Carlyle House April, 2008

D OCENT D ISPATCH Northern Regional Park Authority Blooding at Great Meadows: Young and the Battle that Shaped the Man: A Book Review by Bob Madison Alan Axelrod’s book, Blooding at of the Ohio territory. Virginia Great Meadow: Young George newspapers carried accounts of how the Washington and the Battle that Shaped the French were building forts in that area, Man, covers the two years in George but nobody in Williamsburg knew Washington’s life, 1753 and 1754, exactly what they were doing or how immediately preceding General Edward many soldiers they had. In October Braddock’s arrival at Carlyle House in 1753, George Washington visited March 1755. George Washington’s Dinwiddie and offered to carry a warning exploits during those eventful two years to the French as well as gather all the set the stage for General Braddock’s military intelligence he could. The expedition to America. Council of Virginia swiftly approved The book opens with a discussion of Washington’s appointment, drafting a Washington’s early life, including his deep warning letter to be delivered to the admiration for his older half-brother French and commissioning him on Lawrence Washington (John Carlyle’s October 31, 1753. He left the same day. brother -in-law) and his early career as a professional The expedition proved harrowing, through surveyor, showing how this prepared and led George to mountainous terrain, swollen rivers, snow, and a fledgling military career. The book also summarizes freezing rain. Washington also had to negotiate with the early North American wars that are ignored by the Indians, many of whom now supported the most historians and that preceded and led to the French French. When he reached a French fortified house at and Indian War. Venango, the French soldiers told him, “it was their Lawrence Washington had been adjutant general of absolute Design to take Possession of the Ohio, & by Virginia, in charge of maintaining Virginia’s militia. G-- they wou’d do it.” There he gathered valuable When Lawrence Washington died in 1752, young intelligence from drunken French soldiers regarding George Washington asked Virginia Lieutenant Indian alliances and the locations and numbers of Governor Dinwiddie for Lawrence’s old job. French troops. Washington was escorted from However, the job was divided into four regions. Venango to Fort Le Boeuf by Commissary La Force, Despite the fact that Washington was only 21 and had a highly influential figure in French-Indian relations absolutely no military experience, he soon secured the and an ancestor of Carlyle House docent Melanie La post of adjutant of the Southern district and several Force (see her “Michel Pepin dit La Force and John months later the post of adjutant of the Northern Neck. Carlyle: A Link to the Seven Years’ War” in the Washington immediately began reading all he could April 2007 Docent Dispatch ). about being a military man. They reached Fort Le Boeuf on December 11, Lawrence Washington had been president of the (John Carlyle was one of the original members of the Ohio Company), so young George CARLYLE HOUSE Washington was well acquainted with the objectives of that organization. When Lawrence Washington died, Mary Ruth Coleman, Director Lieutenant Governor Dinwiddie became president of Jim Bartlinski, Curator the Ohio Company. Thus, Dinwiddie had financial as Sarah Arnold, Curator of Education well as government interests in keeping the French out

Page 2 Docent Dispatch 1753. After several days delay, the governor’s letter best, they advanced four miles per day – frequently was delivered, and the French officers replied that they only two miles. would stay on the Ohio in accordance with their orders When he heard that Commissary La Force had been from their superiors in Canada. Washington had seen in the area, he assumed that La Force was ascertained the French intentions and gathered a wealth reconnoitering for a general advance by the French; of intelligence about their state of military and Washington was intent upon capturing him. Later, preparedness. Now he had to rapidly return to when Indian allies reported seeing the footprints of Williamsburg with the news. It was a difficult trip. Frenchmen a few miles away, Washington set off on a When the horses grew too weak, they had to continue rainy, moonless night with forty men to look for them. on foot through miles of frozen, snow-deep woods. Indian scouts located the sleeping Frenchmen; and They had treacherous Indians try to lead them in the Washington and his men and Indian allies surrounded wrong direction. They had to build rafts to cross icy them between seven and eight AM on May 28. When rivers. At one point, he fell into the icy river and had the battle began, the French were surprised and to wade to shore. One month to the day after he left surrendered after brief firing. The Indians quickly Fort Le Boeuf, Washington reported to Dinwiddie in killed and scalped the wounded French. Of the 33 Williamsburg on January 16, 1754. His 7,000 word French engaged in the battle, 21 survived unwounded report was published and widely distributed. and were taken prisoner, including Commissary La Five days after Washington’s return, with the Force. One wounded man also survived the Indians. intention of driving out the French, Dinwiddie directed One Frenchman escaped and returned to Fort him to recruit 100 men into active militia service. At Duquesne to tell the tale. Among those killed was the the same time, he asked Captain William Trent to French commander, Joseph Coulon, Sieur de enlist an additional 100 men. Recruiting proved Jumonville. The French claimed that Jumonville was difficult, and the goals were never achieved. an ambassador of the French crown. Washington Washington was appointed second in command (at apparently thought that ambassadors traveled openly considerably lower pay than desired) of the overall and with few attendants. This skirmish, now called unit; when the commander later would be killed in a Jumonville Glen, is considered by most to be the horse riding accident, Washington would become the opening battle of the (and the commanding officer. He “worked feverishly with John larger world war known as the Seven Years War). Carlyle to obtain sufficient supplies for the Washington withdrew nearby to Great Meadows, a expedition… Dinwiddie had commissioned Carlyle on site he had called “a charming field for an encounter.” January 26, and the next day sent him an order to He set his men to work digging entrenchments and ‘procure a sufficient Qu[anti]ty of Flower, Bread, Beef building what he called a “Pallisado’d Fort” – & Pork, for 500 Men for six or eight Months.’ The unfortunately with a wooded area on high ground on post of commissary was potentially quite profitable – three sides within firing range. He called it Fort ‘I am in hopes it may turn out 500 [pounds] per ann Necessity. [um].,’ Carlyle wrote – but it was also ‘attended with great trouble & fatigue & care.’ In fact, even with Carlyle’s expert efforts, it proved so difficult to collect all that was needed that Washington finally decided to begin the march with sufficient supplies to get what was now a 120-man force only as far as Winchester…” Barely trained, inadequately supplied, and led by inexperienced officers, 120 men followed Lieutenant Colonel Washington out of Alexandria on April 2, 1754. His force grew to 159 men at Winchester, and he headed northwest, still without adequate supplies. There was no road; and they had to clear a man-wide trail to accommodate wagons and artillery, felling trees, pulling stumps and even building bridges. At Fort Necessity, National Park Service

