3. Quarrelled with Major [Robert] Rogers, & used uncommon freedom with
his wife, common fame says to the extent of carnal conversation
with her.
4th. Wounded Corpl. Johnstone of the general's Company in the arm.
5thly. Attempted to draw his sword upon Mr. [Benjamin] Frobisher for
which he was put under arrest.
6thly. Quarrelled with & insulted Capt. [Frederick] Spiecmacher
[commandant, 1767-68], for which he was under arrest for five
months.
7thly. Selling of Common Rum to the Soldiers, mixing water with it, &
selling it afterwards at 18. sh. York Currency pr. Gallon.
8thly. Knockeing down Mr. Farrol, Barrack master, betwixt 70 & 80 Years
of age, on board of the Gladwin.
9thly. Nonsuited at a prosecution in favours of a prostitute.
10thly. Committed Felony, attempted by him & two accomplices, against
the person of Doctor Morison.
11thly. Intended murder by Poison.
12thly. Mixing four ounces of Jallap with the water boiled for Punch at
a publick Enter[tain]ment.
13thly. Challenged Lieut. Christie, & asked him pardon without coming to
a tryal.
14thly. Sporting with Capt. [John] Browne & Capt. Glazier's Characters,
calling the last a mean, low lived, Dirty fellow.
15thly. Flogged Knight, Soldier of the General's Company, by his own
hand with a wooden Switch, in presence of Capt. Turnbull without
the benefit of a Court martial.
16thly. Kicked & Cuffed Sergeants & Soldiers upon the publick Parade, to
which the Commanding officer was present at some of those
Irregularitys.
17thly. Attempted to Murder William Morison, Nephew to Doctor Morison,
to which Capt. Turnbull, Commanding Officer, was present, with
many others.
18thly. Kicked and Cuffed Sergt. Carlile in his own house upon a Sabbath
day when the garrison was at Church, & in the Scuffle hurt one of
his stones.
19thly. Some days after that he decoyed away the Sergt's wife, Mrs.
Carlile, who lived with him upwards of six weeks at Bed & board
&c.
20thly. Vaunted he had Carnal dealings with Mrs. Oldham & three Years
after attempted a Rape upon her daughter betwixt 9 & 10 years of
age.
2lst. Was put under arrest by Capt. Turnbull for the space of 24 hours
for Quarrelling with Maxwell the Commissary.
22d. Attempted to sow Discord betwixt George McBeath and his wife to
whom he offered one hundred pounds &c provideing she would take up
with him & quit her husband.
23d. Sergt. Carlile of the General's Company Objected to Ens. Johnstone
as a member of a Regimental Court Martial, set upon his Accusation
[to] which [he] pleaded not guilty, & for certain Reasons desired
the benefit of a general Court martial, which was denyed him.
30th May 1771. That evening after Roll Call, a Delinquent, James
Coleman, soldier of the Lieut Colonel's Company, sentenced to Receive
1000 Lashes for Desertion, received near five hundred & would have
received more had not I intervened to hinder any more proceedings as he
was not able to endure any more.
That very evening of the 30th he was ordered by the Commanding officer
to the flogging post to receive the rest of his punishment, without
Consulting me whether he was fit to receive them or not. He appeared
under a file of men, in presence of the whole garrison, to undergoe that
which he was not able to support. At that Juncture, he immediately fell
upon his Knees & begged Capt. Turnbull to delay the rest of his
punishment till he was more fit to undergoe them. Upon this application
Capt. Turnbull asked my oppinion. I answered he was not fit, &
consequently he was under the necessity of being carryed home to the
Guard house by two soldiers of the guard.
This lenity of mine in favours of the prisoner produced the following
Garrison orders (tho' there was no previous complaint lodged):
_Michilimackinac 31. May 1771. For the future the officer of the Day
will visit the men's barracks every forenoon at 12 o'clock to see that
the Barracks are kept clean & that the sick or lame are regularly
visited by the Surgeon; when prisoners are in that situation the
Sergt. of the Guard will report to the officer of the day if it should
happen that they are not Regularly attended._
The 10th of June 1771. Ens. Johnstone quarrelled with Phinehas Pond, a
trader from New England. The dispute became very warm with high &
insulting Expressions. At length in the height of their dispute Ens.
Johnstone took down a brace of pistoles off the chimney brace, presented
them to Pond at the Table, challengeing him to take up one of them,
which Phineas Pond did directly. Ens. Johnstone in wrath desired Mr.
