George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799: Series 4. General Correspondence. 1697-1799. Bedford County, Virginia, Settlers, May 8, 1758, Statement about Indian Raid from Thomas Morgan, Christian Choat, and Jacob Biborn. Filed under "Thos. Morgan Acct." Image 439 of 1129 found at The George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mgwquery.html Transcription published in: Letters to Washington and Accompanying Papers. Published by the Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Edited by Stanislaus Murray Hamilton.--vol. 02 Hamilton, Stanislaus Murray, ed. Letters to Washington and Accompanying Papers. Published by the Society of Colonial Dames of America. Boston; New York: Houghton Mifflin and Company; Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1898. 5 vols. A merandom of what of what we the supcribers have seen by the indins when we come to the house we saw a indin with a knife in his hand gun acting as tho he had a mind to kill us and went out and gave a hallow and then several more apeard and he returnd in again and took my gun and took site at my face and the rest Jumpt of their horses with their guns and knives dran in their hands and hallowing and runing as fast as they could to the hous and when we told them they should not doe so they with their knives opened to stab us so we maid off as fast as fast as we could and we heard them braking open the chests as we took it to be as witnes our hands ... THOMAS MORGAIN ... JACOB DILINN ... CHRISTIAN CHOAT -------------------------------------------- Timothy Dalton, May 9, 1758, Affidavit on Indian Raid Letters to Washington and Accompanying Papers. Published by the Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Edited by Stanislaus Murray Hamilton.--vol. 02 [Note 1: 1 Sent by President Blair to Washington.] BEDFORD COUNTY This Day Timothy Dalton made Oath before me one of his majestyes Justices of the peace for the Said County: that yesterday there Came to his house three Indians and Quickly after Came four white men in Pursuit of the Said Indians namely John Wheeler Robt. Dalton Henry Wooddy William Hall from whom the Said Indians had Stollen horses from the Demanded the horses of the Said Indians but they Refused to let them have them on which the Said Wheeler went to take one of the horses on which they Shot at the Said Wheeler three times but Missed him on which the Said Indians went away and the Said white men in a Small time Joined with Seven more white men and went in Pursuit of the Said Indians again and them Indians being Joined by ten more Indians went over Stanton River a mile above the mouth of Pigg River and Threw off there Packs and Prepared them Selves for Battle then William Vardeman Sener and Some of the Rest went up to them and told them they Did not want to fight they only wanted there Horses and Did not want to hurt them on which the Indians told them they Should fight for them and Immediately the Indians fired on them three Guns Still the white men would not Shoot at them then the Indians fired three Guns more at them on that the Battle Began in which William Hall was mortally wounded of which wound he Died this Morning: and Likewise Richard Thompson was wounded in the Shoulder and Buttock; and that the white men Like Wise Killed and Scalped three Indians on which the Rest of the Indians Ran away and Left the horses and the Chief of the Plunder they had Stolen; and farther this Deponent Saith not Certified under my hand this the 9 Day of May 1758 ... ROBT. BABER -------------------------------------------- Charles Talbot to Clement Read, May 11, 1758 Letters to Washington and Accompanying Papers. Published by the Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Edited by Stanislaus Murray Hamilton.--vol. 02 May 11th--10 of the Clock 1758 DEAR SIR Pray be so good as to Send an Express to Prince Edward if Father has not thought to put you in mind of it Yesterday I understand that that they had theare Companys Called togeather to Draft Sum men to Send to our Relef but I have no opportunity to Send Theare Thearefore I hope you will as we have no Friend to Depend on for pore Bedford but you you will do what you Can for us for we never had the Like need of help I am Dr. Sir Yr. ... Hum Sert. ... CHAB. TALBOT. To ... COL. CLEMT. READ ... on his Majt. Servis -------------------------------------------- Charles Talbot to Clement Read, May 12, 1758 Letters to Washington and Accompanying Papers. Published by the Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Edited by Stanislaus Murray Hamilton.--vol. 02 May 12th. 2 of the Clock DEAR, SIR This moment I Recd. a Letter from John wood & Paul Chiles and he says that Yesterday the Indians and the white folks had a very hard Battle and the we are much betten and many Killed on both Sids the Last Battle was fought at the Mouth of pigg River that we are all Like to be Killed & taken thearefore for God Sake Send Your Men as fast as possabel or thear will not be a man Left in pore Bedford Paul Chiles and all his fammilly is now at my Hows and pays Negrows and a grate many money more I Expect this Night thearefore Dear: Sr: Do what you Can for our Relif I am ... Sir yr. Hum ... CHS. TALBOT. To ... COL. CLEMT. READ. -------------------------------------------- John Blair to George Washington, May 24, 1758 Letters to Washington and Accompanying Papers. Published by the Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Edited by Stanislaus Murray Hamilton.