Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

The following Account of General
Spottiswood, his Family and Fortunes will I hope satisfy
your Brother: in Return, if He can send me an Account of all
the Posterity of Arch Bishop Spottiswood, I shall be very thank:
full.

Know then, that Alexander Spottiswood Esq.^r
was born at Tangier, in the latter End of the Year 1676, he was
educated at Westminster School which he left in 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 act ^commands as Collonel; and began to act as Lieutenant Quarter-
Master General ^{to the Army in 1704 as one of the Quarter Master Generals.} With extreme Fatigue he conducted the Army
from Breda to the Danube, marching 150 Leagues in 42 Days;
leaving Breda Aprile the 24^th and reaching to Schellenburg
June the 21;^st of June, August the 2^d was wounded at Bleinheim Aug.^t
12^th 1707 he was taken Prisoner, his Horse being shot under him,
and a Squadron of Horse forsaking him; in May 1708 he was
exchanged, when he impeached the Squadron of Cowardice
this was disagreeable to his Grace, and tho' he was supported
by Cadogan, yet the Officers of the Squadron being publickly
abetted by General Wood, & the Prosecution discountenanc:
ed by the Duke, were acquitted. He discharged his Duty as
Quatermaster General to the End of the Year 1709, an
Office of immense Fatigue & Danger, when he was consti:
tuted Lieutenant Governour of Virginia, a Change—
which he never considered as a Preferment. Here he
remained 12 Years, and happy for the Country which
improved so much under his Administration, that
the People, both with Respect to their Manners and For:
tunes, 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superseded for the same Reason he was not advanced in the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 Man's Favour, nor
ever sold his own. In 1724 he went to Brittain where he
married Miss Butler Braine, and continued till the Year
1730. I shall but mention his Employment of Quarter-
Master General, that being wellenough known: one Par:
ticular 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 Spa:
niards in America? He answered, Yes; and in Conse:
quence gave that Lord his Scheme. My Lord Townshend
soon after in Council was for declareing War against Spain,
saying he would answer for the Success with his Head:
however, pacific Measures prevailed, my Lord gave up
his Places at Court, and Collonel Spottiswood retired to
the Forests of America, here he diverted himself to the
Year 1740 when the Colchester Man of War was sent
with his Scheme, which had lain in the Secretaries Of:
fice from the Year 1728, a Commission, to command a
Regiment to be raised in America, to be ^Quarter Master General
of the Forces to be sent to the West Indies, and a Major
General. 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 Gi:
braltar and 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^r Cent less
than common, every Necessary of Life much dearer, young
raw Men that had never been sun burnt, rendevouz at Ja:
maica, and the Attack on Carthagena, which had it been ta:
ken we could not have held. Happy for General Spottiswood
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, and had not the News of his Death damped
the Spirits of the People his Regiment might have consisted
of the same Number as a Roman Legion, instead of 3600
Men, which were thought impossible to be raised

He left four Children John Born Dec^r 26.^th 1725 Anna Catha:
rina born October 1728 Dorothea born 1731 and Robert born
1733. He left a large Quantity of Land, some of which is
tennanted, 20000 Acres allotted for an Ironwork, and
about 200 Negroes, this he gave to his Son John and
Heirs Male, failing him and his Heirs male to Robert
in the same Manner, and failing him to his nearest
Heir, and burthened it with £2000 St^r Debts £4000
to his two Daughters, £3000 to his youngest Son, and
his Widows Dower 500£ P^r Annum, half of which she
on her Marriage has resigned to her Son. The Profits
of the Estate arise from Iron & tobacco may amount to
£1200 St^{r this Year} and is improveable 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 Fin:
ger makes me unable to mend either the Character or
the Diction

Missive—
Robert Rose anent
General Spottiswood's
Family 25^th July 1743.