THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Letters
(April 10-July 19, 1764)
(Due to length divided here into three parts)
In: Bouquet Papers, Michigan
Pioneer
and Historical Society Hist. Coll.,
Vol. 19, pp. 252-268.
LIEUT. DEDERICK BREHM TO COL. HENRY BOUQUET
DEAR COLONEL,
My last Letter I had the Honour writing you, in which I begged that the proposition of me going up on half pay, might be suspended- untill the affairs with the Indians are accomodated, but as by the last news, we got by our Schooner the 29th April, seemingly matters will be made up before next Summer, and as I dont know where our Regiment will be or if I can join them in time; I therefore begg it as a particular favour to grant me your kind assistant (being told that it entirely depends upon the commanding officer of the Regiment) in giving or procuring me leaf to go out of the Regiment upon my Lieutenants full pay; as in time of peace, without Interest and money no hopes of preferment is left to me: so that all the comfort I can propose myself towards my approaching Old Days, is to live independent upon my full Pay. I likewise begg your advice to know if such thing could be brought about, as to get an half pay Ensign to fall in, for to make up the Vacancy of the Ensigncy; If such thing could be done I'll make all the Interest I can with Colonel Gladwin, to intercede by General Gage, who always had a very humaine disposition, to assist any Gentleman without hurting the Interests of the Nation. I was told that none of our Lieuts but myself was standing in the first Battalion, Els I had wrote to one of them junior to me to propose it to the rest of the Subalterns. There have several small partys of Indians been about us, with the Intent of getting a Scalp or a Prisoner but not being in their Power went off after killing a few Kows, and the last a few days ago fired upon three of our men, who are in the day time at a little abandoned advanced Post, but did no harm. A prisoner, soldier of our Regiment, who lately came in from the Indians at Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron, told that the Indians had killed, several Prisoners this Spring, and had threatened to burn him, for which reason he made his escape, when he was sent to cut wood, he further says that they said they would come this Spring in great numbers to take the Fort, we have had several, and different accompts; some say they only will act upon their defence, others again say, that the Delawars and Shawnees, with some Northern Indians, will join the Ottawas make skaling Ladders and storm the Fort; however it may be Colonel Gladwin is prepared for them, but at the same time we are very well used to theyr threatenings, they very often say they would storm a little advance Post, we had last year but never did it. Mr. Prentys (Prentice), who was Prisoner with the Hurons at San Dusky, was brought in three days ago by an Indian.
Some of the well disposed Hurons1 came from theyre Hunting and got Liberty of Colonel Gladwin to live and plant theyre corn, about two miles lower down the River, where they used to live formerly.
After recommending me once more in your favor
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I am with the greatest |
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D. BREHM. |
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DETROIT May 1st 1764
To Colonel Bouquet
Endorsed: Letter from Lieut. Brehm
May 1st 1764.
Received the 30th
[A 20, p 152]
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GEN. THOMAS GAGE TO COL. HENRY BOUQUET
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NEW YORK May 14th 1764. |
SIR
Your Letter of the 21st April was received by me some days ago, and on the 12th Instant I was favored with both your letters of the 2nd Inst with the Dispatches from Fort Pitt.
I am of your opinion that the Delawares &c will soon sue for peace. The Terms you propose are very proper, I shall acquaint Sir William Johnson with these particulars when the Time comes, to treat of Peace that Transaction must be left entirely with Him, my chief Design in demanding a Tract of Land for the King is in order to form a military Establishment near Fort Pitt; by granting the Land in Lotts of 100 or 150 Acres, or Military Tenures and on such conditions, as shall be proper for the welfare and security of such a settlement, dependent only on the King & his Generals. They should have Courts of Justice of their own & in ever respect be a little Community by Themselves of which the Commandant of the Fort shout be Governor. It is confidently said, that neither Virginia nor Pensylvania can claim by their Charter up to the Ohio. I wish you could get some certain knowledge of this matter, and how far their Boundarys really go. I am informed Virginia does not go beyond the heads of Potowmack. As you have a perfect knowledge of the country round Fort Pitt I wish when you have Leizure to think of such a Project that you would sketch out the Spots proper to begin upon and how to proceed (page 258) till the whole Tract should be settled, in different Townships, taking in the waters upon the Right and left as much as possible and always have in view Security and Defence. Proper Conditions should likewise be thought of Mustering and Days of Exercise obligation to appear in Arms, Quantity of Ammunition each to have at all times- Obligation to cultivate the Ground in Limited Times, supply the Forts at Market Rates, so many Cattle Naggs &c in such a Time after the Grant given To have so many Boats in the Settlement allways ready for service, each to contain so many men with so many months provisions. A great many undigested thoughts have come into my head on this Subject and I give them to you as they occur. But you will give an alarm if you mention of such a project therefore dont talk of it.
