your publick Speech, at a time when you do know his Majesty's Ministers have signify'd to you, that it is the Intention of his Majesty's Orders, that you depart for England without Delay: A Copy of this Letter I shall send to his Majesty's Ministers, as a Justification of myself, that I have done my Duty. Letter from the Earl of Loudoun to Major General Shirley dated Septr. 6th, 1756. In Majr. Genl. Shirley's Letter of Septr. 15th. 1756. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO THE GENERAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS 1 1 GENTLEMEN OF THE COUNCIL AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Your Committee deliver'd me this day your Message in answer to my speech to both Houses of the 30th of August2 upon the Subject of Augmenting the Troops of this Province, pursuant to the Right Honble: Earl of Loudoun's Demand in his Letter of 20th of the same Month, together with your Vote of the 7th: instant for making Provision for 1000 Men, to be drafted upon the Emergency therein mention'd out of Four of the Regiments in the Counties of Hampshire and Worcester, in order to be march'd as soon as they shall re 1 Mass. Archives. P. R. O., C. O. 5, 47; inclosed in Loudoun to Fox, Oct. 3, 1756. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. 2 See Shirley's speech of Aug. 30, and note regarding message of General Court in answer to the same, ante, pp. 522 and 527. ceive certain Intelligence from General Winslow of the Motions of the French army to Attack the Provincial Forces, that he Judges it Necessary for them to march to his Assistance, and to be sent home as soon as the Enemy may be withdrawn. I could have wish'd, Gentlemen, you had made Provision for immediately sending this Reinforcement to Albany to be employed in such manner for his Majesty's service as the Earl of Loudoun should Judge proper, either towards Crown Point or Oswego, as I recommended to you in my Speech. Besides Gentlemen, this provision for 1000 Men's holding themselves in readiness, and not to march at present, seems not Calculated to guard against the instant sudden danger we are expos'd to from the Enemy, nor to answer the example which I recommended to you to set the other Colonies; some of which are so Situated as not to be Capable of sending timely Assistance after receiving intelligence of the motions of a French army to Attack the Forces at Lake George. I would also observe to you Gentlemen, that even if the 1000 mens holding themselves in readiness for marching upon the before mention'd Emergency was Sufficient Yet the Orders for their marching should have been left intirely to the Earl of Loudoun. The Kings General is Commander in Chief of that Expedition as well as others upon this Continent, and of the Forces employed in it and who is undoubtedly the best Judge of what his Majesty's Service requires upon this Occasion.1 I would further observe, Gentlemen, The reasons given. in your message for not making an immediate Augmentation of Your Troops seem not Sufficient. I had Appriz'd the Earl of Loudoun of my issuing Warrants for Impressing 600 men to Compleat your Quota Voted in the beginning of 1 It is interesting to note in the correspondence of Shirley his insistence on the precedence to be given to the commander in chief appointed by the king. He acts on the principle to which he had held fast in his controversy with Sir William Johnson, but which the latter, supported by the Government of New York, had refused to recognize. See Shirley to Hardy, Nov. 8, 1755, ante, p. 324. this Campaigne, several days before I received his Lordships letter of the 20th August; also though you may have received information from your Committee at Albany of his Lordships orders to the Genls. of the Provincial Forces to proceed no further towards Crown point at present, yet those may arise from his Lordships thinking that those Troops are not of themselves sufficiently strong to make it adviseable for them to move towards the Enemy without a Body of British Troops to support them: which his Lordship seems in his Letter to think he cant at present spare for that purpose; so that those Orders seem rather to be an Argument for immediately Augmenting your Troops, which I think it would be adviseable for you to do considering our present danger even though the Provincial Troops should not march further this Campaigne. I must therefore recommend it to you Gentlemen, to reconsider your Vote, and to make a more Suitable provision for the present Emergency of his Majestys service, and for the Security of these Colonies than that which you have made in your Vote appears to me to be. I likewise in my Speech, Gentlemen, desired