f our officers; our whole artillery taken.
In short, the account I have received is so very bad, that as, please
God, I intend to make a stand here, 'tis highly necessary to raise the
militia everywhere to defend the frontiers." A boy whom he sent out on
horseback met more fugitives, and came back on the fourteenth with
reports as vague and disheartening as the first. Innes sent them to
Dinwiddie.[232] Some days after, Dunbar and his train arrived in
miserable disorder, and Fort Cumberland was turned into a hospital for
the shattered fragments of a routed and ruined army.

[Footnote 232: _Innes to Dinwiddie, 14 July, 1755_.]

On the sixteenth a letter was brought in haste to one Buchanan at
Carlisle, on the Pennsylvanian frontier:--

Sir,--I thought it proper to let you know that I was in the battle
where we were defeated. And we had about eleven hundred and fifty
private men, besides officers and others. And we were attacked the
ninth day about twelve o'clock, and held till about three in the
afternoon, and then we were forced to retreat, when I suppose we
might bring off about three hundred whole men, besides a vast many
wounded. Most of our officers were either wounded or killed;
General Braddock is wounded, but I hope not mortal; and Sir John
Sinclair and many others, but I hope not mortal. All the train is
cut off in a manner. Sir Peter Halket and his son, Captain Polson,
Captain Gethan, Captain Rose, Captain Tatten killed, and many
others. Captain Ord of the train is wounded, but I hope not mortal.
We lost all our artillery entirely, and everything else.

To Mr. John Smith and Buchannon, and give it to the next post, and
let him show this to Mr. George Gibson in Lancaster, and Mr.
Bingham, at the sign of the Ship, and you'll oblige,

Yours to command,

JOHN CAMPBELL, _Messenger_.[233]

[Footnote 233: _Colonial Records of Pa._, VI. 481.]

The evil tidings quickly reached Philadelphia, where such confidence had
prevailed that certain over-zealous persons had begun to collect money
for fireworks to celebrate the victory. Two of these, brother physicians
named Bond, came to Franklin and asked him to subscribe; but the sage
looked doubtful. "Why, the devil!" said one of them, "you surely don't
suppose the fort will not be taken?" He reminded them that war is always
uncertain; and the subscription was deferred.[234]The Gove