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38
THE OLD GLADE ROAD
men of New England had not been given such great obstacles to overcome, it is undoubtedly true that their militia was far more adequate than anything of which Pennsylvania or Virginia knew, at least until 1758.[1] And yet Braddock died cursing his regulars and extolling the colonials!
Washington was elected commander-in-chief in Virginia on his own dignified terms; the army was increased to sixteen companies and £40,000 were voted for general defense. By October the young commander was at Winchester, where he faced a situation desperate and appalling. The country-side was terror-stricken, and few could be found even for defense; many chose "to die with their wives and families." The few score men who
- ↑ See Davies's Sermon, Virginia's Danger and Remedy, (Glasgow, 1756) 2d ed., p. 6; Cort's Colonel Henry Bouquet, p. 74; London Public Advertiser, October 3, 1755; Bouquet au Forbes, July 31, 1758, p. 113; "I know of only one remedy for the frightful indolence of the officers of these provinces, which would be to drum one out in the presence of the whole army"—Bouquet au Forbes, July 1758; Bouquet Papers, 21, 640, fol. 95. Bury: Exodus of the Western Nations vol. ii, pp. 250–251.
