Major Washington left Williamsburg the day after his appointment by Dinwiddie and headed for Fredricksburg and Winchester to get supplies.
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He appointed Jacob Van Braam as his French interpreter. Braddock would make famous two years later. This took him through the northeast corner of Hampshire County crossing the Potomac at the Little Cacapon. At Cumberland Washington engaged Christopher Gist to be his chief guide. Again we see how the Ohio Company becomes engaged in politics as several of its members or employees end up in important jobs for the colony.
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On the way Washington fulfilled two important duties assigned by Dinwiddie. First, he made every effort to gain the support of the Indians. He made a detour to Logstown to meet with the Half King and other leaders and he employed several as scouts and allies. Secondly, the Major took every opportunity to view the terrain and assess its military advantages.
He fully expected to return soon either with settlers or with soldiers.
Winter was coming early, and the small band now including Half King and three other Iroquois quickly headed into the wilderness toward the French. On December 11, , Washington arrived at the French Fort LeBoeuf, a newly built fort at the southern end of the portage from the waters of Lake Erie. He made good use of his time while he waited.
The French were adament in their refusal to acknowledge the claims of the British. They saw the Ohio River area as important to their need for a quick route to New Orleans, but they also know the economic advantages to be gained by having a strong position there. The French commander promised to send the letter to Quebec, but he gave Washington a concise and unequivocal reply to take back to Williamsburg.
The French would not leave.
Major Washington wished to get back to Williamsburg as quickly as possible. However, the French were not ready to let the Indians leave without some friendly persuasion. They were masters in Indian diplomacy which often included not only flowery speeches, but also ample supplies of liquor. Finally, Washington was able to sober up the Indians and get his band back on the trail south. The journey proved very difficult and almost cost Washington his life on two occasions.
On one he was shot at by an Indian in the forest. On the other he fell into the freezing river and was rescued by Christopher Gist.
Robert Dinwiddie
The journey would have killed an ordinary man, but the young Virginian was beginning to show that he was no ordinary man. Washington finally arrived in Williamsburg on January 16, The Journal he wrote for Dinwiddie would bring Washington fame beyond his greatest expectation. At Fort LeBoeuf at the southern end of the Lake Erie portage Washington counted canoes and other building material around the fort. He realized the French were well prepared to bring a strong military force down the Ohio River as soon as spring came. At the moment George Washington was quite unaware of the effect these two things would have on his life and fortune or on the fate of North America.
Book One: French Letters: Virginia’s War
Dec 4 Washington arrives at Ft. Jan 6, Washington returns to Forks of the Ohio. Jan 16 Washington arrives at Williamsburg with the French reply. Clark Company, Glendale, CA, After having attacked the French at the Battle of Jumonville Glen , Washington retreated and built a small stockade, Fort Necessity , at a spot then called "Great Meadows", by the Youghiogheny River , eleven miles southeast of present-day Uniontown. Here he encountered the French in a skirmish on 3 July and was forced to surrender. Dinwiddie was subsequently active in rallying other colonies in defense against France and ultimately prevailed upon the British to send General Edward Braddock to Virginia with two regiments of regular troops, in part with a letter to Lord Halifax on 25 October containing these words: The Invas'n and wicked designs of the Fr.
Braddock met his end at the Battle of Monongahela on 9 July ; this unexpected reverse prompted much concern and fear in the colony. Over the next four years, until the defeat of the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, and Vaudreuil 's capitulation before Amherst at Montreal, the fate of the 13 colonies was uncertain and Dinwiddie's administration was marked by frequent disagreements with the Assembly over the financing of the war.
In fact, the friction between the government and the Burgesses would eventually develop into the American Revolution. Dinwiddie County, Virginia , which lies 30 miles south of Richmond , is named in honor of Robert Dinwiddie.
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Dinwiddie retained his links with his alma mater throughout his life: Robert Dinwiddie died on 27 July He married some time before Rebecca Auchinleck [12] or Afflick ; together they had two children Rebecca Dinwiddie and Elizabeth Dinwiddie. His official records, which were compiled by the Virginia Historical Society in , are left in five volumes. They cover the years of his administration of the Virginia colony, from to Servant of the Crown. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the colonial governor. For the professional golfer, see Robert Dinwiddie golfer. Great Britain in the Seven Years War.
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Retrieved 4 May Retrieved 22 May Charles Tappan, , pp. Virginia Historical Society, , pp. Servant of the Crown Colonial Williamsburg: Henry Jefferson Fleming T. Randolph Barbour Nicholas Preston T. Randolph Pleasants Tyler Jr. Floyd Johnson Wise Letcher W.