It was not intended that colonel Bradstreet should make any stay at Presqu'Isle; The uncertainty of the Detroit Indians whether they will be inclined to peace or war as also of the Indians beyond Detroit in going to Michillimackinac, will make it impossible for Colonel Bradstreet to send any Reinforcements from Presqu'Isle, till his Return from Michillimackinac: and that may be very late. All his Troops are beyond Albany except those Connecticut; who are not moved yet, as I can learn with certainty out of their Province.
The Scheme you propose is the very plan intended, if you should be able to assemble a Body sufficient to execute it: and Sir Wm Johnson has promised that a large Body of Indians should join you at Fort Pitt when I should demand them.
I suppose this will find you at Philadelphia as the Assembly was to meet this day, but I don't imagine they will do anything more than declare the sentiments of their constituents agreeable to their last resolve and perhaps petition the King to take them under his Protection.
I have read the Deposition of Hicks, the last has been in part confirmed by a Trader whom I have examined; who was at Fort Charters Prisoner when White Eyes and the other two Indians arrived there. Hicks is a great villain, I am glad he is secured, and I must desire you, will have him tried by a Genl Court Martial for a Spy. Let the Proceedings of the Court prove him a Spy as strong as they can- And if he does turn out a Spy he must be hanged.
The two Mackays2 are retired on Half Pay, and are succeeded by Lieut Prevost3 and Hutchinson. If Lieut Caire would purchase it again its Time he should be here, He shall not lose his Rank but the sooner he comes the better. I expect Lieut Jenkins by the first ship from Mobile: I am to acquaint you that you have His Majesty's Permis- (page 259) sion to return to England as soon as the service will permit you to leave your Command.
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I am with great regard |
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THOS |
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GAGE |
Colonel Bouquet
Letter from His Excellency General Gage dated at New York the 14th May
1764 Received
the 16th answered the 20th
[A 8, p 385]
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COL. HENRY BOUQUET TO SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON
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PHILADla 31st May 1764. |
SIR
General Gage having been pleased to appoint me to command the troops in the Southern department and the Government of Pennsylvania having at last yesterday framed their bill giving one thousand men to act in conjunction with his Majesty's Forces employed this way, I beg you will permit me to have the honour to correspond with you, I request the favour of your sentiments concerning the operations intended against the Indians. As I have no certain information of the numbers they can collect for the defence of their country from among themselves and their Allies, nor of the situation of their Towns & the difficulty of getting at them but from the imperfect accounts of our Traders.
I shall be much obliged to you to give what intelligences you have upon these heads & your oppinion as to the number of Troops you would Judge necessary to answer the purpose destroying their Towns without too great a risque of being overpowered, likewise whether you would think it most adviseable to attack them by going down the river or by marching by Land from Fort Pitt.
In the first case I am apprehensive that from the delays of this province we have already lost the opportunity of the high waters & that even supposing the Ohio to be navigable, the Muskingham, or Sioto would be too shallow to admit loaded Batteaus of which we have not a sufficient number to carry the necessary Troops and I am informed that it would be extremely difficult for men and Horses to march along the shore, (supposing the Batteaus to carry the Provisions, on account of the craggy Hills Swamps and high weeds; and to build a sufficient number of Batteaus at Pittsburgh would require at least three months besides the Risque in case of miscarriage to have to go back against the Stream. To go by land with Pack Horses and (page 260) cattle is certainly slow and expensive, but the woods at a certain distance from the river are said to be open no large rivers to obstruct the march & more facility to get at their Inland Towns- from the accounts given me of the country (in which I flatter myself you will be so good as to set me right) it appears that
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From Fort Pitt
down the |
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To Wells Town is |
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do |
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From thence to Wakatamicke |
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20 |
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From the
Muskingham by |
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70 |
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and |
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From the Mouth of
Muskin- |
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200 |
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From the mouth of |
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120 |
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By Land |
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From Fort Pitt to
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LIST OF DELAWARE & SHAWANESE TOWNS OVER THE OHIO
Kiskuskus
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Shanings |
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N. W. from Fort Pitt |
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Tuscarowas |
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W. |
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Upon the Branches |
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S. W. |
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of Muskingham |
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Shawanese Salt
Lake Town |
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S. W. Upon |
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In all sixteen Towns Besides those upon Lake Erie
The general has acquainted me that you would procure a Body of Indians to join me, & it is upon that I must chiefly depend for guides or pilots and as I am not sufficiently acquainted with the manner of managing them, I beg you will appoint to command them a person who can take the care upon himself; and as it is very difficult to transport Provisions so far by Land, to let me know whether they will be satisfied at the rate of the common allowance of a ration per day, or if they must have more- and if they will expect Presents from me, and what they should be, or only from you at their Return & if they can man their own Batts, to fit their own Boxes, that I may be prepared accordingly, and avoid giving them any cause of complaint.
