Washington's Order to Proceed to the Site Which Will Become Fort Ashby

This letter, written on October 23, 1755, instructs Captain Ashby to send half his men to the site of what will become their Fort on Charles Sellers' plantation along Patterson Creek. Three days later, Washington will order construction to begin.

Washington kept a copy of every order he sent out in a journal. The journal entry for this order, begun at the bottom of a page, and continued on the next, appears below: