XXX
I had thus engaged as a volunteer, much against the wishes of my mother, who, as she said, saw no good in war and entreated me not again to expose myself to peril in the wilderness. If the French had been of her opinion as to war, I might have stayed at home. We had an unpleasant meeting, or rather parting, for she did little else but lament; but what was there I could do? I left her in tears.
I have no intention to record here the full history of this expedition, but rather to revive for my own interest what I, personally, saw, and what is nowhere else fully set down.
My appointment gave satisfaction to many friends, who felt more deeply than I myself that in the matter of commissions and as to the Villiers affair—for that was soon noised about—I had been ill treated by the governor. The favourable sentimentsthus expressed could not, under the circumstances, be other than pleasing to a mind which had always walked a straight line and endeavoured, as far as human frankness and strong passions would allow, to discharge the relative duties to his Maker and to his fellow-countrymen without by indirect means seeking popularity.
As I pause here before making the effort to recall some of the incidents of the disastrous events in which I was to have a share, I remember with pleasure the friends who felt that my honourable invitation from a veteran general was a final answer to the censures of the King’s governor.
Nor, in looking back over the greater war and my life in office, have I had reason to complain of want of affection from those whose esteem I desired to retain. Many times in my life I have, however, had just cause to complain of things said of me by those who possessed my regard, but I have in all such cases felt it better not to sacrifice a friendship on account of ill temper or the indiscretion of the hour, and am made happy in the belief that I have thus been able to keep what I would not willingly have lost. Where men have been needed inthe service or in office, I have been still more desirous of forgiving words or actions which affected me alone, but which did not in the end destroy their usefulness. Nor have I myself been without need to be thus considered, for at times I am by nature irritable and short of temper. Lawrence once said to me that he found it more easy to forgive his enemies than his friends; but this I did not clearly see, and, after all, if a man is resolved to keep himself from thinking of what is said against him, the memory of it soon becomes dulled and there is less need of forgiveness.
Among the many evidences of esteem I had before the Braddock affair was a letter from Captain Peyronney, now recovered of his wound, but to die bravely on the Monongahela. He must have heard that I had been ill spoken of by Major Muse and perhaps by others. He wrote very odd English, but I could hardly find fault with his meaning.
Sir: I Shan’t make Bold to Describe the proceedings of the House [of Burgesses], which no doute you have had already Some hint of. I only will make use of these three expressions:furtim venerunt;invane Sederunt; andperturbate Redierunt.But all that is matere of indifference to the wirginia Regiment Collo. Washington will still Remain att the head of it, and I spect with more esplendor than ever; for (as I hope) notwithstanding we will Be on the British stabichment, we shall be augmented to Six houndred and by those means entitle you to the Name not only of protector of your Contry But to that of the flower of the wirginians, By the powers you’ll have in your hands to prove it So.Many enquired to me about Muses Braveries; poor Body I h’d pity him ha’nt he had the weakness to Confes his coardies him self, and the impudence to taxe all the reste of the oficiers withoud exception of the same imperfection, for he said to many of the Consulars and Burgeses that he was Bad But th’ the reste was as Bad as he:—To speak francly had I been in town at that time I cou’nt help’d to make use of my horse’s wheap for to vindicate the injury of that villain.he Contrived his Business so that several ask me if it was true that he had challeng’d you to fight: my answer was no other But that he should rather chuse to go to hell thand doing of it, for had he had such thing declar’d: that was his Sure Road—I have made my particular Business to tray if any had some Bad intention against you hereBelow: But thank God I meet allowais with a goad wish for you from evry mouth each one entertining such Caracter of you as I have the honnour to do my Self who am the Most humbleAnd Obediant of your ServantsLe Chevalier de Peyronney.
Sir: I Shan’t make Bold to Describe the proceedings of the House [of Burgesses], which no doute you have had already Some hint of. I only will make use of these three expressions:furtim venerunt;invane Sederunt; andperturbate Redierunt.
But all that is matere of indifference to the wirginia Regiment Collo. Washington will still Remain att the head of it, and I spect with more esplendor than ever; for (as I hope) notwithstanding we will Be on the British stabichment, we shall be augmented to Six houndred and by those means entitle you to the Name not only of protector of your Contry But to that of the flower of the wirginians, By the powers you’ll have in your hands to prove it So.
Many enquired to me about Muses Braveries; poor Body I h’d pity him ha’nt he had the weakness to Confes his coardies him self, and the impudence to taxe all the reste of the oficiers withoud exception of the same imperfection, for he said to many of the Consulars and Burgeses that he was Bad But th’ the reste was as Bad as he:—
To speak francly had I been in town at that time I cou’nt help’d to make use of my horse’s wheap for to vindicate the injury of that villain.
he Contrived his Business so that several ask me if it was true that he had challeng’d you to fight: my answer was no other But that he should rather chuse to go to hell thand doing of it, for had he had such thing declar’d: that was his Sure Road—
I have made my particular Business to tray if any had some Bad intention against you hereBelow: But thank God I meet allowais with a goad wish for you from evry mouth each one entertining such Caracter of you as I have the honnour to do my Self who am the Most humble
And Obediant of your Servants
Le Chevalier de Peyronney.
I had much cause to feel grateful for such friends, and I may here add that, as concerns Van Braam, I had his censure reversed when I myself became a member of the House of Burgesses.
As soon as possible after bringing my affairs into order, I set out, determined to lose no chance to perfect my military education.
At Fredericktown I met the general, and on May 10 was announced in general orders as aide, with brevet rank of captain. I rode thence in advance to Winchester, where I had need to send a servant to borrow fresh horses from my friend Lord Fairfax, who himself came later from Greenway Court to meet me and rode with me about one hundred miles to Wills Creek, near to which was Fort Cumberland, so named for the captain-general.
On the last day of our ride, as we rode onover, I do believe, the most abominable roads in the world, I described to his lordship the array of well-drilled men, sailors, artillery, etc., I had seen at Alexandria, landed from Admiral Keppel’s fleet, and said, if I remember, that it was a great advantage to serve under a gentleman of General Braddock’s abilities and experience, and that as to any danger from the enemy, I considered it as trifling, for I believed the French would be obliged to exert their utmost strength to repel the attacks about to be made on their forts at Niagara and Crown Point.