Orders, 5 July 1756
Orders
Parole: Temperance.
Fort Cumberland [Md.]1 Monday, July 5th 1756.
A General Court Martial, to consist of one Field Officer, four Captains, and eight Subalterns, to sit immediately, for trial of Lieutenant King for misconduct and neglect of Duty.2
Lieutenant Colonel Stephen, President—Mr Kirkpatrick—Judge-Advocate.
The pay master is to apply to the several Officers commanding companies for pay-rolls for all the men, except the Draughts; that were paid off at Winchester to the first instant.
An orderly Sergeant to attend Colonel Washington every day, while he stays in the Garrison.
LB, DLC:GW.
1. GW marched to Fort Cumberland about 29 June and was still there on 14 July. He was at Conococheague by 16 July and back at Winchester by 19 July.
2. John King, who came into the Virginia Regiment in September 1755, was the lieutenant in the company commanded by Joshua Lewis. According to a letter from Winchester of 23 July 1756, printed in the Maryland Gazette (Annapolis) on 12 Aug., King was ordered on 2 July to lead a party of thirty men in pursuit of deserters from Fort Cumberland. Unable to catch up with the fugitives, on the next day King “made the best of his Way for the Fort, without discovering any Signs of the Enemy, till his advanced Guard, consisting of seven Men, were fired upon by a Party in Ambush, posted on the Hill, which you rise coming from Eviott’s [Evitts] Creek to Fort Cumberland, five of whom were killed and scalped on the Spot, before the main Body (which had stopped in the Creek to drink) could come up, as they were at least 200 Yards behind.”