Pond to give his Pistol to Mr. Howard, trader, to charge. He replyed he
would not give his Pistol to any man to charge; upon which Pond began to
charge his Pistol as fast as he could work. Ens. Johnstone (observeing
that Mr. Pond was about chargeing so brisk) took hold of his own pistol
by the barrell & pushed the butt of it violently & struck him with great
fury in the Pit of the stomach, which staggered him surpriseingly. This
unexpected proceeding prevented Pond from loading his Pistol, which he
was obliged to drop & make of his hands in his own defence, which he
plyed about so manfully that Ens. Johnstone fell flat directly upon the
floor. Phineas Pond gave him such terrible bruiseings, black eyes &c.
that Ens. Johnstone was obliged to keep his Room for several days, &
tho' this day is the 6th. since his disaster, he is not Yet recovered,
walking about slowly with a pair of black Eyes. What the consequences of
this uggly affair will turn out to I cannot determine.
Ensign Johnstone sold Mr. [Ezekial] Solomon the Jew ninety gallons of
common Rum June 1771. The year before he sold fifty bundles of dryed
Venison to the said Solomon at 2 sh. & 6d for the benefit of Capt.
Turnbull, commanding officer of this Fort.
[Illustration: "... without these expenses I must starve of cold."]
V
Monstrum Horrendum Ingens!
[Illustration: Flags]
_With this partial quotation of a line from Virgil's Aeneid which refers
to the hideous one-eyed monster, Polyphemus, stumbling about after he
had been blinded by Ulysses, Morison expresses his opinion of Captain
Turnbull. Angered at the treatment he received from Turnbull, the
surgeon's mate presumably pictured his commanding officer as a monster,
blind to the needs of his men._
_George Turnbull had received his commission in the Royal Americans in
1756 at the time this famous fighting force was being recruited "to
avenge Braddock's defeat." In 1758 he had been wounded in the costly
British attack on Ticonderoga. After the French and Indian War, Turnbull
was promoted to captain in 1765, and before coming to Michilimackinac in
1770 he had been the commander at Detroit for three years. While at
Detroit he had been involved with some of the local citizens in a
dispute over property rights on Belle Isle, but, according to the
adventurer, Jonathan Carver, who visited Detroit in 1768, Turnbull was
respected by the inhabitants and traders "for the propriety of his
conduct." This record should be borne in mind as one reads what Morison
has to say about Turnbull._
Michilamackinac July 9th. 1771. Betwixt the hours of 3 & 4 [in the]
afternoon, Capt. Turnbull sent for me to his house upon an affair in
which he had not the least concern. No sooner I appeared than he Opened
upon me with Volleys of scurrilous Language (in presence of Lieut.
Donald McAlpin of the 2d. Battn.) viz: That I was a scandalous fellow, a
man of no principles, of a bad heart &c. lastly ordered me go out of his
house & commanded me to keep my Distance, which I am determined
punctually to observe.
N. B.: All these Epithets (to the conviction of many) are imputations
that more peculiarly belong _altenarly_ [alternately?] to himself when
his character is canvassed by proper judges. If [such things as]
Oppression, Detraction, Melediction, Violence, fornication, adultery,
breach of Sabbath, tradeing, selling of common rum, Molasses, Wine,
Spirits &c., Supporting a Suttlery in which he himself is principally
[interested], which is Diametrically opposed to a Military Character,
[be considered], he himself is justly entitled to these Epithets &
imputations which cannot be attended with much difficulty to prove. Upon
these considerations I left his house, whose dirt I shook off from my
feet & left the Dirt where I found it. Monstrum horrendum Ingens!
The 26th. augst. 1771. Sent the weekly return by my servt. as I happened
to be sick on that morning. Capt. Turnbull enquired of my servt. what my
sickness was. My servt. answered, it was a severe attack of the
Rheumatism to which I was subject. The Commandant asked my servt. if he
could cure me. My servt. replyed he would if he could. After many
frivolous questions of this nature, he at last ask[ed] him what did he
think I deserved, to which my servt. Replyed, he did not know, "but Sure
I am Sir, my master deserves well at my hands."
Upon Tuesday the 17th. Sept. 1771. Capt. Turnbull after Roll Call sent
the Sergeant Major to acquaint me he wanted to speak to me. Accordingly
I appeared. Then Capt. Turnbull in presence of Lieut. Christie, Ens.
Graham and Ens. Strickland asked how I came to move to another house
without his leave, & I answered that I thought there was no necessity of
giveing any trouble to him for removeing to good Quarters, which I hired
for the Winter as there was no possibility of liveing for the Winter in
that house Which he ordered me to, May last; especially as both of them
were the property of traders in this place & tho' I applyed to him last
fall for a Room in the officers' Barracks, as there was one Vacant then,
as he did not grant this I thought I had a Right to provide myself the
best I could.
