SHC-00101 [page 45 in book]
French and Indian War 1754-1763
Anglo-French rivalry in North America erupted in November 1753 when Governor Robert Dinwiddie of VA sent George Washington to Fort LeBoeuf to warn the French that they were encroaching on territory claimed by VA. Gov. Dinwiddie ordered Washington to select a suitable site for a fort to counter the French advance. Construction in the vicinity of present day Pittsburgh began in 1754, and the conflict was joined. The French were overwhelmingly victorious, and Washington capitulated at Great Meadows. He returned to VA in disgrace.
With humiliation in 1753 and defeat in 1754, Washington with some 600 Virginians guided Gen. Edward Braddock with 800 regulars to the Ohio River Valley. At Fort Duquesne the French and their Indian allies surprised the English and badly defeated them. The long, fierce struggle was underway.
In 1755 Washington was placed in command of the VA Regiment. The year 1756 almost drove him to despair, and he retired from his command in 1757. In 1758 the VA regulars were divided into two regiments, one under the command of Col. William Byrd and the other under Col. George Washington. The latter was sometimes called the First VA Regiment, and the former, the Second VA Regiment. VA forces were quite active in 1758 and participated in Forbes's Expedition in taking Fort Duquesne. Afterwards Washington resigned his commission and returned home.
In 1760 the Cherokees began their own war against VA, and peace did not materialize until 1762. Along with Spain, Britain and France agreed to terms of peace and signed the Treaty of Paris on the 10th of February 1763. The Indians, however, continued to lay waste the VA frontier. Since the VA Regiment had been disbanded, the governor summoned the militia of Hampshire and surrounding counties. Col. Bouquet waged a successful retaliatory expedition against the Indian towns in 1764. For the next decade there were no formal hostilities between VA and the Indians, but transgressions on both sides contributed to the last conflict in the colony - Lord Dunmore's War.
The papers of George Washington contain the bulk of the entries for the service cited in this chapter. The originals are at the Library of Congress and microfilm copies are widely available.
RETURN OF CAPT. HOG'S COMPANY, 9 JUL 1754. Men fit for duty: . . .Duncan Farguson . .
[page 46 in book]
RETURN OF CAPT. ANDREW LEWIS’S COMPANY, 9 JUL 1754. Men fit for duty: . . . James Faugerson . . .
RETURN OF CAPT. GEORGE MERCER’S COMPANY, 9 JUL 1754. Men fit for duty: . . . John Ferguson . . .
[page 47 in book]
PAY BILL OF CAPT. PETER HOG’S COMPANY FROM 29 MAY UNTIL 29 JUL 1754. The following were paid 2.0.8 each: . . . Duncan Ferguson . . .
PAY BILL OF CAPT. GEORGE MERCER’S COMPANY FROM 29 MAY UNTIL 29 JUL 1754. The following were paid 2.0.8 each: . . . John Ferguson . . .
[page 48 in book]
PAY BILL OF THE VA REGIMENT, CAPT. GEORGE MERCER’S COMPANY, 29 Sep 1754. The following were paid 2.0.8 each: . . . John Ferguson . . .
PAY BILL OF THE VA REGIMENT, CAPT. PETER HOG’sCOMPANY, 29 Sep 1754. The following were paid 2.0.8 each: . . . Duncan Ferguson . . .
[page 50 in the book]
LIST OF THE SOLDIERS WHO HAVE RECEIVED THE COUNTRY’S BOUNTY BONEY 1754.
Capt. Peter Hogg’s company: . . . Duncan Ferguson . . .
Capt. Andrew Lewis’s company: . . . James Ferguson . . .
Capt. George Mercer’s company: . . . John Ferguson . . .
[page 51 in book]
PAY BILL OF THE VA REGIMENT BY GEORGE WASHINGTON, 1754:
Capt. Peter Hog’s company: . . . Duncan Fergusson . . .
Capt. George Mercer’s company: . . . John Fergusson . . .
[page 52 in book]
PAY ROLL OF CAPT. DAVID BILL’S COMPANY, 1 OCT 1755. Thomas Ferguson, 2 Sep, 29 days; . . . James Ferguson, 25 Sep, 6 days; . . .
[page 55 in book]
PAY ROLL OF CAPT. CHARLES LEWIS’S COMPANY, 16 JAN 1756. . . . Thomas Fergusson . . .
[page 58 in book]
PAY ROLL OF CAPT. DAVID BELL’S COMPANY, 30 APR 1756. Thomas Fergasson; . . .
[page 60 in book]
PAY ROLL OF CAPT. WILLIAM BRONAUGH’S COMPANY, 24 MAY 1756 . . . Thomas Ferguson . . .
[page 61 in book]
PAY ROLL OF CAPT. DAVID BELL’S COMPANY, 31 MAY 1756. . . . Thomas Fergusson . . .
[page 62 in book]
PAY ROLL OF CAPT. DAVID BELL’S COMPANY, 30 JUN 1756. . . . Thomas Fergusson . . .
[page 102 in book]
RETURN FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST OF NECESSARIES BELONGING TO THE 10TH COMPANY, VA REGIMENT, COMMANDED BY CAPT. ROBERT McKENZIE. . . .Thomas Furgeson; . . .
[page 121 and 124 in book]
SIZE ROLL OF CAPT. ROBERT McKENZIE’S COMPANY. Roll gave name, rank when given, enlisting officer, age, height, county, country, trade when given, place of enlistment, and description.
Thomas Ferguson, not yet joined.
[page 127 in book]
RETURN OF NECESSARIES WANTING TO COMPLETE THE SICK IN THE HOSPITAL AT RAYS TOWN, 6 OCT 1758.