Page 3 Docent Dispatch On “June 10, he wrote to Dinwiddie that ‘We have Washington’s two French-speaking officers died been extreamly ill used by Major Carlyle’s Deputys.’ unexpectedly, leaving only an officer Jacob van …John Carlyle was the expedition’s commissary and Braam, whose native language was Dutch, second had six deputies under contract to supply provisions. language French, and third language English. In the For the acute shortages he was now experiencing, dark and in the rain, van Braam interpreted the Washington blamed them rather than Carlyle himself surrender document for Washington. Without because ‘he is a Gentleman.’ Washington wrote: realizing it, in signing the generous surrender ‘He, I believe has been decivd, and we have suffer’d document, he was admitting to “assassinating” (or by those under him.’ As of the tenth, the men (and murdering) Jumonville. The British were allowed to women and children) at Great Meadows had been leave on foot (all of their horses had been killed); and without flour for six days ‘and none upon the Road to they marched out of Fort Necessity on July 4, 1754. our relief that we know of… We have not Provisions When Washington reached Williamsburg on July of any sort in the Camp to serve us 2 Days tho I have 17, he was generally greeted as a hero. When sent time after time acquainting therewith.’” Dinwiddie didn’t mount another expedition, On June 9, 181 reinforcements arrived, but without Washington resigned his commission in disgust. provisions. On June 14, Captain James Mackay Dinwiddie appealed to the crown for a major arrived with a company of British regulars and “5 offensive to evict the French once and for all. That Days allowance of flower, and 60 Beeves.”. Since set the stage for General Braddock’s arrival at Carlyle Mackay was a regular army Captain, he technically House in March 1755. George Washington would be outranked Washington, who was now a full Colonel, an unpaid aide to General Braddock. but a Colonel in the militia. This was a matter of great consternation to Washington. Washington had his men continue building roads, but the British April 6, Sunday regulars were above that type of labor. By June 23, Braddock Day all of the flour and bacon were gone. He put his men on a ration of parched corn and apportioned what 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. little stringy beef was left. Soon the men were near $4 admission starvation. Washington contemplated withdrawing, but he felt his men were too weak for the trip. (Perhaps a case could be made that John Carlyle’s poor management was a major cause of the defeat at April 19, Saturday Fort Necessity.) By July 2, his Indian allies, Garden Day recognizing a losing situation, had melted away. By nightfall on July 2, Washington counted only 284 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. men fit for duty. Intelligence reports indicated that Free, House Tour $4 admission. 1,600 French and 700 Indians were on the way; and the commander of the attacking force was Jumonville’s big brother. On July 3, it began raining. Fort Necessity was on April 23, Wednesday the low ground, and the defensive trenches began Alexandria History Awards filling with water. The attack began shortly before noon. The French and Indians were firing from the CALENDAR Alexandria Historical Society woods down into the water-filled trenches. They also killed the horses and remaining cattle. With the The Lyceum, 7:30 p.m. pouring rain, the British powder became wet and Free, public invited many of their guns jammed. By dark, more than a third of Washington’s men were dead or dying. Washington sent his two French-speaking officer to . negotiate terms of surrender. The French offered surprisingly lenient terms. Then, one of