Franklin concedes that the General is brave but is too self-confident and thinks too little of the French and Indians. Franklin begins to feel doubts about the campaign but only warns him about Indian ambuscades. And indeed, the campaign fails and the much smaller force of French and Indians best Braddock and the British. This is the first time, Franklin writes, that Americans have “the first Suspicion that our exalted Ideas of the Prowess of British Regulars had not been well founded” (143).
There are some letters recommending Franklin, written by Braddock, but they never bring about any good. What Franklin is most pleased with is getting the officers not to enlist any more indentured servants. Over time some of the men who’d lent the wagons and horses become angry that they have not been paid and start to sue Franklin, but General Shirley sets up commissioners to order payment.
Governor Morris continues to reject the assembly’s bills for defending the province because they include provisions for taxing the proprietary estates. Finally, the British government set aside some money for this purpose, fearing the colony’s backlash. Franklin writes up a plan for the militia. The Governor asks him to go to the Northwestern frontier and he complies, though he does not think he has the military qualifications.
Franklin and those under him are in charge of building forts, which they begin to do. They have to make camp one night, and fear Indian attacks. The Indians killed ten farmers recently. The men arrive at Gnadenhut where one fort is to be built, and begin their work. This leads Franklin to conclude that men are happier and more good-natured when they are employed at something.
In this area Franklin notes how the Indians had ingeniously set up places (now abandoned) where they spied on the Americans. He marvels how they had a way to have fires without the smoke escaping.
The Governor sends a letter calling for Franklin to return to the Assembly, so he transfers command to Colonel Clapham and departs. Here he muses on the practices of the Moravians, a religious sect. He asks one of the men with him about marriage, and whether it is done in a lottery. The man replies that when the young man is ready for marriage a few women are selected that would best fit him, and only if there are two or more would there be a lottery. Franklin comments that this might lead to unhappiness, but the Moravian silences him by saying that unarranged marriages can be unhappy too.
Back in Philadelphia, Franklin sees that the Association, the defense militia, is doing well. There are about 1200 men parading. He recalls one time when officers of his regiment gamely decided to escort him out of town. He did not know of the plan in advance and was very embarrassed at the spectacle, especially when it made one of the Proprietors mad.
Overall, the governor and Franklin still maintain a civil discourse. They work together to provision Braddock’s army.
Franklin pauses here to account for his philosophical reputation, detailing his experiments in electricity and how his papers were finally read in the Royal Society. He acknowledges one man, Abbe Noelle, who refused to believe Franklin’s work in electricity was true and that an American could do this. In the end the Abbe was discredited and Franklin’s fame spread-ed.
Franklin is very proud of his experiment to draw lightning from the sky and prove it is electricity. For this he earns a Gold Medal of Sir Godfrey Copley in 1753, which is brought to him by the new governor, Captain Denny. One evening Denny asks to speak with him in private at a dinner party, and asks him to have a good understanding with him and cultivate a friendship with him. Franklin thanks him for this but says he will not accept any favors; indeed, he is always active in the opposition in the Assembly. There is no enmity between the men, however.
The Assembly asks Franklin to travel to England to discuss with the King the intransigence of the Proprietaries. Before he can depart out of New York, Lord Loudon, the General, comes to see him and ask him to create an accommodation between the Assembly and Governor. London says he can spare no troops for the defense of the colony’s frontiers, which annoys Franklin.
Franklin also becomes annoyed by how indecisive London is, and how long it actually takes to depart. He wonders how the man was given command over such a large army, but realizes that that is the way the world often works. London leaves the army exposed while he parades around at Halifax, and Fort George is lost. The mercantile operations and trade of the colonies are also hurt because of this. London also drags his heels on getting Franklin paid back for the money he spent in the war effort.
