Battle of the Great Meadows――vote of thanks to Colonel Washington and
his officers――disapproving of the arrangement of the Virginia troops,
he retires from the service.
Colonel Fry died at Wills Creek on the 31st of May. By his death,
the command of the expedition devolved on Washington. Reinforcements
were soon forwarded, so that the whole number composing the Virginia
regiment under his immediate command, was three hundred men. There was
also with him an independent company from South Carolina, consisting
of about one hundred men. With this force Colonel Washington advanced
slowly and cautiously beyond the Great Meadows, employing his soldiers
in repairing the road, and sending out scouting parties to watch the
motions of the enemy. He also sent a party forward to clear a passage
towards the mouth of Red Stone Creek, the place of the intended fort.
He also held councils with several Indian chiefs who came to him for
that purpose, heard and delivered speeches, exchanged belts of wampum,
and went through the usual ceremonies on such occasions. But all this
was to little purpose; for some of the Indians were spies from the
French, and the only motive of others was to obtain presents of goods
and provisions. In this mode of gaining friends, the French were more
successful than the English, as they were better supplied with such
articles as the Indians wanted.
While these operations were going on, reports were continually brought
in by French deserters and Indians that reinforcements had arrived at
Fort Du Quesne, and that a large force would soon come out to attack
the English. These accounts came from many different sources, some
of which were so authentic that a council of war was held, in which
it was unanimously resolved that the army should return to the Great
Meadows, there fortify themselves in the best manner they could,
and wait for a supply of provisions and reinforcements. The retreat
immediately commenced. They had so few horses that the Colonel loaded
his own horse with ammunition and other public stores, marched on foot
himself, and paid the soldiers from his own purse for carrying his
private baggage. Other officers followed his example. The troops were
short of provisions, and having to carry their baggage on their backs
and draw nine swivels over a very broken road, they did not reach the
Great Meadows till the 1st of July. The Colonel immediately sent off
an express to hasten on the expected supplies and reinforcements, but
they did not arrive. He set his men to felling trees, preparing and
drawing together logs, and raising and strengthening the breastworks.
This entrenchment was called _Fort Necessity_, on account of the
circumstances attending the erection and original use of it.
On the third of July, early in the morning, an alarm was given by
a sentinel who had been wounded by the enemy. At nine o’clock,
intelligence was received that the whole body of the French, amounting
to nine hundred men, was only four miles distant. They were commanded
by M. De Villiers, brother of Jumonville. At eleven o’clock they
approached the fort, and began to fire, at the distance of six hundred
yards, but without effect. Colonel Washington had drawn up his men on
the open and level ground outside of the trenches, awaiting the attack,
which he supposed would be made immediately, having ordered his men to
reserve their fire till the enemy were so near that it would certainly
do execution. But the French kept up a distant firing from the woods.
Washington considered this as a stratagem to draw his men into the
woods and there take them at a disadvantage. He therefore maintained
his position till he found that the French did not incline to leave
the woods and attack the fort by assault, as he had thought they
would, considering their superiority of numbers. He then drew his men
back within the trenches, and gave them orders to fire as they found
favorable opportunities of doing so with effect. The French and Indians
remained on the side of a piece of rising ground near the fort, and
sheltered by the trees, kept up a brisk fire of musketry upon it, but
never appeared upon the open plain below.
In this way, the battle continued till eight o’clock in the evening,
when the French called out and proposed a parley. Suspecting this to
be a mere feint in order to procure the admission of a French officer
into the fort to spy out his condition, the Colonel at first declined
the proposal; but when the call was repeated, with the request that an
officer might be sent to them, and with the pledge of their parol of
honor for his safety, he sent out Captain Van Braam, the only person
under his command who could speak French, excepting the Chevalier De
Payrouny, an ensign in the Virginia regiment, who was dangerously
wounded and disabled. Van Braam returned, and brought with him M. De
Villiers and the proposed articles of capitulation. These he read and
interpreted. After making some alterations in the articles, by mutual
agreement, both parties signed them about midnight.
By the terms of the capitulation, the whole garrison was to march out
of the fort the next morning, with the honors of war, their drums
beating and their colors flying; and to return home with every thing in
their possession, excepting their artillery, unmolested by the French
or the savages. As the French had killed all the horses and cattle,
Colonel Washington had no means of carrying away his heavy baggage and
stores; and the French agreed that a guard might be left to protect
them, till horses could be sent to take them away. It was agreed that
the prisoners taken at the skirmish with Jumonville should be returned;
and to secure the performance of this article, Captain Van Braam and
Captain Stobo were delivered up to the French to be retained by them as
hostages. Early the next morning, Colonel Washington began his march
from the fort in good order; but he had not proceeded far, when a body
of one hundred Indians came upon him and could hardly be restrained
from attacking his men. They pilfered the baggage and did other
mischief. He proceeded on, however, with as much speed as possible,
till he arrived at Wells Creek settlement, now Cumberland, in the State
of Maryland. Thence he proceeded to Williamsburg, and communicated to
the Governor in person the events of the campaign. Much dissatisfaction
was expressed with some of the articles of capitulation, when they
were made public. The legislature of Virginia, however, after maturely
considering them, passed a vote of thanks to Colonel Washington and
his officers for their brave defence of the country. Indeed, all the
proceedings of the campaign, though not finally successful, were
generally approved and applauded.
The exact number engaged in the action at the Great Meadows, cannot be
ascertained. According to a return made by Colonel Washington himself,
the Virginia regiment, including officers, consisted of three hundred
and five men, of which twelve were killed and forty-three wounded. The
company of South Carolinians was said to contain about one hundred;
but the number of them killed and wounded is not known. The French
force was probably not far from nine hundred. M. De Villiers says he
left Fort Du Quesne with five hundred Frenchmen and eleven Indians. The
number of French is probably correct; but the Indians were much more
numerous when they arrived at the scene of action.
Although there was at this time a disagreement between the Governor and
the Legislature of Virginia, which prevented the appropriation of money
for the service, the Governor and his counsel resolved to renew the
contest with the French without delay. When Washington was informed of
this, he expostulated so warmly against attempting such an enterprise,
without money, men, or provisions, that it was abandoned.
The Assembly met in October, 1754, and granted £20,000. The Governor
received from England £10,000 in specie, with the promise of as
much more, and two thousand fire arms. The Governor and his counsel
then resolved that the army should be divided into ten independent
companies, of one hundred men each, and should contain no officer
above the rank of Captain. Washington, disapproving of this singular
arrangement as unfavorable to the interest of the service, retired from
the army to his farm.