MILITARY AND POLITICAL AFFAIRS IN THE THE EFFECT OF BRADDOCK'S DEFEAT, AND OF JOHNSON'S VICTORY OVER DIESKAU; PARTY DISSENSIONS in Maryland and PennsylvanIA. BY DANIEL DULANY. [Several years ago, Mr. Oswald Tilghman, of Easton, Maryland, discovered the following "News-Letter," written by Mr. Dulany. It is a fine specimen of that class of letter writing which the Telegraph, the Printing Press, and other modern improvements will soon cause to be numbered among the "Lost Arts." Before the era of newspapers and pamphlets, letters like that of Mr. Dulany were seldom reserved for the eyes of those alone to whom they were addressed, but received a wider circulation. Thus the views of prominent persons were disseminated, and commented upon by their associates, and the letters themselves not unfrequently copied. The one we print was found among the papers of Charles Carroll, "Barrister," as he was called, to distinguish him from Charles Carroll of Carrollton. The barrister married a daughter of the Hon. Matthew Tilghman, Mr. Oswald Tilghman's great-grandaunt. The views of one so eminent as Daniel Dulany, of the condition of the Colonies at such a critical period in their history as 1755, are deserving of no small weight, but it must be borne in mind in reading his arraignment of the Quakers in the Assembly of Pa., that it was written under circumstances that would have made it difficult for one, better acquainted with the tenets of the Friends than it was the fortune of Mr. Dulany to be, to do justice to their motives. The letter treats very fully of Braddock's Expedition and Defeat, a theme it would appear of lasting interest from the continued demand for the history of it written by the late Winthrop Sargent, and published by the Historical Society.-ED.] DEAR SIR: ANNAPOLIS, 9th Dec. 1755. As the critical situation we are in, and your connections with this place, will, I presume, recommend to you any intelligence from hence, however imperfect, and as I have the strongest inclination to cultivate an acquaintance I found so much pleasure in, I have set myself down to scribble to you a long letter, which I am sure you'll at least excuse for the subject and motive. We, who were scarcely known out of our own country, have now the eyes of all Europe turned upon us, as our importance begins to be understood. Perhaps in less than a century, the ministers may know that we inhabit part of a vast continent, and the rural gentry hear that we are not all black, that we live in houses, speak English, wear clothes, and have some faint notions of Christianity. Have you any cows, or horses in Maryland, sir? is a question I have been often asked, and when I have answered in the affirmative, the reply has been, Oh! Oh! you do not get them from Old England then! But it is no wonder that such a question shou'd be asked twenty miles from London, when a certain committee during the application for the Salt Bill were wise enough to ask-Have you any rivers? Pray, how many? Have you any fish in them? Pray, how many? Well, pray tell us, did you ever kill any fish in passing any of your rivers as you call them? and if the answer happen to be in the affirmative, which it might be, and be very true, the witness was certainly dismissed. What man of prudence would venture to tell an English fox-hunter that there are some among us who hunt fish on horseback? But yet, perhaps, this would be as easily believed, as that one set of people could be so infatuated as to declare against the right of selfdefence, when barbarians the most cruel and merciless were in the heart of their country, or that another should be so tenacious of what they call Privilege as to expose themselves an easy prey to rapacious invaders, or many others their lives, as has really happened. To you who know what our politicks have been, I dare to write, but only to you, or such as you, in whom I may expect to raise some admiration at the extremity of our folly and distractions, but as you have seen the symptoms of them, I may expect some belief. In 1856 I witnessed twenty or more men on horseback, with flambeaux and spears, fishing in the James River, about one hundred miles above Richmond.-T. W. When the English troops arrived at Alexandria,1 having heard much of their gallant appearance, I was led by curiosity to pay them a visit; but I had not been long in the place before I had too much reason to apprehend an unhappy issue to the expedition. The greatest animosity appeared among some of the principal officers. I heard of young men being favorites, and of others, whose rank and age and character entitled them to respect, being in disgrace, and kept at a distance. As there always will be attachments from personal regard, or considerations of interest in every army, it can rarely happen that any animosity among officers of rank will be exclusively confined to themselves-it soon becomes contagious, even private men catch the disease. When the two regiments left Alexandria, they took different routes,2 Halkett's3 through Virginia, and Dunbar's' through this Province. With all the care and prudence in the world, the march of the troops could not but prove burthensome. No magazines of provisions had been established, and the counties being but thinly and poorly settled, were but little able to supply those necessaries and conveniences the troops might want. Many irregularities The house occupied by Gen. Braddock was the residence of Col. John Carlyle,* who tendered it for the General's use. It was built by Col. Carlyle, and is still standing, but in front of it modern buildings have been constructed that conceal it from those who pass along the street. Its site adjoins that of the Mansion House, which is at the corner of Fairfax and Cameron Streets. These names are yet preserved, and are historical for the Fairfaxes are the Barons of Cameron in the Peerage of Scotland. The family has continued its residence in this country; the present Lord Fairfax residing in Maryland. At Col. Carlyle's house was a young colored servant girl, named Penny, to whom Gen. Braddock, on leaving, said, "You are only a penny now, but I hope on my return you will be two pence." And this is his only saying that is remembered.