Student Resource
English Translation of Surrender Document
Articles of Capitulation
Capitulation granted by Mons. De Villier, captain of infantry and commander of troops of his most Christian Majesty, to those English troops actually in the fort of Necessity which was built on the lands of the King’s dominions July the 3rd, at eight o’clock at night, 1754.
As our intention had never been to trouble the peace and good harmony which reigns between the two friendly princes, but only to revenge the assassination which has been done on one of our officers, bearer of a summons, upon his party, as also to hinder any establishment on the lands of the dominions of the King, my master; upon these considerations, we are willing to grant protection or favor, to all the English that are in the said fort, upon conditions hereafter mentioned.
Article 1
We grant the English commander to retire with all his garrisons, to return peaceably into his own country, and we promise to hinder his receiving any insult from us French, and to restrain as much as shall be in our power the Savages that are with us.
Article 2
He shall be permitted to withdraw and to take with him whatever belongs to them excepting the artillery, which we reserve for ourselves.
Article 3
We grant them the honors of war; they shall come out with drums beating, and with a small piece of cannon, wishing to show by this means that we treat them as friends.
Article 4
As soon as these Articles are signed by both parties they shall take down the English flag.
Article 5
Tomorrow at daybreak a detachment of French shall receive the surrender of the garrison and take possession of the aforesaid fort.
Article 6
Since the English have scarcely any horses or oxen left, they shall be allowed to hide their property, in order that they may return to seek for it after they shall have recovered their horses; for this purpose they shall be permitted to leave such number of troops as guards as they may think proper, under this condition that they give their word of honor that they will work on no establishment either in the surrounding country or beyond the Highlands during one year beginning from this day.
Article 7
Since the English have in their power an officer and two cadets, and, in general, all the prisoners whom they took when they assassinated Sieur de Jumonville they now promise to send them with an escort to Fort Duquesne, situated on the Beautiful River, and to secure the safe performance of this treaty article, as well as of the treaty, Messrs. Jacob Van Braam and Robert Stobo, both Captains shall be delivered to us as hostages until the arrival of our French and Canadians herein before mentioned. We on our part declare that we shall give an escort to send back in safety the two officers who promise us our French in two months and a half at the latest.
Made out in duplicate on one of the posts of our block-house the same day and year as before.
James Mackay
George Washington
Coulon de Villiers
Quotes about the Fort Necessity Surrender Translation
From one of George Washington’s letter
1757
"That we were willfully, or ignorantly, deceived by our interpreter in regard to the word assassination, I do aver, and will to my dying moment; so will every officer that was present. The interpreter was a Dutchman, little acquainted with the English tongue. . . he called it the death, or the loss, of the Sieur Jumonville. So we received it and so we understood it, until, to our great surprise and mortification, we found it otherwise in a literal translation."
From a newspaper article written by Major Adam Stephen
Major Adam Stephens was one of Washington officers at Fort Necessity
August 29, 1754
"When Van Braam [the Dutch interpreter who was with Washington at Fort Necessity] returned with the French proposals, we were obliged to take the sense of them by word of mouth: It rained so heavily that he could not give us a written Translation of them; we could scarcely keep the candle light to read them; they were wrote in a bad Hand, on wet and blotted paper so no Person could read them but Van Braam who had heard them from the mouth of the French Officer. Every Officer then present is willing to declare that there was no such word as Assassination mentioned; the term expressed to us were ‘the Death of Jumonville.’ If it had been mentioned, we could have got it altered."
From a letter Governor Dinwiddie wrote to Lord Albermarle in London
"The interpreter [Van Braam] was a poltroon, and through an officer with us, they say he has joined the French. This is the truth, reported by two of our officers, and declared on their honor."
Governor Duquesne to the commander at Fort Duquesne
September 8, 1754
"Besides he [George Washington] lies a great deal in order to justify the assassination of Sieur de Jumonville, which has recoiled upon him, and which he was stupid enough to admit in his capitulation."