John Campbell Letter

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Sir
I had the Honor to write to your Excellency
the 21st Ultimo to which you refer.
Yesterday I had the Honor to receive Your
Excellency’s commands of the 9th instant, which
shall be punctually Complyed with, and flatter
myself, I shall be able to leave this place in
three days, on Board the Allegiance Sloop of
War, for Halifax.
As I have no Field Officer here with the
74th [?] Regiment, the Command of this garrison
will devolve upon Captain Harkup Engineer,
as the Senior Officer, and the Command of the
Regiment on Captain Archibald Campbell Junior,
and as this Post is a place of some Consequence,
being nearest advanced to the Enemy, I request
the Honor of having Your Excellency Orders,
what Field Officer and corps shall be sent
here to relieve the 74th Regiment, and the Num-
ber Your Excellency wish may be sent. I shall
only observe that this Fort will be Six Weeks
hence, in exceeding good posture of defence,
when the three Principal Bastions will be
Contributed to Maine Memory Network by the Maine Historical Society
(Local Code: Coll. 112 , Box 1/11)
finished with casemats in each of them,
Date: June 22, 1781
Description: Letter from John Campbell to Henry Clinton describing disposi-
tion of British soldiers and the escape of Peleg Wadsworth.

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and a good Ditch round the whole Fort.
In the great hurry we were in here the
first year Brigadier General MacLean Ordered
Huts to be Built for the Men within the Forts,
those Huts being very bad I ordered the Regi-
ment to Encamp near the Fort, leaving al-
ways a strong guard in the Fort, and a
Piquet at night, and before the end of the September
next, there will be Eight Rooms for Officers, and
good barracks for Three Hundred and Fifty
Men, which I humbly think is a Sufficient
garrison for this place.
The Officers are anxious to know whether
or not they will be allowed Bath, Baggage and
Forage Money for this year.
I am informed by a Letter from New
York, that Captain Donald Campbell of the Light
Infantry Company of the 74th Regiment Dyed
in Virginia, if this is true, I beg leave to recom-
mend to your Excellency Captain Lieut Dugald
Campbell, who is a good Officer, for the Company,
Lieut. John Stuart to be Captain Lieut Ensign John
Campbell to be Leiut. and John Russel to be Ensign.
Lieut. Robert MacFarlan of the grenadiers
74th Regiment having Obtained leave from your

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Excellency last year to go to Britain, the Captain
of the Company applied to me for another Offi-
cer, I have therefore given Leave to Lieut. Colin
Campbell to go to join the grenadier Compy
which I flatter myself will be agreeable to
your Excellency.
I am sorry to inform your Excellency that
on the 19th instant, the Rebel Brigadier General
Wadsworth who was confined here in a Barrack
Room, with one Burton once a Major of Militia,
made their escape, by cutting a Hole in the ceil-
ing of the Room, altho two Sentrys were constant-
ly Posted at the Door of the Room and a Window
but in the Door for the Sentrys to look through
to observe their Motions.
I have the Honor to be with the greatest Respect,
Sir
Your Excellencys
most Obedient
Humble Servant
John Campbell
Fort George Penobscot
22nd June 1781
His Excellency Sir Henry Clinton K.B.
Commander in Chief of His Majestys Forces
fca fca fca [3 copies?]

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