--vol. 02 WILLIAMSBURG May 24th. 1758 SIR The distresses in Bedford and Halifax had occasioned my Calling a full Council to meet on the 19th. Instt. which obliged Col: Maury to a long attendance here, in which time Jenkins brot. me yours of May 10th. with the Opinion of your Council of Officers on your Necessity of imploying the £400--sent you for Contingencies in the recruiting Service; and the utter insufficiency of that, to discharge your Engagements. Being under Difficultys about it, I kept him several days 'till the Council; who did not apprehend you was warranted to give more than £5--bounty Money, for the Recruits of your Regiment; and yet I cannot see how it could at this time be expected, while we were giving Ten pounds for the other. Be that as it will, we determined to send you a Supply of Money; and I sent presently to the Treasury for £1000--for you. But to my great surprise Mr. Cock whom I expected to deliver it out) was gone out of Town. As I had kept Jenkins 'till then, it vexed me heartily to find a further delay. I first endeavoured to get if from the Gentln. Signers here, but the Attorney was gone too, who should have signed Mr. Nicholas's Book. I then thought to send express to the Speaker, and writ for an Order to some Gentn. here but hearing that Mr. Cock had the Key with him I sent an Express to him at Colo. William Randolphs, and got him to Town last Night, and at last got the money this Morning, as I thought it vain to send him up without it.1 During this delay, I received a Letter from Govr. Sharp, acquainting me that his Assembly had broke up without so much as paying the arrears of their Men from the 8th. of Octo. Last. He purposes, if we are in want, to offer some of his, on terms of your paying their Arrears, which he thinks will be less than our Bounty. But I perceive he has some view of getting the General to take them; and I imagine we are near full. Jenkins2 has brot. me two lusty able Sailors, that are willing to enlist for this Campaign, so I send them to you by him, as he was earnest to carry up two such fine fellows. Last Saturday brot. me an Accot. of a large party of Indians who in passing thro' Bedford spread themselves in smaller Companys many Miles wide and Robb'd every Plantation they came at. This provoked the Inhabitants to a great degree; Col: Talbot sent out Militia to protect them, who came up with a Party of them and seeing some of their Horses demanded restitution; but the Indians answered they must fight for them, and fired upon them, and killed one Man; whereupon they fired upon the Indians and killed some of them. But to save my writing I send you the accounts I received, having ordered a strict enquiry to be made above, by Col: Read, Colo. Talbott and Col. Maury, which when transmitted to me I purpose to send by express to Govr. Lyttleton to beg his Assistance, to prevent the disaffection of the Nation and the ill consequences that might ensue on a misrepresentation. I writ some accot. of this by Lieutt. Waller who I hope will be up this day, and I desired Colo. Mercer to communicate it to Sir John St. Clair and you and to Mr. Gist. You may assure them if our Men were the aggressors they will be severely punished and if the Indians were guilty of what is charged upon them the Wise great Men our good Friends will not blame what was done, but think they brought it upon themeselves by their own folly. [Note 1: 1 By reason of the great scarcity of gold and silver in Virginia at this time, the taxes, imposed for augmenting the forces in the pay of the colony, could not be collected in time to answer the purposes intended. It was therefore made lawful for the treasurer to issue treasury notes to answer the demands made upon him. Such notes were to be printed, engraved, and numbered in such form and after such method as the treasurer should judge most safe from counterfeits and forgeries; and were to be signed by Peyton Randolph and Robert Carter Nicholas, each of whom were to receive the sum of twenty shillings for every thousand notes by him signed and delivered to the treasurer. In September of this year William Prentis, James Cocke, and Thomas Everhard, gentlemen, were appointed commissioners to examine, state, and settle such accounts as should be referred to them by the governor or commander-in-chief. Benjamin Waller, Philip Johnson, and Edmund Pendleton were added to the signers of notes, and John Palmer and George Davenport were appointed to overlook the press during the time of the printing of the notes.] [Note 2: 2 Jenkins, the indefatigable bearer of dispatches on the "express" between Washington and Williamsburg, deserves more than passing notice. Among Washington's accounts for this period are many items paid by Washington to William Jenkins by order of Governor Dinwiddie and President Blair in recognition of his services.] ... I am Sir Your very humbl Servt. ... JOHN BLAIR. P. S. I have been obliged this day to change the Militia I had ordered to garrison in Augusta, and to order 50 from Goochland and 50 from Hanover for that Service, which will unavoidably retard Majr. Lewis in joining you at Winchester which I am sorry for One of the Men I send by Jenkins whose name is Hugh Glass, says he was Armourer in the Spy Privateer of Liverpool, and Gunners Mate in the Monmouth Captn. Twentyman a Letter of Marque now here. He hopes as he is an able man 5ft:.. 10In:.. and used to business, some little post above the comon level (if not rather in his former imployment may be bestowed upon him.