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WASHINGTON'S ROAD

reasons for this decision are given as follows in Washington's Journal of 1754:[1]

"1st. That the mouth of Red-Stone is the first convenient place on the River Monongahela.

"2nd. The stores are already built at that place for the provisions of the Com-

  1. The private Journal kept by Washington on the expedition of the Virginia Regiment in 1754 was composed of rough notes only. It was lost with other papers at the battle of Fort Necessity and was captured by the French and sent to Paris. Two years later it was published by the French government, after being thoroughly "edited" by a French censor. It was titled "Memoire contenant le Precis des Faits, avec leurs Pieces Justificatives, pour servir de Reponse aux Observations envoyées, par les Ministres d'Angleterre, dans les Cours de l'Europe. A Paris; de l'Imprimerie Royale, 1756."

    In this Memoire, together with portions of Washington's Journal appear papers, instructions, etc., captured at Braddock's defeat in 1755. Of the portion of Washington's Journal published, Washington himself said: "I kept no regular one (Journal) during the Expedition; rough notes of occurrences I certainly took, and find them as certainly and strangely metamorphised, some parts left out which I remember were entered, and many things added that never were thought of, the names of men and things egregiously miscalled, and the whole of what I saw Englished is very incorrect and nonsensical." The last entry on the Journal is on June 27th, six days previous to the battle of Fort Necessity.