In 1994, a letter from Major Sparkes of the 48th was discovered in an English Archive that describes the Battle
of the Monongahela. Previously it was unknown and post-dates even Kopperman's work.
The link to the full text (PDF) is here, but I pasted a segment below. I could open the PDF with Firefox but not Explorer.
The segment describing his withdrawl across the river is a good read (2nd area of bold text)
http://dpubs.libraries.psu.edu/DPub...erb=Display&page=toc&handle=psu.ph/1141421023
"that it was the thirtieth day after our leaving Fort Cumberland, that we arriv'd upon the Banks of the
Monongahila, about seven or Eight miles short of Fort du Quesne, which River we
forded twice on the 9th of July, and in less than a mile after our second passage, we
were attaclkd in a pass surrounded with Hills of wood, that reder'd our Enemys invisible
to us, so that we were expos'd to their fire with which we were incircled, without
being able to return it but at Random amongst the Trees and underwood, in this situation
a great number of men and Officers fell in a short time, upon which the men
run into such confusion, that neither the General, or any of Us could form or prevail
with them to obey any Commands, tho' we Used our best Endeavours to convince
them, that their safetys depended upon their obedience, but all to no purpose,
for in this manner (although the Officers Used all possible Arguments to Encourage
them, they would neither follow or obey their orders) they continued behaveing [disobediently],
fireing at Random without orders or paying the least regard to any that
were given, till they had exhausted the most of their Ammunition, and then they
retreated with great precipitation over the Monongahila, which we could not with all
possible intreaties prevent, or form them when they had got over, they taking immediately
into the Woods;" The General, poor Gentleman, after having four or five
horses shot under him, receiv'd a Wound of which he died in four or five days, his
two Aide du Camps were Wounded, his Secretary Mr. [William] Shirley, Son to our
present General Kill'd, Sir Peter Halket and Six of his officers Kill'd and Nine
Wounded, of our Regiment a Captain and five Lieutenants Kill'd and twelve Officers
Wounded, our loss in the whole is compared at upwards of Eight hundred men Kill'd
and Wounded, and Sixty three Officers, twenty six of the Number Kill'd, thirty seven
wounded, several of which are since dead, out of our Company of Granadiers consiting
of Seventy Eight including Serjeants and so forth, but Eleven of them came
off, most of the Remainder of them being Kill'd, the others so badly wounded that
many are since dead, the Captain Wounded and the two Lieutenants Kill'd, and out
of forty six detach'd from my Company, I had twenty Kill'd and twelve Wounded,
most of them since dead of their wounds, and my two Lieutenants and Ensign likewise
Wounded, and out of twenty three Officers of our Regiment upon that detachment,
only five return'd unhurt, and which was pretty much the Case of the two
Regiments and so forth, As to my Self, altho' I was on horseback till about half an
hour before our men went off (which was upwards of three hours from the beginning
of the Actions) when my Horse was shot under me, and in all places where the
Service required my duty, there being none of the Field Officers Remaining but
Colonel [Thomas] Gage and my Self to give any orders, all the others being rendered
incapable by Death and Wounds, I think I Escap'd very well, for tho' my Cloaths
were shot through in several places, I came off with two Wounds, which has been of
no great consequence, the one in my left Leg, the other in my right foot, where the
Ball was Lodg'd and taken out two days afterwards, which luckily had taken the
Stirrup Iron first, or my foot much have been Smash'd to pieces, I was lame for a considerable
time but am now perfectly well of both wounds, but at times have
Numbness in my foot;. I acknowledge, and ever shall retain a just sense of the
Almightys protection that day, being in as much danger in getting off of the ground
and over the River, as in the Action, for Colonel Gage being on horseback, rode on
in hopes of Stopping the men, and I remain'd behind in order to form and lead them
on again, but he might as well have attempted to have Stop'd a Torrent, I continued
upon the Ground till they were all gone, and had then three quarters of a mile to the
River, was on foot, bleeding, and lame, and not one person to assist me, and when I
got to the Water, the Indians were firing very briskly upon our men from the Banks
of the River, in this sutuation I was oblig'd to enter the Water, and by the Almightys
Assistance got safe over without further hurt, tho' their shot came very thick, the
River broad, and often up to my breast, and in one place I fell into a hole quite overhead,
whence I must certainly have been suffocated, being then too weak to help'my
self had I not been assisted by one of our men, who see me fall and came to my relief
The Trains of Artillery with Us, Consisting of Four Howitzers, four twelve
pounders, two six pounders, and some Cohorns, with the Stores of Ammunition and
the Provision Waggons, were all left upon the Ground, several of the horses being
Kill'd, and many run off with by the Waggoners, and all or most of the Baggage of
the Army lost, As to my own part, I was Stripp'd of everything I had, having lost
six horses, all my field Equipage, Cloaths and Necessarys of all kinds that I brought
in plenty from Europe, every thing being excessive dear in this Country, so that with
the money I had with me, my loss at the most moderates computation amounts to
very near five hundred pounds, haveing brought nothing off but the cloaths upon my
back, which greatly distress'd me, being much out of order upon the March, and
oblig'd to lay upon the ground, without either beding or any comfortable necessary
to be got, till our Arrival at Philadelphia on the 29th of August, our March being
thorough the woods the whole way."
of the Monongahela. Previously it was unknown and post-dates even Kopperman's work.