From Maj. Lewis’s company: . . . James Farguson, . . .
[pages 128 and 129 in book]
THE PARTY OF RECRUITS WHICH JOINED AT WILL’S CREEK AFTER THE BATTLE OF THE MEADOWS (3rd Day of Jul 1754). List of all the soldiers which are to be found either upon the pay rolls or muster rolls. The men who received the present of a pistole from the country as acknowledgement of their gallant behaviour upon that occasion and the detachment which marched to Augusta some time after the defeat. By which (& there appearing to be 350 upon the roll) it is evident there are many men (here) included, that are not entitled (strictly) to a share of the 200,000 acres of land under Gov. Dinwiddie’s proclamation & scare possible that any can be omitted which are. This being carefully attended to least any might be deprived of their right by not appearing on the list when they applied to. 30 April 1771. /s/ George Washington.
. . . James Ferguson, 7 May; . . . John Ferguson; . . .John Ferguson, 7 April; Duncan Ferguson, 29 March . . .
[pages 130, 131, and 132 in book]
RETURNS MADE AT WILL’S CREEK THE 9TH OF JUL 1754
Mercer’s company: . . . John Ferguson; . . .
Lewis’s company: . . . James Ferguson; . . .
Hog’s company: . . . Duncan Ferguson; . . .
PAY ROLLS AT ALEXANDRIA, 29 JUL 1754 WITH THE NAME OF THE COMPANY COMMANDER
Hog’s company: . . . Duncan Ferguson; . . .
Mercer’s company: . . . John Ferguson; . . .
[pages 133 and 134 in book]
PAY ROLL OF THE VA REGIMENT FROM ENLISTMENT TO 29TH OF MAY 1754. This pay roll was according to an account in the possession of Mr. Carlyle, then Commissary. The roll gave name, rank, date of commissioning or enlistment, and pay (in pounds, shillings, pence).
. . . James Ferguson, 7 May, 0.14.8; . . .John Ferguson, - - -; . . .John Ferguson, 7 April, 1.14.8; Duncan Ferguson, 29 March, 2.0.8; . . .
[page 137 in book]
Dunmore’s War 1774
After John Connally, the agent of John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, Royal Governor of VA, took possession of Fort Pitt, he named it Fort Dunmore early in 1774. He attempted retaliation for the Indian outrages and on 10 June the Governor called out the militia of southwest VA under the command of Gen. Andrew Lewis. In August the militia of Frederick Co. under Maj. Angus McDonald raided the Indian towns on the Muskingum River. Lord Dunmore came to the frontier and called on the neighboring militia to join in the expedition against the hostiles. Before his forces could join those of Gen. Lewis, the Indians attacked the latter on 10 October. The Indians were soundly defeated at the battle of Point Pleasant.
The following abstracts are taken from the records housed in the Archives Division of the VA State Library and in the Draper Manuscripts in the WI State Historical Society.
THE NAMES OF THE SOLDIERS ON THE PAY ROLLS AT ROMNEY AND WINCHESTER.
[page 140 in book]
Capt. Joseph Mitchell’s roll: . . . Samuel Ferguson, deserted; . . .
[page 141 in book]
THE NAMES OF THE SOLDIERS ON THE PAY ROLLS AT PITTSBURGH.
Capt. Richard Johnston’s roll: . . .James Ferguson, deserted; Henry Ferguson, deserted; . . . Isaac Ferguson, deserted; . . .
[pages 150 and 153 in book]
SERVICE RECORDS OF PARTICIPANTS IN DUNMORE’S WAR. These are in the collection assembled by Lyman Draper at the WI State Historical Society. The collection reference number of each list is in parenthesis.
List of wounded men, 23 Oct 1774, (2ZZ35): Capt. Stuart’s Company:. . . Thomas Fourgason. . . .
Capt. Stewart’s Company, (2ZZ40): . . . Thomas Fargison; . . .
[pages 79 and 86 in book]
Lord Dunmore’s War, 1774
Captain Stewart’s Company. (From torn MS. in his own writing). . . . Thomas Fargison . . .
Source: Draper MSS. (2AA40)
[page 88 in book]
Return of troops camped at Point Pleasant under command of Col. William Fleming.
List of Wounded Men now on my List. Octr. 23, 1774:
Capt. Stuart’s Company . . . Thomas Fourgeson.
[pages 111, 112, and 113 in book]
Report of the various companies of the VA Regiment under the command of Col. Washington made the 9th of July, 1754, 1754, at Will’s Creek, just after the battle of the Great Meadows.
Return of Captain Hog’s Company given the 9th of July, 1754.
Men Fit for Duty: . . . Duncan Farguson . . .
Return of Captain Lewis’s Company, July 9, 1754.
Men Fit for Duty: . . . James Ferguson . . .
A return of Captain Mercer’s Company, July 9, 1754.
Fit for Duty: . . . John Ferguson . . .
[pages 115, 116 and 117 in book]
Pay Roll of Capt. Peter Hog’s Company.
The following named privates each received £2.0.8: . . . Duncan Ferguson . . .
Pay Roll of Captain George Mercer’s Company
The following named privates each received £2.0.8: . . . John Ferguson . . .
[page 118 in book]
Members of the VA Regiment who have received Bounty Money.
The following lists are preserved in the “Force Manuscripts” in the Library of Congress. On the back of each of the five rolls is the endorsement of Washington.
A list of Captain Hogg’s Company who have received His Excellency’s Bounty Money: . . . Duncan Ferguson . . .
[page 119 in book]
A list of Captain Lewis’s Company who have received His Excellency’s Bounty Money: . . . James Ferguson . . .
A list of Captain Mercer’s Company who have received His Excellency’s Bounty Money: . . . John Ferguson .