wish a more agreeable, and advantageous administration, than fell to my share. All designs of acting offensively seem to be laid aside for this year, and I do not know that we shall have as many men next summer as we had this, unless the New England governments are better pleased than I imagine they have had any reason of late to be. The Loss of Oswego I esteem a very fatal blow to the British Interest on this continent, and must be owing to the alterations made in the Plan of operations settled at New York which with great submission to better Judgements, I think could not be changed but for the worse. I find the N. York scheme is to lay the blame of that affair upon Genl. Shirley, but how just their censures are the following facts will show. Genl. Webb arrived at New York. both arrived at Albany June 7th Do. 15 Do. 25 taken of Shirley's campaign by the Governor of Pennsylvania. Franklin's view was equally favorable. A different and less friendly opinion is that of Sir John St. Clair in his letter to Sharpe of Sept. 22: "What has happened to us by Mr. Shirley's conduct is enough to alter the nature of Man, nor do I find he has altered his way of thinking since he has been superceeded" [sic]. This was written before the aids raised by Shirley, after leaving New York, had been received and in the unfavorable atmosphere caused by the controversy regarding rank between the British and Colonial officers. Lt. Col. St. Clair served under Braddock at Fort Duquesne and saw in the failure of the New Nork campaign a disaster of almost equal weight. For this disaster he placed all blame upon Shirley, who appeared to be condemned already. Judgments of the time favorable to Loudoun are liable to be influenced by the fact that the latter was the new Commander in Chief and representative of the Crown in America. An opinion of Governor Dinwiddie would be regarded as hardly impartial when. we find him in a letter of Oct. 28 to Loudoun offering to pay that general from Mar. 8, 1756, the same amount that he had been paying Lord Albemarle for his commission as Governor of Virginia (Dinwiddie Papers, 2, 534); and judgments from other persons dependent upon the Earl would be little more trustworthy. On the 26th of June Genl. Shirley acquainted Genl. Abercromby of the state of Oswego and advised the sending two Battalions there. Bradstreet returned to Albany on the 12th of July having thrown into Oswego six months Provisions for five thousand men, and a great quantity of Ammunition and naval stores, and defeated a party of French and Indians on his way back; and on the same 12th of July informed Genl. Abercromby that he had intelligence from his Prisoners, that a french army was in motion and designed to attack Oswego; whereupon the 44th Regiment was ordered to hold itself in readyness to march to Oswego. Lord Loudoun arrived at New York, Do arrived at Albany July 23 On the 12th of August the 44th Regiment moved towards Burnets field, with a number of Battoe men who had remained Idle at Schenectaday from the 11th of July and on the 19th of August Genl. Webb then at Burnets field, received the news of Oswego's being taken, upon which he marched to the Oneida carrying place and ordered the wood creek to be filld with trees, which was accordingly very effectually stopd. I have mentioned these facts that you might be satisfied of the truth with respect to that important Loss. * I wish you much health and success in every affair you undertake and am with great truth, Dr Sir Your Most obedt Humble servt ROBT H. MORRIS. WILLIAM SHIRLEY. TO THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF THE TREASURY 1 To the Rt. Honble. Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury. The Memorial of Major General William Shirley, late General and Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Forces in North America. Humbly Sheweth, That your Memorialist, pursuant to the Directions of His Majesty's late Secretary at War, reimburs'd himself in America for the Expences, he had been at, for Levy Money, and the incident Charges of inlisting the Soldiers of his late Regiment; which he did with all the Frugality in his power, the said Expences falling 10s. 3d. per man short of what was allow'd to him and Major General Sir William Pepperrell upon the Reduction of their former Regiment in 1749 for the like Charges; as also of what was allow'd by His Majesty for the like Expence of raising Levies in North America for the Royal American Regiment, since the Commencement of the present Warr. That your Memorialist, in raising the beforementioned Levies, was oblig'd to employ Recruiting Parties in the four Colonies of New England, and the three Provinces of New Jersey, New York, and Pensilvania; from which three Provinces it was necessary to transport the Troops inlisted there (amounting to 426 Men) by Sea to Boston, chiefly in the Winter, which cost your Memorialist £575: 1: 6; and their Subsistence in the three beforementioned Provinces from the time of their being rais'd to their Imbarkation for Boston (which he likewise paid) cost him £148: 8/, as will appear by the Accompt of those Expences herewith presented, and sworn to. That he was likewise oblig'd to be at the Charge of £513: 1 B. M., Additional Manuscript 33055, 240. A transcript is in the Library of Congress. 