"Virginia Regiment 1756 and beyond..." Topic

Found an awesome book in a used bookstore choked full of wonderful details about this regiment post-Braddock and their frontier operations conducting under Washington.

Some quick tidbits:

1. The VA regiment was originally composed of 16 companies.

2. A 17th company of rangers was added commanded by Christopher Gist and his son. The book says Gist recruited his men in PA.

3. Six additional ranger companies were formed at the Governors direction, and they apparently took orders from Washington.

4. The VA troops also included light horse (likely just mounted infantry).

5. The VA frontier was dotted with small forts garrisoned by both the rangers and VA regiment troops.

6. There were at least one or two larger posted – forts, complete with blockhouses on the four corners.

7. The good townsfolk of Winchester was not fans of Washington or his troops. In fact, Washington wrote that they threatened to blow his brains out.

More info to come, but for all those F&I games featuring cabins and stockade forts, the VA troops should be the ones using them, not redcoats – that is if you are basing your games on history during the F&I War..

Is "Virginia Regiment 1756 and beyond" the title of the book? Can you tell us who the author is and what was the publishing date.

Sorry, that is the title of my post. The book is:

Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society. "French & Indian War in Frederick County, Virginia" by Norman L. Baker. Published in 2000.

Just some awesome stuff in here for true F&I buffs interested in this theater of the war.

If you google his name you'll find his other book references which I hope are as good as this one.

Thanks. That a definite must for me.

Really interesting stuff for those interested in the period. Lots of French and Indian raids. I am trying to see if there is any reference to the French who were along with the Indians.

A French officer (Marine?) was captured while serving with an Indian band. It was found he had orders, in a pouch hanging from his neck, to attack one of the VA Regiment's forward bases of supply and burn it.

The author references that most of the raids were launched from Fort Duquesne, but I just ran across a reference of one being launched from the Great Lakes outposts (Detroit?).

Reading now about the largest raid on VA in the war.

Really interesting stuff.

I just ordered this.Author also did Braddock's March.
Mark

Are there any maps/battles in the book. Is it possible to create historical battle scenarios using it?

I would guess the Great Lakes outpost was Frontenac – or possibly Niagara. A raid out of Detroit would be some raid, overland nearly 500 miles and by water you have to go the length of two of the Great Lakes just to get to Frontenac. Niagara is not quite the length of one Great Lake – to Frontenac.

Sounds like an interesting book.

Raid might have been out of La Presentation (sp?).

Sorry on vacation.

There are not many maps, though there is an excellent one (sketch really) of one of the larger forts they built which shows the surrounding buildings, streams, fields.

The raids launched from the West could have been from Detroit, Michilimackinac, or one of the other great lakes or western outposts. It also shows that many of the raiding Indians were from that region and not just the Ohio country.

Also recent finished a book written by a former marine/colonial artilleryman too who travelled from Paris, to Quebec (where he joined up) and went from there to Montreal, to all the great lake outposts and Fort Duquesne – at least twice. Just wow. Interesting as he talks about Indian raids being mounted out of Duquesne, but never mentions any of the French or Canadians going out with them.

He also illustrates how the French could not trust the Indians either. He was "captured" by some supposed allied Indians during a hunting trip with them – and they tried to ransom him back to his commandant. He also talks about a council with the Indians where they had the cannons loaded during the meetings and doubled the guards.

Also recently visited the Braddock Battlefield museum where the tour guide talked about that battle and noted there were at least ten different tribes present at the battle – most from out west.