillings” when he was captured at  Fort Vause.



A 1740s French Marine musket, the stock is branded "Au Roy" Private Collection.

 Belestre would be in Virginia again after an unsuccessful raid on Fort Cumberland, Maryland in 1757; this time as a prisoner of the Virginia Provincials at Fort Loudon in Winchester. Belestre's nephew, Philippe Dagneau of Saussaye, St. Ours and three French soldiers were killed in the same ambush . Washington's account of Belestre's (aka "Velistre") capture can be found here and there is also his June 20th, letter mentioning Belestre's interrogation.


Washington reported that "We got safely to Vass's, where Captain Hogg, with only eighteen of his company, was building a fort, which must employ him till Christmas without more assistance."

Hogg would eventually be relieved of his command, and an interesting Inventory of the Stores Belonging to ye Garrison at Vasses survives from the next year when he was forced by Washington to relinquish the fort to Captain Thomas Bullitt.

 After a disappointing tour of Hogg's efforts, Washington reported that "From Vass's I came off with a servant and a guide, to visit and range of forts in this country; and in less than two hours after, two men were killed along the same road."  Then on to "within five miles of the Carolina line, as I was proceeding to the southernmost fort in Halifax, I met Major Lewis on his return from the Cherokees, with seven men and three women only of that nation."

Washington's final stop was Fort Trial in Halifax (near modern Martinsville). Fort Trial was later described by J.F.D. Smyth as "... a quadrangular polygon, inclosed with large timber, and cuts of trees split in two, about twelve or fixteen feet high above the ground, standing erect, and about three or four feet in the earth, and quite close together, with loop holes cut through about four or five feet from the ground for small arms. There was also something like a bastion at each angle, which, however, could scarcely be faid to flank the curtains; and a log-house, musket proof, on each side of the gate. ". Within the area, nearly in the centre, was a common house framed and boarded, filled in, to the height of fix feet, with stones and clay on the inside, as a de- fence against small arms; it was covered only with shingles made of pine, which could be easily fet on fire as well as every other part of the whole structure, without exception."

After leaving Fort Trial, Washington continued on to Captain Preston's Garrison on the Catawba, Fort William.



GW To ROBERT DINWIDDIE Winchester, November 9, 1756.


Honble. Sir: In mine from Halifax I promised your Honor a particular detail of my remarks and observations upon the situation of our frontiers, when I arrived at this place. Although I was pretty explicit in my former, I cannot avoid recapitulating part of the subject now, as my duty, and its importance for redress are strong motives.




Washington encountered "whooping, hallooing gentlemen soldiers" Image: Philip Burlton by George Townshend, 4th Viscount and 1st Marquess Townshend pen and ink, 1751-1758 NPG 4855(41)© National Portrait Gallery, London


From Fort Trial on Smith's River, I returned to Fort William on the Catawba, where I met Colonel Buchanan with about thirty men, (chiefly officers,) to conduct me up Jackson's River, along the range of forts. With this small company of irregulars, with whom order, regularity, circumspection, and vigilance were matters of derision and contempt, we set out, and, by the protection of Providence, reached Augusta Court House in seven days, without meeting the enemy; otherwise we must have fallen a sacrifice, through the indiscretion of these whooping, hallooing gentlemen soldiers!


Washington was not only disappointed by the lack of progress at Vause's, but also the very low number of Cherokee allies Lewis was able to gather. He followed up with Dinwiddie on the sad state of Virginia's frontier militia and forts in November once he returned to Winchester in the November 9th letter linked above.

This jaunt afforded me an opportunity of seeing the bad regulation of the militia, the disorderly proceedings of the garrisons, and the unhappy circumstances of the inhabitants...
 Then these men, when raised, are to be continued only one month on duty, half of which time is lost in their marching out and home, (especially those from the adjacent counties,) who must be on duty some time before they reach their stations; by which means double sets of men are in pay at the same time, and for the same service. Again, the waste of provision they make is unaccountable; no method or order in being served or purchasing at the best rates, but quite the reverse. Allowance for each man, as other soldiers do, they look upon as the highest indignity, and would sooner starve, than carry a few days' provision on their backs for conveniency. But upon their march, when breakfast is wanted, knock down the first beef, &c, they meet with, and, after regaling themselves, march on until dinner, when they take the same method, and so for supper likewise, to the great oppression of the people....I might add, I believe, that, for the want of proper laws to govern the militia by (for I cannot ascribe it to any other cause), they are obstinate, self-willed, perverse, of little or no service to the people, and very burthensome to the country. Every mean individual has his own crude notions of things, and must undertake to direct. If his advice is neglected, he thinks him self slighted, abased, and injured; and, to redress his wrongs, will depart for his home. These, Sir, are literally matters of fact, partly from persons of undoubted veracity, but chiefly from my own observations.


 

   Secondly, concerning the garrisons. I found them very weak for want of men; but more so by indolence and irregularity. None I saw in a posture of defence, and few that

might not be surprised with the greatest ease... Of the ammunition they are as careless as of the provisions, firing it away frequently at targets for wagers. On our journey, as we approached one of their forts, we heard a quick fire for several minutes, and concluded for certain that they were attacked; so we marched in the best manner to their relief; but when we came up, we found they were diverting at marks.

These men afford no assistance to the unhappy settlers, who are drove from their plantations, either in securing their harvests, or gathering in their corn... Of the many forts, which I passed by, I saw but one or two that had their captains present, they being absent chiefly on their own business, and had given leave to several of the men to do the same. Yet these persons, I will venture to say, will charge the country their full month's pay."

Aside from the Yorktown campaign, Washington also came through the southern states and somewhat near his 1756 route again in 1791.

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