lost, overrun and conquered
Canada, and made a clean finish of the whole French empire in America,
in less than six months' time. They soon discovered, however, that he
was one of those unlucky persons, who, knowing much, seldom know what
use to make of their knowledge; who, having no will that they can call
their own, can never turn the will of others to any good or seasonable
purpose; and who, making a great show of doing, have never any thing
to show in the end what they have done. In this last particular, Dr.
Franklin, with that peculiar humor all his own, likened him to the
picture of St. George on the sign, that was always on horseback, but
never riding on.

Now, the recapture of Fort Duquesne, ever since the disgraceful
failure of that first attempt, had been the one object nearest to
Washington's heart. Foreseeing that there could never be peace or
safety for the back settlements of the middle provinces so long as
this stronghold of the enemy sent out its savage swarms to scourge
and waste the border, he had repeatedly called Lord Loudoun's
attention to the fact, and most earnestly urged its seizure as the
only remedy. It was not, however, until early in the autumn of 1758,
that an expedition, having for its object his long-cherished scheme,
was set on foot. It was undertaken with a force of three thousand
Pennsylvanians, twelve hundred North Carolinians, Washington's
detachment of nineteen hundred Virginians, seven hundred Indians, and
a few hundred regulars,--numbering in all seven thousand men, or
thereabouts,--with Gen. Forbes for their chief commander.

As an easy and rapid communication between the back settlements of
Virginia and Pennsylvania would greatly lessen the difficulties of the
coming campaign, this officer caused a road to be opened between Fort
Cumberland and Raystown, a frontier post of the last-named province,
where he had fixed his headquarters. Before the expedition could be
put in motion, it was necessary that Col. Washington should go to
Williamsburg to make known to the Virginia Legislature the needy
condition of his soldiers, and make a call upon them for fresh
supplies of tents, blankets, clothing, wagons, arms, &c.

Accordingly, attended by his trusty negro servant Bishop, and mounted
on his splendid white charger,--both of which had been bequeathed to
him by poor Braddock,--he set out on his journey, which proved an
eventful one indeed to him, as you shall directly see. At the fer