Beschreibung:

LORD DUNMORE'S WAR – Manuscript, "Journal of the Expedition down the River Ohio Under the Command of his Excellency John Earl of Dunmore Lieutenant and Governor General of his Majesty's Colony and Dominion of Virginia 1774," [Virginia], 10 September -18 November 1774. 28 pages, 320 x 220mm, 1 fold-out diagram within, stabbed and sewn at left margin, blindstamped "ARCHIVES DE CHASTELLUX" at upper right (marginal tears and chips, loss to final page affects several words of text). An unpublished journal of Dunmore's expedition to the Ohio Valley against the Shawnee and Mingo. A previously unknown record of the Dunmore expedition, presumably kept by one of the governor's aids, replete with a fold-out chart illustrating the line of march of Dunmore's force. The journal opens with Dunmore's arrival at Fort Pitt (renamed Fort Dunmore in the governor's honor) on 10 September 1774 and records his proclamation offering a reward of fifty pounds to anyone with information on the murder of several peaceful Delaware tribesmen. Dunmore's force departed Fort Pitt on 26 September, intending to rendezvous at the mouth of the Great Kanawha River with force under the command of Andrew Lewis who was marching from western Virginia toward the Ohio River. On 10 October, Lewis was surprised by a large Shawnee force under Chief Cornstalk at Point Pleasant on the Ohio. Although his forces emerged the victors after a four-hour battle, they suffered 75 killed and 140 wounded out of a force of 1,100. Dunmore, who was marching his forces up the Hocking River toward the Shawnee towns in the interior learned of the battle on the 16th: "About midnight an Express which followed our Track, came up, bringing intelligence from Colonel Lewis of an Engagement he had with the Shawanese and their Confederates, at the Mouth of the great Kanhawa, and that the Enemy had been defeated with a considerable loss." The news redoubled Dunmore's determination to "pursue the necessary Steps to chastise a Stubborn and Perfidious People." On 20 October, "the important day, in which we were either to march into our Enemy's Towns, or meet with a Repulse, just as the Advance-guard was forming to march, arrived a certain Matthew Elliot, and Indian Trader, whom they had sent as a Messenger ... This messenger desired his Excellency to halt and not enter the Towns, and that they would wait upon him and comply with such demands as he might think proper for restoring the Peace of the country." The army moved to a good campsite, and "his Lordship gave the name of Camp Charlotte to this Place." On the 21st a delegation arrived at Camp Charlotte, "where there were some Bearskins spread, on one of which his Lordship seated himself, and the Conference opened with a speech from the Corn-Stalk their Chief." The journal records the communications between Cornstalk and Dunmore in full. Following an exchange of prisoners including "one Sally Kelly, who had been taken from the great Kanhawa," the conference resumed with Dunmore's lengthy address to the Shawnee consuming nearly two pages. At the time the conference was in session, Colonel Lewis' force had finally approached Dunmore's, and the appearance of another army frightened the Shawnee and nearly scuttled the negotiations. Dunmore finally made contact with Lewis and the colonel ceased his advance. On the 29th a peace treaty was finally concluded with lengthy addresses by "Nimoi a Shawanese Chief, with two Hostages, several white and some negroe Prisoners..." The lengthy address was concluded with "A Large String of Wampum" and answered by "Captain White-eyes the Delaware-Chief, addressing both Parties." The following day, Dunmore's forces departed for home. The final two pages of the journal have been crossed out, and it appears this may have been prepared from an earlier version kept in the field. Ironically, many of the participants in this campaign (including Daniel Morgan, who is mentioned by name in the journal) would find themselves re