raised in Hanover County, Virginia, Au- gust 17, 1755.
By Samuel Davis, A. M. Minister of the Gospel there.
P H I L A D E L P H I A
Printed by J A M E S C H A T T I N. 1755.
RELIGION AND PATRIOTISM the CONSTITUENTS
of a good S O L D I E R.
A S E R M O N
2 Sam. 10. 12. Be of good Courage, and let us play the Men, for our People, and for the Cities of our God: And the Lord do that which him good An Hundred Years of Peace and Liberty in such a World as this, is a very unusual Thing; and yet our Country has been the happy Spot that has been distinguished with such a long Series of Blessings, with little or no Interruption. Our Situation in the Middle of the British Colonies, and our Separation from the French, those eternal Enemies of Liberty and Britons, on the one Side by the vast Atlantic, and on the other by a long Ridge of Mountains, and a wide, extended Wilderness, have for many Years been a Barrier to us; and while other Nations have been involved in War, we have not been alarmed with the Sound of the Trumpet, nor seen Garments rolled in Blood.
But now the Scene is changed: Now we begin to experience in our Turn the Fate of the Nations of the Earth. Our Territories are invaded by the Power and Perfidy of France; our Frontiers ravaged by merciless Savages, and our Fellow-Subjects there murdered with all the horrid Arts of Indian and Popish Torture. Our General unfortunately brave, is fallen, an Army of 1300 choice Men routed, our fine Train of Artillery taken, and all this (Oh mortifying Thought!) all this by 4 or 500 dastardly, insidious Barbarians.
These Calamities have not come upon us without Warnings. We were long ago apprized of the ambitious Schemes of our Enemies, and their Motions to carry them into Execution: And had we taken timely Measures, they might have been crushed, before they could arrive at such a formidable Height. But how have we generally behaved in such a critical Time; Alas! Our country has been funk in a deep Sleep: A stupid Security has unmanned the Inhabitants: They could not realize a Danger at the Distance of 2 or 300 Miles: They would not be persuaded, that even French Papists could seriously design us an Injury: And hence little or nothing has been done for the Defence of our Country in Time, except by the Compulsion of Authority. And now, when the Cloud thickens over our Heads, and alarms every thoughtful Mind with its near Approach, Multitudes, I am afraid, are still dissolved in careless Security, or enervated with an effeminate, cowardly Spirit. When the melancholy News first reached us concerning the Fate of our Army, then we saw how natural it is for the Presumptuous to fall into the opposite Extreme of unmanly Despondence and Consternation; and how little Men could do in such a Pannic for their own Defence. We have also suffered our poor Fellow-Subjects in the Frontier Counties to fall a helpless Prey to Blood-thirsty Savages, without affording them proper Assistance, which as Members of the same Body Politic, they had a Right to expect. They might as well have continued in a State of Nature, as be united in Society, if in such an Article of extreme Danger, they are left to shift for themselves. The bloody Barbarians have exercised on some of them the most unnatural and leisurely Tortures; and others they have butchered in their Beds, or in some unguarded Hour. Can human Nature bear the Horror of the Sight! See yonder! The hairy Scalps, clotted with Gore! The mangled Limbs! The ript-up Woman! The Heart and Bowels, still palpitating with Life, smoking on the Ground! See the Savages swilling their Blood, and imbibing a more outrageous Fury with the inhuman Draught! Sure these are not Men; they are not Beasts of Prey; they are something worse; they must be internal Furies in human Shape. And have we tamely looked on, and suffered them to exercise these hellish Barbarities upon our Fellow-Men, our Fellow-Subjects, our Brethren? Alas! With what Horror must we look upon ourselves, as being little better than Accessories to their Blood?
And shall these Ravages go on unchecked? Shall Virginia incur the Guilt and the everlasting Shame, of tamely exchanging her Liberty, her Religion, and her All, for arbitrary Gallic Power, and for Popish Slavery, Tyranny and Massacre? Alas! Are there none of her Children, that enjoyed all the Blessings of her Peace, that will espouse her Cause, and befriend her now in the Time of her Danger? Are Britons utterly degenerated by so short a Remove from their Mother-Country? Is the Spirit of Patriotism entirely extinguished among us? And must I give thee up for lost, O my Country, and all that is included in that important Word? Must I look upon these as a conquered, enslaved Province of France, and the Range of Indian Savages? My Heart breaks at the Thought and must ye, our unhappy Brethren in our Frontiers, must ye stand the single Barriers of a ravaged Country, unassisted,…? Alas! Must I draw these shocking Conclusions?
