Washington, George, 1732-1799 -- Military leadership
ART. 4th. As soon as these articles shall be signed by both
parties, they shall take down the English flag.
ART. 5th. Tomorrow at daybreak a detachment of French shall
lead forth the garrison and take possession of the aforesaid
fort.
ART. 6th. Since the English have scarcely any horses or oxen
left, they shall be allowed to hide their property, in order
that they may return to seek for it after they shall have
recovered their horses; for this purpose they shall be
permitted to leave such number of troops as guards as they may
think proper, _under this condition, that they give their word
of honor that they will work on no establishment either in the
surrounding country or beyond the Highlands during one year
beginning from this day_.
ART. 7th. Since the English have in their power an officer and
two cadets, and, in general, all the prisoners whom they took
_when they murdered Lord Jumonville_, they now promise to send
them, with an escort to Fort Duquesne, situated on Belle River;
and to secure the safe performance of this treaty article, _as
well as of the treaty_, Messrs. Jacob van Braam and Robert
Stobo, both Captains, shall be delivered to us as hostages
until the arrival of our French and Canadians herein before
mentioned.
We on our part declare that we shall give an escort to send
back in safety the two officers who promise us our French in
two months and a half at the latest.
Copied on one of the posts of our block-house the same day and
year as before.
(Signed.) MESSRS. JAMES MACKAYE, GO.
GO. WASHINGTON,
COULON VILLIER.
The parts printed in italics were those misrepresented by van Braam.
The words “_pendent une annee a compter de ce jour_” are not found in
the articles printed by the French government, as though it repudiated
Villier’s intimation that the English should ever return. Yet within a
year--lacking nine days--an English army, eight times as great as the
one now capitulating, marched across this battle-field. The nice
courtesy shown by the young Colonel in allowing Captain Mackaye’s name
to take precedence over his own, is significant, as Mackaye, a King’s
officer, had never considered himself amenable to Washington’s orders,
and his troops had steadily refused to bear the brunt of the
campaign--working on the road or transporting guns and baggage. In the
trenches, however, the Carolinians did their duty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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