Lord Loudoun and the war February 1757
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Lt Gov Dinwiddie gives grudging approval
to Colonel George Washington to see Lord Loudoun in Philadelphia on February 2, 1757.
Lord Loudoun holds title as Crown Governor of Virginia,
as well as Commander in Chief of all North American forces.
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He ultimately never visits Virginia.
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This scheduled meeting in Philadelphia with Governors of PA, MD, VA, and the Carolinas on February 17, 1757 also never happens.
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Where is Lord Loudoun in his campaign?
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Lord Loudoun first arrives in America on the HMS Nightingale, dropping anchor off Sandy Hook [see map of Sandy Hook] July 22, 1756.
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His Lordship stays overnight in the ship. He does not come ashore until the next morning.
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Fred Anderson writes in his Crucible of War, Chapter 12, page 142, published in 2000, "Early the next morning Lt General John Campbell, earl of Loudoun --- fiftyish, "short, strong made & . . . fit for Action" --- stepped off a pilot boat onto the quay of New York City."
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Founders online footnote expands on this:
Loudoun arrived in Boston on 20 Jan. 1757
to meet with officials
of the New England colonies
in preparation for his planned
expedition to Quebec.
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It was not until 1 May that Loudoun
received specific orders
from William Pitt
to attack the French fortress at Louisburg
instead of Quebec.
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In order to launch the attack on Louisburg,
Loudoun in late May
sailed from New York to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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He was joined there on 10 July
by more than 5,000 regular soldiers from Britain
and a fleet of British warships,
but in August
Loudoun decided to abandon the campaign
and return to New York.
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In December 1757 Pitt recalled Loudoun to England. ----end of Founders online footnote.
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Fred Anderson, in Crucible of War, Page 184, published in 2000, writes:
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"Loudoun's great invasion fleet,
numbering more than a hundred sail
and carrying six thousand troops,
cleared Sandy Hook
on June 20, 1757 . . . "
heading to Halifax.
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And that complete invasion forces arrives by July 10, 1757 in Halifax [see map of Halifax] according to Founders Online footnote above.
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This invasion force originally intended by Lord Loudoun for the city of Quebec was changed by William Pitt to target Fortress Louisbourg at the mouth of the St Lawrence river.
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Where is Lord Loudoun in February, more specifically?
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Lord Loudoun is still in New York City when he wrote Ben Franklin February 20th, 1757.
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In that letter, Lord Loudoun tells Ben Franklin when to stow his gear on the ship (called a packet) to England, because Ben Franklin was planning to go to England, not just for handling financial matters of this war, but also he was elected last year to the Royal Society of scientists and natural philosophers for proving the analogy of lightening to electricity.
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In that letter too, Lord Loudoun notes the new dates to meet in Philadelphia with the Governors of PA, MD, VA, and the Carolinas between March 14-25, 1757.
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GW Traitorous?
In the meantime Lord Loudoun is
getting reports insinuating Colonel George Washington
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So back to the letter where
Lt Gov Dinwiddie gives grudging approval
to Colonel George Washington to see Lord Loudoun on February 2, 1757.
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Letter To George Washington from Robert Dinwiddie, 2 February 1757
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From Robert Dinwiddie Williamsbg Feby 2d 1757
. Sir
. I detain’d Jenkins here till my Express arrived from Ld Loudoun.
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Jenkins is this era's Pony Express. You will often see the phrase of a letter received "by Jenkins" as a way of saying the letter was received "by way of Jenkins."
. His Lordship has desired all the So[uth]ern Governors to meet him at Philada the 17th of this Month,
to consult what is proper to be done in these Parts;
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as this appears to me the Design of their Meeting
I cannot conceive what Service You can be of in going there,
as the Plan concerted will in course be communicated to You & the other Officers;
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however as You seem so earnest to go I now give You Leave,
& desire You will give proper Orders at Forts Cumberland & Loudoun,
that the Works may be duly carried on in Yr absence.
. I am in a Hurry providing for my Departure.
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I am Sir Your humble Servant Robt Dinwiddie
. LS, DLC:GW.
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Founders Online footnotes to above letter
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There is no letter-book copy of this letter in the Dinwiddie Papers, ViHi,
and the letter is not in the hand of Dinwiddie’s clerk, William Withers,
as are nearly all of Dinwiddie’s other letters to GW.
. 1. On 29 Jan. 1757 Dinwiddie wrote Loudoun:
“Last night the Express Julius kirk arriv’d here,
& brought me yr Ldps Lettre of the 8th
desiring me to wait on yr Ldp the 17th at Philadelphia.”
Ldps means Lordship's.
. 2. As recently as 19 Dec. 1756
GW had written Dinwiddie
to remind him
that he had given his permission
for GW to see Loudoun
upon his expected arrival in Virginia.
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Founders Online
Source of letter and footnotes:
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