you to Consider and advise me how a Number of Carriages or Ox Teams for Transporting Provisions for the Forces under his Lordships Command may be procured in the most Expeditious and Effectual Manner in the parts of this Province nearest to Albany, which as you have Omitted to do either in your Vote or Message I would desire you to take under your immediate Consideration. Province House Sepr: 8th: Copy Attest Thos: Clarke Depty: Secry. W. SHIRLEY. WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO THE EARL OF Paragraph 2d. The Mermaid, has been on Service with Commodore Holmes, (all Sum a mer,) who is certainly Judge, when a Ship is proper for the Service he really wanted Men to fit her for Service, there has come in and gone out, many a Merchant Ship since she came to Boston, sends her on; If she Boston, September 13th, 1756. MY LORD, I have the Honor of Your Lordship's Letter of the 6th Instant; and must take the Liberty absolutely to deny Your Lordship's Charge of delaying to Obey His Majesty's Orders to me for going to England. 2. Tho' the Mermaid arrived at Boston the 13th August, yet she is to this day, as Captain Shirley, who Commands her, Assures me, 40 men Short of Complement, which Deficiency, there is no other possible way, at this Juncture, of making up here, But by sending out a as will appear by Mr: Schooner to Cruise between the two Shirley's Letters going home, whilst he delays Capes, in order to impress Men out of the Man of War with my Vessells, that she Shall find at Sea there, which is done. Packets at Boston. Paragraph 3d. The Plan for taking 3. Your Lordship is pleased to tell me, Crown Point was formed in December; the Act that You have not received the least at Boston for raising the Aid or Assistance in the Service, under Troops etca. for that Service, past the Assembly, your Command, from my delaying; the Court, and had the Your Lordship well knows, that since February 16h by the best my being at Boston, I have Issued War Governors concurrence 1 P. R. O., C. O. 5, 47. This copy contains the comments of Loudoun in the margin, and was inclosed by him in his letter of Oct. 3 to Fox. Shirley's copy lacks these comments, and was forwarded by him in his letter of Sept. 15, post, p. 563. A transcript of each copy is in the Library of Congress, and of the latter in the Parkman Papers, Mass. Hist. Society. See also Loudoun to Committee of War at Boston of Sept. 13, post, p. 561. Information I can get, rants for raising 600 Men out of This when the Troops from Massachusets Marched, province; the Carrying of which into they wanted of their Execution, hath, and will be Still atQuota 1100 Men; they have since, lost many by tended with no small Difficulty and there Sickness, death etc. is the utmost reason to think, would not On the 13h of September, Mr. Shirley is endeav- have been in the least Effected, If I had ouring to raise 600 Men, not done it. to make up part of those deficiencies, and to March. them 250 Miles to serve this Campaign. I do not look on this as any Aid to the Service. Paragraph 4th The two Companies of 4. Your Lordship likewise well knows, Rangers here mentioned, that I have sent You, since my arrival were part of those pro- here, two Companies of Rangers; what vided by Mr: Shirley, to be raised at the King's is it Your Lordship esteems to be an Aid Expence, to attend the or Assistance in the Service under your Provincials, not the regu lar Troops; their Pay, Command, if Augmenting the Forces by his Order, to com- under it is not? mence from May 27h; the Officers to have English Pay, as that is higher than the Provinces give; the Men to be paid as the Men of Massachusetts Provincials, as that is more than the King gives; they were to consist of one Captain, one Lieutenant and one Ensign, three Serjeants and Sixty Privates each Com 5. I must further Observe to your Lordship, that in your Letter of the 20th pany: they arrived here, August, which in that of the 29th of the to be Armed and Cloathed, same Month to me, Your Lordship calls in order to begin the Campaign, on the 13h Your publick Letter to the Government of September: the one of the Massachusetts Bay, tho' speCompany consisting of 32 Privates, the other cially directed to me at the Bottom of of 21 Privates; the best of the first page, by the Appellation of His Catholicks, the others Excellency William Shirley Esqr, withmostly Sailors and Span- out any other Addition, You demand of iards, in order to be rangers in the Woods; me, upon the loss of Oswego, "As Coneven in this Condition, "siderable a Body of Men with Arms I am forced to take them, "as I can Send, etc." their Men, Irish Roman but have made a saving |