6: 7 in extraordinary Cloathing for the Levies and Recruits, which he rais'd for forming his Regiment (according to the annex'd Accompt, which is likewise duly sworn to) and for which the Service would not allow of any Stoppages to be made from the Men. Your Memorialist further sheweth, that thro' Error, occasion'd by the great Variety of Business, he was engag'd in during his Command, he impress'd no more Money in America than £160: 10s, towards reimbursing himself for the first mention'd Article of £575: 1: 6, and none for reimbursing him for the three last; So that there remains due to him from the Crown £1112: 6: I in the whole, on Account of all the aforesaid Articles; for which no Allowance has been hitherto made him in any shape; nor has he made any Charge of that Nature in his former Accompts; the Truth of which he has likewise attested by his Affidavit annex'd to his Accompt herewith presented. Your Memorialist further sheweth, that whereas his Predecessor and Successor in his late Command receiv'd, each of them before they left England, from the Paymaster General by Virtue of a Warrant sign'd by the Lords of the Treasury, £2000 for Intelligence, Secret Services, and other Contingent Expences, and £1000 for Equipage Money, Your Memorialist being in America when he was appointed to the Command, had no Sum advanc'd to him, nor impress'd any in America on either of those Accounts. That with regard to the former of these Articles, your Memorialist lay'd out several considerable Sums, during his Command, in secret Services, wherein he employ'd Indians and others; the Benefit of which the Nation must soon have reap'd, if that had not been prevented by Misfortunes, which attended His Majesty's Service the Year following. And with respect to the Article of Equipage, it costs more in America, where your Memorialist was oblig'd to purchase it, than when it is purchas'd in England; And he humbly hopes, that his being Governor of the Massachusetts Bay at the time of his being appointed to his late Military Command, will not be deem'd a reason for precluding him from the before mention'd Allowance of £1000 for Equipage Money, as the profits of that Government (which do not exceed £1100 per Annum) did not afford him more than what enabled him to live as a private Gentleman; And the Equipage necessary for him to purchase for his Outset in his Military Command from Boston was the same, that it would have been, if he had set out in it from England, and more expensive to him in America, than if he had furnish'd himself with it there. That your Memorialist was not employ'd in his Military Command in America above ten Months, within which time he was at the Expence of a publick Table for two Campaigns; which, with the before mention'd Sums expended by him for the Transportation, Subsistence, and extraordinary Cloathing of his late Regiment, his Equipage and secret Services (for which last Article he makes no Charge in his Annex'd Accompt) exceed the pay, he receiv'd for his Service in the Command. That your Memorialist humbly hopes, he has not forfeited his Pretensions to what his Majesty was graciously pleas'd to allow his immediate Predecessor and Successor in his Command by any Misconduct in his Military Operations; which, tho' of a short continuance, and without Regular Troops, except two new rais'd American Regiments, were attended with considerable publick Successes; particularly the saving of the province of Nova Scotia in 1755 by the Reduction of the French Forts there, owing principally to your Memorialist's timely raising a Body of 2000 New England Men, and fitting out the Armament, from Boston, which, in conjunction with 350 of his Majesty's regular troops posted in Schiegnecto, effected that service; and for which your Memorialist was honour'd with his Majesty's Royal Approbation signify'd to him by one of his principal Secretaries of State. And with regard to his Management of the publick Money, he begs leave humbly to observe to your Lordships, that he executed that Trust with all the Frugality that was consistent with the good of his Majesty's Service; one Instance |