Lot 45
1755 (Aug. 3) Petersburg, Va. to Whitehaven, England, folded letter datelined "Petersburg up Appamatox James River Virginia", endorsed "P the How / Capt Eilbeck", carried by private ship to England bypassing the Post Office, Fine, the long letter gives a description of General Braddock's defeat and of Washington's heroism, at a battle that occurred 25 days earlier.
Estimate 15,000 - 20,000
The content of the letter includes: "I am sorry to informe you of our bad success in our first enguagment this year with the French and Indians…On the 9th of the last instant at Mongohala within six miles of the French Fort Gen. Braddock with 1300 chose men and officers were attacked by the French and Indians supposed to be in number about 400 and after a bloody action three & a half hours our troops yielded ground for want of officers to rally the men as most of them were either killed or wounded by that time as to the particulars no certainty yet we lost all our provisions Artillary Stores and Baggage of every kind. and by much the greatest part of our Officers and at least half the whole number of men was carried to field…and what makes a greater addition to our loss our Famous General Braddock was shot thro the arm and body mounting his fifth horse. The detachment of light Horse that attended him out of twenty nine had twenty five filled…
We are informed the French and Indians were not in number above 400 whose method of fiting were sticking on every side behind the logs and bushes and by aying a train of powder and setting it on fire our troops kept firing at the smoak till the were half killed and not knowing what they fired at and the Indians firing from every side drop'd them like Bees…
It is reported that Washington a Virginian who was our late General in our expadition last year rode up to General Braddock and advised him to breack his men and take the Indian method of fiting behind the bushes but he refised so by that means lost the battle…
Washington last year with three hundred men was attacted by Nine hundred and by his good noshons of there ways Kill's upwards of three hundred of theirs with the loss of Seventy Kill'd and wounded and when a parley was called out for by the French he had the better of the Battle notwithstanding there numbers".
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| Realized $24,000 |
