peared, and immediately commenced a furious attack upon the fort; where they were received with great intrepidity. The Americans fought partly within the stockade, and partly in the surrounding ditch, which was ready filled with mud and water. Colonel Washington in person continued the whole day on the outside of the fort, encouraging the soldiers by his countenance and example. The enemy fought under cover of the trees and high grass with which the country abounded. The engagement was continued with great resolution from ten in the morning till dark, when Mons. de Villiers demanded a parley, and offered terms of capitulation. The proposals first made were rejected; but in the course of the night articles were signed, by which the fort was surrendered, on condition that its garrison should be allowed the honours of war; should be permitted to retain their arms and baggage; and to march without molestation into the inhabited parts of Virginia. The capitulation being in French, a language not understood by Colonel Washington or any of his party, and drawn up in the night under circumstances not admitting delay, contains an expression which was at the time untruly translated by the interpreter, advantage of which has since been taken by the enemies of that gentleman, to imply an admission on his part, that the officer

killed in the action preceding the attack on the fort was assassinated.

An account of the transaction was published by M. de Villiers, which drew from Colonel Washington a letter addressed to a friend, completely disproving a calumny, which, though entirely discredited at the time, was revived at a subsequent period, when circumstances well understood at the date of the transaction might be supposed to be forgotten. The whole loss sustained by the Ame ricans

* The Author is indebted for the letter alluded to, to the editor of the Lancaster Journal:

SIR,

I am really sorry I have it not in my power to answer your request in a more satisfactory manner. If you had favoured me with the journal a few days sooner, I would have examined it carefully, and endeavoured to point out such errors as might conduce to your use, my advantage, and the public satisfaction; but now it is out of my power.

I had no time to make any remarks upon that piece which is called my journal. The inclosed are observations on the French notes; they are of no use to me separated, nor will they, I be lieve, be of any to you; yet I send them unconnected and incoherent as they were taken, for I have no opportunity to correct them.

In regard to the journal, I can only observe in general, that I kept no regular one during that expedition; rough minutes of occurrences I certainly took, and find them as certainly and strangely metamorphosed; some parts left out which I remem

ber

ricans in this affair is not ascertained.

From a re

turn made on the 9th of July at Willis's Creek,

it

ber were entered, and many things added that never were thought of; the names of men and things egregiously miscalled, and the whole of what I saw Englished is very incorrect and nonsensical; yet I will not pretend to say that the little body who brought it to me has not made a literal translation and a good one.

Short as my time is, I cannot help remarking on Villier's account of the battle of, and transactions at, the Meadows, as it is very extraordinary, and not less erroneous than inconsistent. He says, the French received the first fire: it is well known that we received it at six hundred paces distance. He also says, our fears obliged us to retreat in the most disorderly manner after the capitulation. How is this consistent with his other account? He acknowledges that we sustained the attack warmly, from ten in the morning till dark, and that he called first to parley; which strongly indicates that we were not totally absorbed in fear. If the gentleman in his account had adhered to the truth, he must have confessed, that we looked upon his offer to parley as an artifice to get into and examine our trenches; and refused, on this account, till they desired an officer might be sent to them, and gave their parole for his safe return. He might also, if he had been as great a lover of the truth as he was of, vain-glory, have said, that we absolutely refused their first and second proposals, and would consent to capitulate on no other terms than such as we obtained, That we were wilfully or ignorantly deceived by our interpreter in regard to the word assassination, I do aver, and will to my dying moment; so will every officer, that was present. The interpreter was a Dutchman, little acquainted with the English tongue, therefore might not advert to the tone and meaning of the word in English; but, whatever his motives were for so doing, certain it is, he called

"

it appears that the killed and wounded of the Virginia regiment amounted to fifty-eight; but

the

it the death or the loss of the Sieur Jumonville. So we received, and so we understood it, till, to our great surprise and mortification, we found it otherwise in a literal translation. That we left our baggage and horses at the Meadows is certain; that there was not even a possibility to bring them away is equally certain, as we had every horse belonging to the camp killed or taken away during the action, so that it was impracticable to bring any thing off that our shoulders were not able to bear; and to wait there was impossible, for we had scarcely three days' provisions, and were seventy miles from a supply. Yet, to say we came off precipitately is absolutely false; notwithstanding they did, contrary to articles, suffer their Indians to pillage our baggage, and commit all kinds of irregularity: we were with them till ten o'clock the next day we destroyed our powder and other stores, nay, even our private baggage, to prevent its falling into their hands, as we could not bring it off. When we had got about a mile from the place of action, we missed two or three of the wounded, and sent a party back to bring them up (this is the party he speaks of). We brought them all safe off, and encamped within three miles of the Meadows. These are circumstances, I think, that make it evidently clear, that we were not very apprehensive of danger. The colours he speaks of to be left was a large flag of immense size and weight; our regimental colours were brought off, and are now in my possession. Their gasconades and boasted clemency must appear in the most ludicrous light to every considerate person who reads Villiers's journal; such preparations for an attack, such vigour and intrepidity as he pretends to have conducted his march with, such revenge as, by his own account, appeared in his at

VOL. II.

D

tack

the loss of the two independent companies is not stated. It was conjectured, that on the part of the enemy about two hundred were killed and wounded, and it is probable that this conjecture does not greatly err.

Notwithstanding the stipulation, that the troops should be unmolested on their march, heavy complaints were made of their being plundered and maltreated by the Indians. The cause of their complaints was perhaps unavoidable; for it was always found extremely difficult to secure, on the part of these troublesome allies and formidable enemies, an obfervance of engagements.

Great credit was given to Colonel Washington by his countrymen for the courage displayed on this occasion; and the legislature were so satisfied with

tack, considered, it will hardly be thought that compassion was his motive for calling a parley. But to sum up the whole, M. Villiers pays himself no great compliment in saying we were struck with a panic when matters were adjusted: we surely could not be afraid without cause, and if we had cause after capitulation, it was a reflection upon himself.

I do not doubt but your good-nature will excuse the badness of my paper, and the incoherence of my writing: think you see me in a public house, in a crowd, surrounded with noise, and you hit my case. You do me particular honour in offering your friendship; I wish I may be so happy as always to merit it and deserve your correspondence, which I should be glad to cultivate.

the