Page:Historic highways of America (Volume 5).djvu/100

96 small repairs, as could with ease be made as fast as the army would march." On the twenty-first he wrote: "The bridge is finished at this place, and tomorrow Major Peachey, with three hundred men, will proceed to open General Braddock's road. I shall direct them to go to George's Creek, ten miles in advance. By that time I may possibly hear from you for it will be needless to open a road, of which no use will be made afterwards." Thus it is clear that, as late as July 20, Washington at Fort Cumberland, Bouquet at Raystown, and Forbes at Carlisle were all in doubt as to the army's route.

On July 21 Bouquet wrote General Forbes: "I waited for the return of Captain Ward before replying [to Forbes's letters of the 14th and 17th inst]. He arrived yesterday evening, his journal being so vague and confused that I could not understand anything from it. Captain Gordon is making an extract from it which I send with this. They are convinced that a waggon road could be made across Lau-