To prevent accident you will no doubt fix upon some Badge to be worn by our friend Indians easy to be distinguished in the woods and which the Enemy cannot imitate.
In 1758 we gave the Cherokees a yellow piece of stuff to be about their heads. The end flying loose behind them.
I shall inform you when we shall be ready to march but it will require at least five weeks from this day before Provincial Troops can quit the settlement.
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I have the honor to be &c |
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Copy of a Letter from Colonel Bouquet
to Sir William Johnson Baronet 31st May 1764.
[Entered]
[A 8, p 405]
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COL. HENRY BOUQUET TO GEN. THOMAS GAGE
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PHILADELPHIA 7th June 1764. |
SIR
Your Excellency has no doubt been informed that the Lords of the Treasury have entered into a new contract to furnish the Troops in America.
Mr. D. Franks,5 Englis and Barckley are the Agents here for the new Contractors, the two last are absent and Mr. Plumstead is no longer continued.
By the Heads of that Contract it appears that they are only to deliver the Provisions at certain places as Philadelphia for this Department and on account of the carriage we are obliged to purchase all our Provisions on the Frontiers We are altogether out of the Limits of the said Contract and General Monckton's contract being I conceive superseded, It becomes necessary that you fix in what manner Pro- (page 262) visions are to be purchased & Issued, whether by the Contractor's Agents or Mr. Leake.
Likewise in what manner carriages are to be provided and paid, and as you desired to be informed from what authority the former Agents have done it, I enclose copy of a Paragraph from their Principals to them, which refers to orders of the Lords of the Treasury to Sir Jeffery Amherst, who has always employed the said Agents since in providing & paying for carriages in this Department.
It appears also from original contracts before me that they had General Monckton's orders in 1760 to contract for and pay the Carriages of that Campaign. But as the Commissariat is not absolutely fixed that article will I suppose be allowed higher or lower (not exceeding 5 per cent) according to circumstances.
On the 4th Inst I had a meeting with the Governor & Commissioners in which was settled everything concerning the Troops. They are to raise 300 men for the immediate defence of their Frontier which I declined victualling as they were not voted for the King's use.
They are to garrison Fort Augusta & to give me 950 men Including a Troop of 50 Light Horse equipped by them.
They have at my recommendation agreed to send to Great Britain for 50 couples of blood hounds to be employed with the Rangers on Horse back against Indian scalping parties which will I hope deter more effectually the Savages from that sort of war than our Troops can possibly do.
The cloathing will be ready and the money struck with the greatest expedition and on my side no time will be lost.
Thursday 7th at one o'clock. Since writing the above I receive your Letters of the 5th which I cannot answer by this Post I hope to send you in time for the Packet the Returns & Explanations required by the Secretary at War. In the meantime I shall mention that the Battn is paid upon the New Establishment from the 25th Decr 1763. The supernumerary men are paid as such by your particular warrant.
The Reduced Officers are upon the Half Pay from the 25th August 1763, and the difference to full pay has been paid by warrant to such as have continued in the Service of which there are none remaining except Lieut McDougle & Sir Jehu Hay both at the Detroit from whence I expect they will soon join us with their men and enable me to re-establish order in the Battn which is to me absolutely impossible in our actual state of dispersion.
You approve of recalling our deserters but done
authorize me to take a step of that consequence.
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1 Huron village built about 1746 on the south shore of the Detroit River on the site of the present town of Sandwich, Ont.
2 (1, p. 258) Lieut. Francis Mackay and his brother.
3 (2, p. 258) See appendix.
4 (1, p. 260) See appendix.
5 (1, p. 261) This means D. Franks and Mr. Englis.
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