The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-04-04

mat nad come, whether wisdom held
he reins or not; and it gave the Old
Dominion a thrill of quickened hope
and purpose to see Keppels trans
ports in the Potomac and Braddock's
l-edcoats ashore at Alexandria.
Troops Move Up the Potomac.
The transports, as they made their
say slowly up the river. passed be
leath the very windows Of Mount Yer
non, to put the troops ashore only
eight miles beyond, Washington had
lett of being soldier for Dinwiddie
bat he had resigned only to avoid an
intolerable indignity, not to shun
service, and he made no pretonse Of
Indifference when he saw the red
coats come to camp at Alexandria,
Again and again was he early in the
saddle to see the stir and order Of the
troops, make the acquaintance Of the
officers, and learn. if he might, what
it was that fitted his majesty's regu-
lars for their stern business.
The selfconfident gentlemen who
wore his majesty's uniform and car
ried his majesty's commissions in
their pockets had scant regard. most
Of them, for the raw folk OF the col
ony, who had never been in London or
seen the set array of battle They
were not little impatient that they
must recruit among such a people.
The transports had brought but
thousand men-two heterogeneous of
five hundred each, whose colonies had
Instructions 70 add two hundred men
apiece to their force in the colony
Six companies OF rangers" too, the
colonists were to furnish, and one
company of light horse, besides car
penters and transfers. BY all these
General Braddock's officers set small
store, deeming it likely they must
depend, not upon the provincials, but
upon themselves for success. They
we're at small pains 20 conceal their
hearty contempt for the people they
had come to help.
Washington a Social Favorte.
But with Washington it was a diff
ferent matter.
There was that in his proud eyes
and gentleman's bearing that marked
him d man TO be made friends with
and respected. A good comrade he
proved, without pretense or brayado,
but an i'll man to scOrn. as he went
his way among them, 1.-THE and alert,
full six feet in his boots, with that
strong gait IS Of q backwoodsman,
and that naughty carriage as of a
man born TO have his will He won
their liking, and even their admira-
ton, as a fellow of their own pride
and purpose.
General Braddock, knowing he de-
sired to make the campaign if he
might do so without sacrifice of self
respect, promptly invited him to go as
@ member of his staff, where there
could be no question of rank, asking
him, besides, to name any young gen
tlemen Of his acquaintance he chose
for several vacant ensigncies in the
two regiments.
On Braddock's Staff.
The letter OF invitation, written by
Captain Orme, aide-de-camp, was
cOuched in terms OF unaffected cor
diality. Washington very gladly ac-
cepted, in a letter that had just
touch of the young provincial in it,
SC elaborate and overriding was its eX-
PLANTATION OF lis writer's delicate posi-
ton and self-respe cting motives, but
with so much more Of the proud gen
tleman and resolute man that the
smile with which Captain Orme must
have read it could have nothing OF
disrolsh in it.
The young aide-de-camp and all the
other members of the generals mill
tary family" found its author, at any
rate, man after their own hearts
when il came to terms Of intimacy
among them.
BY mid-April the commander-in-
chief had brought five governors to-
gether st Alexandria, in obedience
10 his call for an immediate con-
erence-Wuliam Shirley, Of Mas
sachusetts, the stout-hearted Old law
Yer. every inch "a gentleman and pol
itician,' who had OF sudden turned
soldier to face the French, for all he
was past sixty; James De Lancey, Of
New York, astute man Of the people,
the brave and energetic Horatio
Share of Maryland; Robert Hunter
Morris, fresh from the latest wrangles
with the headstrong Quakers and Ger
mans of Pennsylvania, and Robert
Dinwiddie, the busy merchant COVER
nor Of the Old Dominion, whose urgent
letters to the government at home
had brought Braddock and his regi-
ments to the Potomac.
Plans were promptly agreed upon.
New York and New England, seeing
war come on apace, were astir no less
than Virginia. and in active CORE
spondence with the ministers in Lon
don. TWO regiments had already been
raised and taken into the kings pay;
the militia Of all the threatened col
onies We're afoot in all quarters &C
ten was expected and instant war.
To Strike at Niagara.
C0v-or~Cv SIi,}ay, tho council