Col.  Lewis’ letter runs in part:  “From Augusta we have 600; of this county [Botetourt] about 400; Major Field is joined with 40....  I have had less Trouble with the Troops than I expected....  I received a letter from his Lordship last Sunday morning which was dated the 30th of August at Old Towns, which I take to be Chresops, he then I am told had Col.  Stephens and Major Conolly at his Elbow as might easily be discovered by the Contents of his Letter which expressed his Lordship’s warmest wishes that I would with all the troops from this Quarter join him at the mouth of the little Kanaway, I wrote his Lordship that it was not in my power to alter our rout....  The Indians wounded a man within two miles of us ... and wounded another, from this we may expect they will be picking about us all the March.”  He states that he has more men than he expected, and will therefore need more provisions, and that he will leave some of his poorest troops to garrison the small fort.

Col.  Christian’s letter states that the Augusta men took with them 400 pack-horses, carrying 54,000 pounds of flour, and 108 beeves, they started “yesterday.”  Field marched “this evening”, Fleming and his 450 Botetourt men, with 200 pack-horses, “are going next Monday.”  Field had brought word that Dunmore expected to be at the mouth of the Great Kanawha “some days after the 20th.”  Some Indians had tried to steal a number of pack-horses, but had been discovered and frightened off.

Christian was very much discontented at being bidden to stay behind until he could gather 300 men, and bring up the rear, he expresses his fear that his men will be much exasperated when they learn that they are to stay behind, and reiterates “I would not for all I am worth be behind crossing the Ohio and that we should miss lending our assistance.”  Field brought an account of McDonald’s fight (see ante, p. 216), he said the whites were 400 and the Indians but 30 strong, that the former had 4 men killed and 6 wounded, the Indians but 3 or 4 killed and 1 captured, and their town was burnt.  The number of the Shawnees and their allies was estimated at 1,200 warriors that could be put into one battle.  The 400 horses that had started with the Augusta men were to return as fast as they could (after reaching the embarkment point, whence the flour was carried in canoes).

14.  When the Revolutionary war broke out the Earl not only fought the revolted colonists with all legitimate weapons, but tried to incite the blacks to servile insurrection, and sent agents to bring his old foes, the red men of the forest, down on his old friends, the settlers.  He encouraged piratical and plundering raids, and on the other hand failed to show the courage and daring that are sometimes partial offsets to ferocity.  But in this war, in 1774, he conducted himself with great energy in making preparations, and showed considerable skill as a negotiator in concluding the peace, and apparently went into the conflict with hearty zest and good will.  He was evidently much influenced by Conolly, a very weak adviser, however; and his whole course betrayed much vacillation, and no generalship.