No; I am agreeably checked by the happy, encouraging Prospect now before me. Is it a pleasing Dream? Or do I really see a Number of brave Men, without the Compulsion of Authority, without the Prospect of Gain, voluntarily associated in a Company, to march over horrendous Rocks and Mountains, into an hideous Wilderness, to succour their helpless Fellow-Subjects, and guard their Country? Yes, Gentlemen, I see you here upon this Design; and were you all united to my Heart by the most endearing Ties of Nature, or Friendship, I could not wish to see you engaged in a nobler Cause; and whatever the Fondness of Passion might carry me to, I am sure my Judgment would never suffer me to persuade you to desert it. You all generously put your Lives in your Hands; and sundry of you have nobly disengaged yourselves from the strong and tender Ties that twine about the Heart of a Father, or a Husband, to confine you at home in glorious Ease, and sneaking Retirement from Danger, when your Country calls for your Assistance. While I have you before me, I have high Thoughts of a Virginian; and I entertain the pleasing Hope that my Country will yet emerge out of her Distress and flourish with her usual Blessings. I am gratefully sensible of the unmerited Honour you have done me, in making Choice of me to address you upon so singular and important an Occasion: And I am sure I bring with me a Heart ardent to serve you and my Country, though I am afraid my inability, and the Hurry of my Preparations, may give you Reason to repent your Choice. I cannot begin my Address to you with more proper Words than those of a great General, which I have read to you: Be of good Courage, and play the Man, for your People, and for the Cities of your God; and the Lord do what seemeth him good.
…Courage is an essential Character of a good Soldier:—Not a savage ferocious Violence:—Not a fool-hardy Insensibility of Danger, or headstrong Rashness to rush into it:—Not the Fury of enflamed Passions, broke loose from the Government of Reason: But calm, deliberate, rational Courage; a steady, judicious, thoughtful Fortitude; the Courage of a Man, and not of a Tiger….…As a remarkable Instance of this, I may point out to the Public that heroic Youth Col. Washington, whom I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved in so signal a Manner, for some important Service to his Country.
22 Humphreys’ Life of George Washington “During this interval in one of his tours along the frontier posts —- he narrowly escaped, according to the account afterwards given by some of our People who were Prisoners with them, and eye witnesses at the time [illegible] falling by an Indian party who had waylaid (for another purpose) the communication along which with a small party of horse only he was passing —- The road in this place formed a curve and the prey they were in weight for being expected at the reverse part, the Captain of the party had gone across to observe the number & manner of their improvements etc in order that he might make his disposition accordingly leaving orders for the party not to take notice of any passengers the other way till he returned to them —- in the meantime in the opposite direction I passed & escaped almost certain destruction for the weather was raining and the few carbines unfit for use if we had escaped the first fire —- This happened near Fort Vass.”
23 The Diaries of George Washington 1748-1799 edited by John C. Fitzpatrick, vol. 1, 1748-1770, Published for The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union (Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company). See under the following dates:
September 1770
20, 1770—Set out for the Big Kanhawa with Dr. Craik, Captn. Crawford and others. Incampd abt. 14 Miles off.
28, 1770—Meeting with Kiashuta and other Indian Hunters we proceeded only 10 Miles to day.
October 1770
5th—Began a journey to the Ohio in Company with Doctr. Craik..[Kiashuta, an Indian who had accompanied Washington part of the way from Logs Town to Fort Le Boeuf in 1753]
Sunday 14, 1770—At Captn. Crawford’s all day. Went to see a Coal Mine not far from his house on the Banks of the River; the Coal seemed to be of the very best kind, burning freely and abundance of it.
Wednesday 17.—Doctr. Craik and myself with Captn. Crawford and others arrivd at Fort Pill,..The fort is built in the point between the River Alligany and Monongahela..
Thursday 18th—Dined in the Fort with Colo. Croghan…dined with Colo. Croghan the next day at his Seat abt. 4 miles up the Alligany.
