Page:Annals of Augusta County.djvu/77

 granted, and the Governor proceeded to raise a regiment of three hundred men, divided into six companies, of fifty men each. Joshua Fry was Colonel, and Washington, Lieutenant-Colonel; but the latter soon succeeded to the command, on the death of the former. Recruiting went on slowly, till bounty land on the Ohio river was promised to the soldiers. Early in August, 1754, Washington rejoined his regiment at Alexandria, and was urged by the Governor to raise the full complement of men, and unite with Colonel Innes, at Wills's creek.

Governor Dinwiddle wrote to the Earl of Albemarle, August 15, 1754, pleading for assistance from "home," as England was still called. Two regiments of regular forces, he said, would be absolutely necessary. To Earl Granville he wrote on the same day, that the French intended to build forts, not only on the Ohio, but on Greenbrier, Holston and New rivers, and "the back of North Carolina." On the 6th of September, he had heard "complaints from our frontier in Augusta county of many parties of Indians, &c., robbing and ill-treating our people." In another letter of the same date, he says: "The French and Indians are now making incursions among our inhabitants in Augusta county, threatening our people to depart from their plantations, and propose building forts on Holstein's, Green Brier's and other rivers."

"Therefore," wrote the Governor to Washington, September 11, 1754, "I now order you to give a detachment of forty or fifty men to Capt. Lewis. With them he is to march imediately to Augusta county, in order to protect our frontier from the incursions of small parties of Indians, and I suppose some French. Order him to march imediately, and to apply to Col. Patton, the County-Lieutenant, who will direct him where to proceed that he may be most usefull." A letter was addressed to Captain Andrew Lewis the same day—the first of a long series—of which we give a literal copy:

"Sir: I have order'd Colo. W. to give You a detachm't of 40 or 50 Men from his regim't; with them You are imediately to march for Augusta Co'ty. Apply to the Co'ty Lieut, for his direct'n, where You may be most usefull in protect'g the Frontiers of y't Co'ty. If You happen to meet with any Parties of French or Ind's, You are imediately to examine the Ind's, of w't Nat'n, and take them Prisoners, if they cannot give a proper