We Receive a Message....at Reastown

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: 17th of August, 1758
: Camp at Reastown

: Cousin Seamus and Friend Timothy,

: A message arrived from you this morn!  Brother Gunn and I believe that the date on your post is incorrect, for it took only 24 hours for it to catch up with us here at the Fort at Reastown.  To be sure, the post rider which delivered your message had a lathered horse and he spoke of riding 24 hours straight, something quite difficult to believe, but your message has arrived and we are elated that you are both coming back with us on this expedition west to Fort Duquesne.

: We do lie here in the Highland camp at Reastown.  Much has occurred within the past month since we last sent you a message.  Col. Bouquet arrived here a few days ago and we with him as an advance detachment of the 77th.  The remainder of our regiment is at Fort Loudoun with Colonel Montgomery awaiting General Forbes to move forward from Fort Morris, otherwise known as Shippensburg.  More troops move up daily but many troops are also strung out ahead of us.

: Col. St. Clair of the 60th has led several detachments on west, cutting roads so our troops can continue to move forward.  We recently received messages from Loyalhanna, Laurel Hill, Seven Springs, Edmunds Swamp, and the Shades of Death.  We Highlanders are not familiar with these places, but we have had great admiration for our countryman St. Clair who seems to be everywhere at once.  We expect to move on west in a few days to Loyalhanna to the stockade built there and do reconnoitering before the remainder of our Highlanders move up.

: We continue to be harrassed daily by parties of 6 to 10 savages.  They send musket firings and at times arrows at us from places outside camp.  When wood details are sent out, the duty soldiers are protected, for sallies of savages run forth and attempt to strike at our men before we can take them.  It is disconcerting and annoying much as mosquitoes buzzing round our ears.  The savages have done little harm and our native scouts sally forth at times to push these savages back.  Our Cherokee friend Many Faces makes light of these small savage onslaughts, but we believe there to be gatherings nearby of many enemy Shawnee, Delaware, and Huron, led by French troops.

: Now, as to your message.  We know indeed it is our Uncle Angus who has now become Le Specter of Fort Carillon.  His revenge for the death of our cousin Robison will be fierce.  I have heard that in his anger, his army of sheep actually have glowing eyes and their wool turns blood red.  Several of our native scouts, who remember our Uncle's roamings here in Penn's Woods a few months ago, will swear that the cry of "Pax Aye!" in the middle of the night could scatter a complete village of Shawnee and that mothers would scare their children with stories of the "angry Spirit in short chemise and his army of albino wooly deer whose hides turn to blood!"

: We await your arrival here at Reastown or on the road to this fort at Loyalhanna.  Be on the lookout for your father, our Uncle Quasi.  Also, you may run across cousins Flags and Tales, for they are in reclusement, we know not where they may be.

: Pax Aye!  God Save the King!

: Cousins Malcolm and Davey 


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