Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

The following Account of Gen^l Spotswood, his
Family & Fortunes will I hope satisfy Your Brother;
in return, if He can send Me an account, of all the poster-
ity of Arch Bishop Spotswood: I shall be extremely
thankful

Know then, that Alexander Spotswood Esq^r
was born at Tangier in the latter end of the Year 1676
he was Educated, at Westminster School which he left in
August 1692 in May 1693, he had a commission to be ensign
in the Earl of Baths Regiment, then in Flanders; and thither
went to his post: Soon after He obtained a Commission to
be Lieutennant; in the Same Regiment, in the Year 1702
he had a Company, a Commission to Command as Col-^o and
began to [act] as Liutenant Quarter Master Gen-^l to the Army
in 1704, as one of the Quarter Master Gen^ls, with extreme fatigue
He conducted the Army from Breda to the Danube marching
150 Leagues in 42 days, leaving Breda, April 24, and reaching
to Schellenburg the 21^st of June, August, 2^d was wounded
at Bleinheim, August 12, 1707 He was taken prisoner
his Horse being Shott under Him and a Squadron of Horse
forsaking Him; in May, 1708: He was exchangend, when
He impeach'd the Squadron of Cowardice this was disagreable
to his Grace, and tho He vas Supported by Cadogan yet
the Officers of the Squadron being publickly abetted by
Gen Wood, & the prosecution discountenanced by the Duke
were acquitted He discharged his duty as Q^r M^r Genl to
the End of the Year 1709 an Office of immense fatigue and
danger When He was Constituted Lieutenant Gov^nr of Virginia
a Change Which he never considered as a preferment
Here he remaind 12 Years, and happy for the Country
which improved, so much under his Administration, that
the people both with respect to their Manners & fortunes
made a very different Appearance. in 1722, he was
Superseded for the Same Reason, He was not advanced in
the Army; He Scorned to purchase any Great Mans favour,
nor never sold his own
^{—turn over} in 1724, He went to Britain where He Married Miss
Butler Braine, and continued to the Year 1730, I shall
but mention his Employment of Quarter M^r G^l, that being
well aneough known One particular I think Worth
reciting in the Year 1728, at My Lord Townshends house
that Lord Asked him whether there might not an Attack
be successfully made on the Spaniards in America, He
replyd yes—and in consequence gave that Lord his Scheme.
My L^d Townshend soon after in Council was for declaring
war against Spain saying He would answer for the Success
with his Head: however pacific Measures prevaild, My
Lord gave up his places at Court, and Col^o Spotswood retired
to the forests of America—here he diverted Himself on his
Estate to the Year 1740 when the Colchester Man of War was
sent with his Scheme, which had lain in the Secretarys Office
from the Year 1728, a Commission, to command a Regiment
to be raised in America to be Q^r M^r Gen^l, of the Forces in or
to be sent to the West Indies and a Major Gen^l- But lest
You should think of this Scheme by the Success of the Expedition
Observe how different the Execution was from the projection
according to the Scheme plenty of provisions the best of their
kinds, Extraordinary Pay Men inured, to Warm Climates; to
be sent from Gibraltar & Minorca to Rendevouz, at the Bahama
or some of the Windward Islands, to Attack the Havanna which
He judged the Only place fit for our keeping—In the Expedition
provisions not Good, their pay 25 p cent less than common
every Necessary of Life much dearer, Young Raw Men
that never had been sunburnt, rendevouz at Jamaica
and the Attack on Carthagene which had it been taken we
[could] not have held. Happy for Gen^l Spotswood He died June
9^th 1740, for Such orders would have broke his heart or He
would have broke his Orders the Regiment was however
raised & had not the News of his death dampd the Spirits
of the people His Regiment might have consisted of the
Same Numbers as a Roman Legion instead of 3600 Men
which were thought impossible to be raised

He left four Children, John born, Dec^r 26, 1725 Anna Catha-
rina born Ober, 1728 Dorothea born 1731, and Robert born
Nov^r 1733—He left a large Quantity of Land some
of which is tenanted, twenty thousand Acres allotted
for an Iron work and about ²⁰⁰ Negroes, this He gave to
his Son John & his Heirs Male failing him, & his Heirs
Male to Robert, in the same Manner, and failing him
to his nearest Heir—and burthend it with £2000 Ster debts
£4000 to his two Daughters £3000 to his Youngest Son
and his Widows Dower £500 p Annum half of w^c
She on her Marriage has resigned to her Son,
The profits of the Estate arise from Iron & tob^o may amount
to £1200 Ster, this Year and is improvable to £2000, & More
You may depend on the truth of this Account if
it can be read. tho I think M^r Miller should copy
it, for my Finger makes Me unable to mend either
the Character or the Diction

To
M^r Andrew Anderson

Missive
Robert Rose anent
Gerall Spottiswood.
family 25 July 1743
W^t Answer y^rto. 20 March
1744