He told me [that] tho' I have been so long in the army I made a[s] great
progress in the knowledge of my duty as I did in that of my profession,
meaning in which I appeared to be equally ignorant. (So far according to
the Sultan.)
"I suppose," says he, "You want I should put You into arrest, that You
may be exempted from Your duty. But," continued he, "I will not do You
that Honnour. You are not worth my Notice. I hope You will not give me
the trouble to provide a Room to provide for You next summer."
I told him I'd give him as little trouble as possible and that I'd
endeavour [to do] the best I could for myself, tho' at the same time I
beged leave to observe that I thought (while I continued to act in the
King's Service) I had a right to a room in the King's barracks, which
benefit was never granted me during his incumbency. He Replyed he did
not chuse to hear any more upon the Subject, and ordered me to be gone,
which I did quietly, in presence of the abovesaid gentlemen.
N. B.: When upon application last fall to Capt. Turnbull for a Room in
the King's Barracks, which he did not grant, I then applyed to him if he
would please speak to influence Mr. Cardin to give me his house for last
winter. He gave himself not the least trouble about the matter, in
consequence of which I was necessitated to provide for myself. [I]
obtained the house from Mr. Cardin, where I lodged Comfortably last
winter. As I was obliged to pass the winters preceeding most wretchedly
in old houses, not habitable, notwithstanding of my Disbursements on
many repeated reparations, such as thatching with Bark, Claying &c, as
without these expenses I must starve of cold & every shower of rain
[came] in upon me, as also snow drift[ed in] from every quarter when the
wind blew high.
Upon Sunday the 1st December 1771. The officer of the day was ordered to
place Centrys at different corners of the Garrison upon four or five
houses, upon suspicion they smuggled some common rum to entertain
them[selves] at such a particular Season, as one of the Sub-Suttlers did
not Chuse to sell or had orders [not] to sell under a Dollar each quart.
A soldier and his wife with his Children [were] ordered to their
barracks, tho' there was not a drop [of] liquor found in his house. The
officer of the day upon entring the room of Fiddler, one of the Royal
Artillery, who was enjoying himself with one of his Comrades in garrison
[with some rum] which he had purchassed from the Sub-Suttler. [The
bottle of rum] was broke to pieces [by the officer] which put a stop to
the entertainment tho' they were all quite sober.
All this is supposed to proceed from the orders of the grand Suttler
[Captain Turnbull], who did not Chuse that any individual should
interfere in diminishing the grist which has been a long time now
comeing into his Mill & which he wants to keep agoing for his own
particular private interest.
December 15th. Mr. Harise, the interpreter, was committed to the common
guard-house by Capt. Turnbull where he remained from eight o'Clock in
the afternoon till ten next morning, for beating of a trader's _Engagee_
[an _engagé_, one of the French boatmen who were hired to paddle the
traders' canoes], tho' many Circumstances of the most Extravagant
enormitys have been overlooked in this odious garrison during Capt.
Turnbull's Incumbency.
Ensign Strickland [was] put under arrest by Capt. Turnbull's order for
useing Sergt. Lewis ill upon his Guard, & the said Ensign continued
under his arrest untill he made proper Condescensions to the Sergt. &
Yet Ensign Johnstone would not be put under arrest by Captain Turnbull
(tho' properly applyed to) for shedding the blood of a gentleman more
usefull to the King's service in garrison, more than both, which can be
proven to a Demonstration, time & place Convenient.
N. B.: July 2d. 1772. I have now [served] going on four years here, &
during that period of time have neither received wood, nor chairs,
table, tongs, Dogirons, pockers, &c. from the Barrack master nor any
lodgeing in the King's Barracks or from the King, notwithstanding my
frequent applications, but was obliged to Lodge in old french Houses,
not habitable, at a Vast Expense out of my Pay, by Plastering, thatching
&c. to preserve myself from the Inclemency of the Winter Season, which
is generally very intense here, and which continues upon average about
the space of eight months.
Notwithstanding so badly was I used, on account of provideing of
aforesaid lodgeings, haveing not beforehand informed Capt. Turnbull of
my intention of providing said Lodgeing for hire, he sent a Sergeant for
me to [attend] the Publick parade, where to my surprise in presence of
the officers of the Garrison & others he gave me very abusive &
Scandalous Language, unbecomeing the Expressions of a gentleman, & when
offering to speak in my own Defence, I was ordered Silence! & that he
desired for the future I should give him no more trouble about
Lodgeings. [He] ordered me about my business, that he would not put me
under arrested as he knew that was what I wanted, but would not do me
that Honnour. I was not worth his notice.
N. B.: Ensign Strickland & Ens. Graham were put under arrest for
differences subsisting among them at his house, which Capt. Turnbull
approved of till their differences were settled.