The link to the full text (PDF) is here, but I pasted a segment below. I could open the PDF with Firefox but not Explorer.
The segment describing his withdrawl across the river is a good read (2nd area of bold text)
http://dpubs.libraries.psu.edu/DPub...erb=Display&page=toc&handle=psu.ph/1141421023
"that it was the thirtieth day after our leaving Fort Cumberland, that we arriv'd upon the Banks of the
Monongahila, about seven or Eight miles short of Fort du Quesne, which River we
forded twice on the 9th of July, and in less than a mile after our second passage, we
were attaclkd in a pass surrounded with Hills of wood, that reder'd our Enemys invisible
to us, so that we were expos'd to their fire with which we were incircled, without
being able to return it but at Random amongst the Trees and underwood, in this situation
a great number of men and Officers fell in a short time, upon which the men
run into such confusion, that neither the General, or any of Us could form or prevail
with them to obey any Commands, tho' we Used our best Endeavours to convince
them, that their safetys depended upon their obedience, but all to no purpose,
for in this manner (although the Officers Used all possible Arguments to Encourage
them, they would neither follow or obey their orders) they continued behaveing [disobediently],
fireing at Random without orders or paying the least regard to any that
were given, till they had exhausted the most of their Ammunition, and then they
retreated with great precipitation over the Monongahila, which we could not with all
possible intreaties prevent, or form them when they had got over, they taking immediately
into the Woods;" The General, poor Gentleman, after having four or five
horses shot under him, receiv'd a Wound of which he died in four or five days, his
two Aide du Camps were Wounded, his Secretary Mr. [William] Shirley, Son to our
present General Kill'd, Sir Peter Halket and Six of his officers Kill'd and Nine
Wounded, of our Regiment a Captain and five Lieutenants Kill'd and twelve Officers
Wounded, our loss in the whole is compared at upwards of Eight hundred men Kill'd
and Wounded, and Sixty three Officers, twenty six of the Number Kill'd, thirty seven
wounded, several of which are since dead, out of our Company of Granadiers consiting
of Seventy Eight including Serjeants and so forth, but Eleven of them came
off, most of the Remainder of them being Kill'd, the others so badly wounded that
many are since dead, the Captain Wounded and the two Lieutenants Kill'd, and out
of forty six detach'd from my Company, I had twenty Kill'd and twelve Wounded,
most of them since dead of their wounds, and my two Lieutenants and Ensign likewise
Wounded, and out of twenty three Officers of our Regiment upon that detachment,
only five return'd unhurt, and which was pretty much the Case of the two
Regiments and so forth, As to my Self, altho' I was on horseback till about half an
hour before our men went off (which was upwards of three hours from the beginning
of the Actions) when my Horse was shot under me, and in all places where the
Service required my duty, there being none of the Field Officers Remaining but
Colonel [Thomas] Gage and my Self to give any orders, all the others being rendered
incapable by Death and Wounds, I think I Escap'd very well, for tho' my Cloaths
were shot through in several places, I came off with two Wounds, which has been of
no great consequence, the one in my left Leg, the other in my right foot, where the
Ball was Lodg'd and taken out two days afterwards, which luckily had taken the
Stirrup Iron first, or my foot much have been Smash'd to pieces, I was lame for a considerable
time but am now perfectly well of both wounds, but at times have
Numbness in my foot;. I acknowledge, and ever shall retain a just sense of the
Almightys protection that day, being in as much danger in getting off of the ground
and over the River, as in the Action, for Colonel Gage being on horseback, rode on
in hopes of Stopping the men, and I remain'd behind in order to form and lead them
on again, but he might as well have attempted to have Stop'd a Torrent, I continued
upon the Ground till they were all gone, and had then three quarters of a mile to the
River, was on foot, bleeding, and lame, and not one person to assist me, and when I
got to the Water, the Indians were firing very briskly upon our men from the Banks
of the River, in this sutuation I was oblig'd to enter the Water, and by the Almightys
Assistance got safe over without further hurt, tho' their shot came very thick, the
River broad, and often up to my breast, and in one place I fell into a hole quite overhead,
whence I must certainly have been suffocated, being then too weak to help'my
self had I not been assisted by one of our men, who see me fall and came to my relief
The Trains of Artillery with Us, Consisting of Four Howitzers, four twelve
pounders, two six pounders, and some Cohorns, with the Stores of Ammunition and
the Provision Waggons, were all left upon the Ground, several of the horses being
Kill'd, and many run off with by the Waggoners, and all or most of the Baggage of
the Army lost, As to my own part, I was Stripp'd of everything I had, having lost
six horses, all my field Equipage, Cloaths and Necessarys of all kinds that I brought
in plenty from Europe, every thing being excessive dear in this Country, so that with
the money I had with me, my loss at the most moderates computation amounts to
very near five hundred pounds, haveing brought nothing off but the cloaths upon my
back, which greatly distress'd me, being much out of order upon the March, and
oblig'd to lay upon the ground, without either beding or any comfortable necessary
to be got, till our Arrival at Philadelphia on the 29th of August, our March being
thorough the woods the whole way."
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