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1774, May 6 - Letter: Valentine Crawford to Washington

Jacob's Creek, May 6, 1774.

Dear Colonel:— I am sorry to inform you that the disturbance between the white people and the Indians has prevented my going down the river; as all the gentlemen who went down are returned, and most of them have lost their baggage, as I wrote more particular in my other letter. I will refer you to my brother's letter for the news.

I got my canoes and all my provisions ready, and should have set off in two or three days but for this eruption, which I believe was as much the white people's fault as the Indians. It has almost ruined all the settlers over the Monongahela, as they run as bad as they did in the year 1756 and 1757, down in Frederick county. [1] There were more than one thousand people crossed the Monongahela in one day. I thought it, therefore, dangerous to go down with so much of your property, and so came to a resolution to send my son down to you to know what I must do with your servants and goods, and how I must act with your hirelings.

As to the goods, I have stored them; and I went to Mr. Simpson as soon as I came up, and offered him some of the carpenters and all the servants; but he refused taking them—the latter, for fear they would run away; he has, however, now agreed to take some of both : the carpenters to do the framing for the mill, and the servants to dig the race. Stephens * has agreed to quit, provided the Indians make peace, and you will employ him again. He has all his tools here, and it would be out of his power to get them back again, as he has no means of conveyance.

I am afraid I shall be obliged to build a fort until this eruption is over, which I am in hopes will not last long. I trust you will write me full instructions as to what I must do. Mr. Simpson, yesterday, seemed very much scared ; but I cheered him up all I could. He and his laborers seemed to conclude to build a fort, if times grew any worse. I am building a kind of blockhouse myself, and have employed some of your carpenters to help me, which I will settle with you for. I have run you to as little cost as possible for provisions, as our journey is stopped ; but if peace should be made soon, I shall provide more, as I have my canoes ready, unless you order me to the contrary when my son returns. .

As you are largely bail for me, and kindly went my security to the sheriff, I have sent you a bill of sale of my land I live on for fear of accidents in war; as you are the last man in the world I should choose to be loser by me. In case I can not go down the river for you, if you should choose to sell the servants, my brother, William Crawford, wants two of them ; but if there is the least chance of going, I am ready and willing to serve you to the best of my ability. I am, etc.

Footnotes:

Sources:

Consul Willshire Butterfield, Editor, The Washington-Crawford letters: Being the correspondence between George Washington and William Crawford, from 1767 to 1781, concerning western lands, Authors: George Washington, William Crawford, Valentine Crawford, R. Clarke & co., 1877. Original from: Harvard University, Digitized Jul 28, 2006. Page 85-86. Online: Google Book.