he fort, which was
accompanied by the most hideous shouts and yells from all quarters, so
that it appeared to me as if the infernal regions had broken loose.
About sundown I beheld a small party coming in with about a dozen of
prisoners, stripped naked, with their hands tied behind their backs.
Their faces and parts of their bodies were blackened. These prisoners
they burned to death on the banks of the Alleghany River, opposite to
the fort. I stood on the walls of the fort until I beheld them begin to
burn one of these men. They tied him to a stake and kept touching him
with fire-brands, red-hot irons, etc., and he screamed in the most
doleful manner. The Indians, in the mean time, were yelling like
infernal spirits. As this scene was too shocking for me, I returned to
my lodgings both sorry and sore.

"From the best information I could receive, there were only seven
Indians and four French killed in this battle. Five hundred British lay
dead in the field, besides what were killed in the river, after their
retreat. The morning after the battle I saw Braddock's artillery
brought into the fort. The same day, also, I saw several Indians in the
dress of British officers, with the sashes, half-moons, laced hats,
etc., which the British wore."

Washington said: "The French are responsible for these atrocious
cruelties, for the Indians are their allies, instigated to war by their
influence, fighting under their banner, and paid by their money. The
burning of our men under the very walls of their fort must have been
done by their approval."

He embraced the first opportunity after the battle, to write to his
mother, that she might know of his safety, and be relieved of any
anxiety which exaggerated reports might create. His letter to her was
dated Fort Cumberland, July 18, 1755, and the first paragraph was:

"As I doubt not but you have heard of our defeat, and, perhaps, had it
represented in a worse light, if possible, than it deserves, I have
taken this opportunity to give you some account of the engagement as it
happened within ten miles of the French fort, on Wednesday, the 9th
inst."

He wrote to his brother:

"The Virginia troops showed a good deal of bravery, and were nearly all
killed. The dastardly behavior of those they called regulars exposed all
others that were ordered to do their duty to almost certain death. At
last, in despite of all the efforts of the officers to the contrary,
they ran, as sheep pursue