JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY STUDIES IN HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE Under the Direction of the Departments of History, Political Economy, and THE VIRGINIA FRONTIER, 1754-1763 BY LOUIS K. KOONTZ, PH. D. BALTIMORE THE JOHNS HOPKINS PRESS PREFACE The existing material for a study of the Virginia Frontier during the French and Indian War is relatively accessible. The printed sources are of course familiar to the average student. These include the provincial records of the several colonies, particularly Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas. They are to be found in every important library in the country. In Virginia we have the Journals of the House of Burgesses, the Council records, the colonial laws, the Augusta County records, vestry records, newspaper files, the papers and writings of Washington, letters to Washington, and miscellaneous data in numerous county histories, the Calendar of Virginia State Papers, the Dinwiddie Papers, the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, and minor historical publications. Unfortunately, there are many gaps in the records that cannot be bridged because important materials have been lost or destroyed. For example, Virginia sustained irreparable loss when fire in 1781 destroyed practically all manuscript material bearing on the French and Indian War which was then in the State Library. The State archives of Virginia contain no journals or even rough minutes of the council sessions between May 6, 1743, and March 4, 1768. The manuscript material on the French and Indian War period to be found in Virginia is scattered about in private bands. Occasionally the historian is fortunate enough to discover some of it. Undoubtedly there are some papers held by individuals in adjoining States, but this material is probably negligible. There are, however, three modern depositories outside the State that hold matter on this period that is vital. The first of these is the Library of Congress. It possesses considerable manuscript matter bearing on the French and Indian War, notably in the collection of the Washington Papers. The second depository is that of the splendid Henry E. Huntington Library at San Marino, near Los Angeles, California, which has acquired the indispensable Brock Collection, as well as the Loudoun, Abercrombie, and other important papers. The writer found that in the main this material serves chiefly to corroborate the statements and facts already accessible to him in the published papers and writings of Washington and in the Draper collection of manuscripts. The third important source of unpublished material on the Virginia Frontier during the French and Indian War is the collection of Draper Manuscripts in the library of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. The greater part of this material was once scattered over Virginia and adjoining States, but was gathered together during travels lasting through many years, by that indefatigable historical collector, Dr. Lyman C. Draper. For the purposes of this study the writer has had the privilege of making a systematic examination of this entire collection. The Preston and Virginia Papers yielded the most important material in this collection. It will be observed that at certain points in this study extended quotations or entire letters have been included in the body of the text. The reason for this is that the extracts are, as a rule, taken from previously unused source material. Acknowledgment of indebtedness for aid in the preparation of these pages is due to the following persons: It was at the suggestion of Professor John H. Latané, of the Johns Hopkins University, that this investigation was undertaken, and it was carried forward with the help of his encouragement and cooperation. Most discriminating suggestions were offered by Dr. Louise P. Kellogg, of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Miss Mabel C. Weeks, one-time chief of the division of maps and manuscripts in the same society, has frequently been called upon for assistance in reading, evaluation, and in photostating the Draper Manuscripts. Professor Charles M. Andrews, of Yale University, encouraged the writer by emphasizing the timeliness of such a study as this and in indicating attitude and method of treatment. To Hon. Houston G. Young, formerly Secretary of State of West Virginia, the author is indebted for indispensable reports from the West Virginia archives. The library staff of the Johns Hopkins University, that of the Peabody Institute, Baltimore, and that of the Henry E. Huntington Library have generously extended every possible courtesy to the author in the preparation of this study. Mrs. S. R. Gammon, Jr., formerly library assistant in the departments of History and Political Science in the Johns Hopkins University, has aided the author in securing important bibliographical data. To Miss Marjorie Russell, formerly with the war-time Federal Trade Commission, and Miss Elizabeth Hoke, at the same time with the Air Service, U. S. Army, indebtedness is gratefully acknowledged for the endless tedium of typing and retyping the manuscript and accompanying documents. Thanks are due to Mr. J. C. Fitzpatrick, acting chief of the division of manuscripts, Library of Congress, for information and suggestions in connection with the use of the Washington Manuscripts in that library. John O. Knott, Ph. D., chautauqua lecturer, has read the manuscript of this study and has offered valuable suggestions as to arrangement and style. L. K. K. |