—T. W. 2 The routes are still called by the people of the country "Braddock's Roads."-T. W. Sir Peter Halkett, Colonel of the 44th Regt., who was killed at the Defeat of Braddock, see History of Braddock's Expedition, by Winthrop Sargent, p. 294. Col. Dunbar, of the 48th Regt. He succeeded Braddock in the command of the expedition. *Not Carey, as stated in Lossing's Mount Vernon and its Associations. were committed by the troops in this Province, which nothing can excuse our people were treated as slaves, and as arrogance unchecked knows no bounds, the military soon silenced the civil power, property became dependent on the moderation of a licentious soldiery triumphing over the sanction of laws, and the authority of magistracy. Soon after the General's arrival at Fredericktown, orders were issued to the recruiting officers to enlist all able-bodied men, servants not excepted. These orders were punctually executed by the officers of Dunbar's Regiment, to the great injury and oppression of many poor people, whose livelihood depended in great measure upon their property in their servants. We had but one recruiting officer from Halkett's Regiment, and it is remarkable that he did not enlist, or offer to enlist, one servant, and I have been informed that the few servants who were enlisted in Virginia in pursuance of these orders by the officers of Halkett's Regiment, were discharged by the Colonel upon the application of the masters, and such was the prudence and humanity of that worthy gentleman, and Lieutenant-Col. Gage, that every one in Virginia is satisfied.' No more inconvenience was suffered by the march of that regiment, than such a body of men must necessarily occasion in a young and thinly-settled country. It is doing Sir Peter Halkett's memory but mere justice, to say that his good sense, courteous behavior, and benevolence deservedly gained him universal esteem among us, and that it is more than probable if his advice had had the influence it merited, the most disgraceful and scandalous defeat that ever was heard of, would have been prevented. We all wish that Mr. Gage's merit may be rewarded by his being appointed to succeed his late worthy colonel. To those of our readers who only associate the name of Gage with the troubles at Boston, and the siege of that Town, it may be of interest to know that his services in America were long and valuable. He was under Amherst in the expedition against Ticonderoga, was made Maj.-Gen. in 1761, and Gov. of Montreal. Succeeded Amherst as Commander of the British troops in America in 1763, and was made Lieut.-Gen in 1770. He married, Dec. 1758, Margaret, daughter of Peter Kemble, President of the Council of N. J. General Braddock came to us with the character of a brave and experienced officer. His personal courage none can doubt of, and had his favorites been men of more experience and judgment, he might have gathered laurels where he and his army were cruelly butchered. He was too much directed by some hot-bloods about him, whose preferment depending upon the taking of Fort Du Quesne, they pushed him on, and inflamed his natural temerity. He was fatally persuaded to believe that his very appearance would vanquish the foe, and that he would have it in his power to say, veni, vidi, vici. The plan for the campaign was framed by Mr. Shirley,' and with so much prudence, that there was the greatest reason to hope from it a lasting security to our Colonies. The scheme was to attack the enemy in four different places at the same time, in Nova Scotia, at Fort Du Quesne, Niagara, and Crown Point, and had it been as successfully executed on Mr. Braddock's part as it was in Nova Scotia, he would have had such a body of troops under his command, that, in case of a rupture with France, might well have alarmed all Canada. Shirley was obliged to attend the General at Alexandria to propose his plan. No steps could be taken to the northward, except in regard to Nova Scotia, towards carrying it into execution, till it had received the General's approbation, and when it did, Shirley was to return home, his and Pepperell's' Regiments were to be completed, the New England Troops to be assembled under Johnson, and provided with all necessaries, contracts to be made, magazines erected, provisions collected, batteaux built, in short everything to be prepared to the Northward. No one imagined that Braddock would march from He 1 One of the ablest of the Colonial Governors of Massachusetts. planned the expedition against Cape Breton in 1745, and at the time Mr. Dulany wrote was Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in N. A. In 1759 he was made Lt.-Gen. His son was Secretary to Braddock, and was killed on the 8th of July, 1755.-Drake. Mr. Bancroft states that Shirley was a worn-out barrister, who knew nothing of war." 2 See Life of Sir William Pepperell, Bart., the only native of New England who was created a Baronet during our connection with the Mother Country. By Usher Parsons, Boston, 1856. |