Sunday, October 1st, 1775

This ascent—our third portage since leaving Fort Western—is only a mile or so long, but very steep. At dawn, Captain Morgan dispatched 1st Lt. Humphrey, Corporal Sullivan, Private Kilgannon, and “Luke,” our Indian guide, to portage the canoe past the falls and offer to pay any settlers available to help haul our cargo around this cascade.

While awaiting the return of our reconnaissance team, Captain Morgan ordered us to chip the ice off our batteaux, check all provisions for damage, and use the last of our oakum on vessels with the most serious leaks.

What we discovered in this brief inspection was frightening. At least half our food is already spoiled by water leaking into improperly sealed casks. The salted beef, pork, mutton, venison, and fish we brought all the way from Virginia is still edible—because Captain Morgan bought and paid for it and ensured it was properly preserved and packed before we departed Virginia in July.

That is clearly not the case with the meat, fish, beans, peas, and bread we bought in Cambridge, Newburyport, and Gardinerston.

Worst of all, nearly all the powder kegs provided for us at Cambridge in the so-called “special allocation” are soaked through. We know the French powder kegs we brought with us from Virginia are still tightly sealed. But it appears that’s the only good gunpowder we have available to us in the Advance Force.

As the boatmen commenced disposing of the spoiled and rotting provisions, Captain Morgan had me reduce this information to a note, which I sent back by relay to Captain Febiger. He then sent me to notify all three Rifle Companies we will be on “half rations” until we are re-supplied.

It was nearly 10:00 a.m. by the time 1st Lt. Humphrey and Corporal Sullivan came climbing down the steep rocks beside the falls. They reported engaging the services of seven settlers upstream with wagons and teams of horses and oxen, now on the way to help us.

We immediately began unloading the batteaux and hauling their now smaller cargoes almost a half mile so the wagoneers can load for the uphill portage. The first of the wagons arrived shortly after noon.

It quickly became apparent the two-hour round-trip for the wagons meant we were going to run out of daylight before all the First Division boats and cargo could be above the cataract. By 4:30 p.m. only eighteen batteaux and roughly half our gear was transported to calm water above the waterfall.

Captain Morgan summoned Lt. Humphrey, Captains Smith and Hendricks, and me to a quick meeting. “Ensign Newman, Corporal Sullivan, and I are going to climb up and inform everyone who has already made it to hold in place and encamp. We will then take our canoe and try to find more wagons. We will remain on top overnight. You three set up an encampment with the men here. Remind everyone about ‘half-rations.’