Friday 19th—Recd. A Message from Colo. Croghan that the white Mingo and other Chiefs of the 6 Nations had something to say to me, and desiring that I would be at his House abt. 11(where they were to meet). I went up and receivd a Speech with a String of Wampum [ Wampum, the Indian ceremonial emblem, was a comparatively rare shell of some beauty, which was pierced, longitudinally, and strung upon deerskin thongs. These strings were woven into bands of belts, and the size of the belt was generally proportioned to what the Indians considered the significance of the occasion where it was used. The Indian method of sealing and recording treaties or councils, was by presenting a wampum belt. Wampum was, sometimes, used for personal adornment. As used in the councils, or treaty-making, the belts were presented to the opposite party, and in all future discussions of the subject these belts were produced when, in some curious way the sight of each belt recalled to the Indian speech-chronicler the speech made at the time that belt was presented. It is stated that this chronicler, who was styled ‘the Keeper of the Belts’ could repeat the speech almost verbatim, even though some years had elapsed since it had first been delivered. The Keeper of the Belts was usually an old Indian and kept in training under him a younger man, who was to take his place, and him he drilled in remembering the speeches, that the record of them might not be lost.] from the White Mingo to the following effect:
That I was a Person who some of them remember to have seen when I was sent on an Embassy to the French, and most of them had heard of; they were come to bid me welcome to this Country, and to desire that the People of Virginia would consider them as friends and Brothers linked together in one chair; that I wd. Inform the Governor, that it was their wish to live in peace and harmy. With the white People, and that tho their had been some unhappy differences between them and the People upon our Frontiers, it was all made up, and they hopd forgotten; and concluded with saying, that, their Brothers of Virginia did not come among them and Trade as the Inhabitants of the other Provences did; from whence they were afraid that we did not look upon them with so friendly an Eye as they coud wish.. (410-11)
Monday 22…Upon our arrival at the Mingo Town we receivd the disagreeable news of two Traders being killd at a Town calld the Grape Vine Town.
Tuesday 23….only one Person was killd… At the Mingo Town we found, and left, 60 odd Warriors of the six Nations going to the Cerhokee Country to proceed to war against the Cuttaba’s..
Wednesday 24th.…and enquire into the truth of the report concerning the Murder..
Thursday 25th.—About Seven Oclock Nicholson and the Indian returnd; they found nobody at the Town but tow old Indian Women (the Men being a Hunting) from these they learnt that the Trader was not killd, but drownd in attempting to Ford the Ohio…About half an hour after 7 we set out from our Incampment around which, and up the Creek is a body of fine Land. In our Passage down to this, we see innumerable quantities of Turkeys, and many Deer watering…
Friday 26th.…At the end of this reach we found one, Martin, and Lindsay two Traders; and from them learnt, that the Person drownd was one Philips attempting in Compa. With Rogers, another Indn. Trader, the Swim the River with their Horses at an improper place; Rogers himself narrowly escaping…
Sunday 28th...we found Kiashuta and his Hunting Party Incampd. Here we were under a necessity of paying our Compliments, As this person was one of the Six Nation Chiefs and the head of them upon this River. In the Person of Kiashuta I found an old acquaintance, he being one of the Indians that went with me to the French in 1753. He expressed a satisfaction in seeing me, and treated us with great kindness; giving us a Quarter of very fine Buffalo. He insisted upon our spending that Night with him, and in order to retard us as little as possible movd his Camp down the River about 3 Miles just below the Mouth of a Creek, the name of which I coud not learn (it not being large); at this place we all Incampd. After much Councelling the overnight, they all came to my fire the next Morning, with great formality; when Kiashuta rehearsing what had passd between me and the Sachems at Colo. Croghan’s, thankd me for saying that Peace and friendship was the wish of the People of Virginia (with them) and for recommending it to the Traders to deal with them upon a fair and equitable footing; and then again expressd their desire of having a Trade opend with Virginia, and that the Governor thereof might not only be made acquainted therewith, but of their friendly disposition towards the white People; this I promisd to do.
Monday 29th—The tedious ceremony which the Indians observe in their Councellings and speeches, detaind us till 9 Oclock… On this Creek many Buffaloes use [d to be] according to the Indians acct…
24 G.W. Parke Custis in his Recollections of Washington, p.300-305. Custis actually turned this story into a play entitled, “The Indian Prophecy” that was performed in several cities.
25 WGW, vol. 3, 6-18-1775. Bancroft IV 212
26 Bancroft, The Life of George Washington, IV 212.
27 Ibid., IV 212.
28 Ibid., IV 212.
29 WGW, vol. 1, April 22, 1756.
