In the Current of the Revolution 273 



troops he had. But he was refused permission, 

 whereat he was greatly put out. 



Lewis found he had more men than he expected, 

 and so left some of the worst troops to garrison 

 the small forts. Just before starting he received 

 a letter from the Earl advising, but not command- 

 ing, a change in their plans; to this he refused to 

 accede, and was rather displeased at the proposal, 

 attributing it to the influence of Conolly, whom the 

 backwoods leaders were growing to distrust. There 

 is not the slightest reason to suppose, however, that 

 he then, or at any time during the campaign, sus- 

 pected the Earl of treachery; nor did the latter' s 

 conduct give any good ground for such a belief. 

 Nevertheless, this view gained credit among the 

 Virginians in later years, when they were greatly 

 angered by the folly and ferocity of Lord Dun- 

 more's conduct during the early part of the Revo- 

 lutionary War, and looked at all his past acts with 

 jaundiced eyes. 14 



14 When the Revolutionary war broke out the Earl not only 

 fought the revolted colonists with all legitimate weapons, but 

 tried to incite the blacks to servile insurrection, and sent 

 agents to bring his old foes, the red men of the forest, down 

 on his old friends, the settlers. He encouraged piratical and 

 plundering raids, and on the other hand failed to show the 

 courage and daring that are sometimes partial offsets to 

 ferocity. But in this war, in 1774, he conducted himself with 

 great energy in making preparations, and showed consider- 

 able skill as a negotiator in concluding the peace, and appar- 

 ently went into the conflict with hearty zest and good-will. 

 He was evidently much influenced by Conolly, a very weak 

 adviser, however ; and his whole course betrayed much vacil- 

 lation and no generalship. 



