impracticability of doing this fully by letter, have induced me to request you, who intimately know our circumstances, to repair immediately to Philadelphia for this purpose; and, at the same time, to ascertain how we are to be supplied with arms, and many other articles, in which we are exceedingly deficient. To enumerate the several matters of information necessary to be given, and the inquiries proper to be made, would be as needless as endless: your own good sense, assisted by such hints as you have received, will be abundantly sufficient.

Two or three things, however, I must in a more particular manner recommend to your attention: one is the embarrassment I am laid under, with respect to carrying the exchange of prisoners into execution agrecably to the cartel settled with General Howe by order of Congress, on account of the confinement of Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell and the Hessian field-officers. I would have you inquire of the Quartermaster-General how he stands provided with tents, ammunition-carts, wagons for intrenching tools, and hatchets or tomahawks; also of the Commissary of Stores, how he proceeds with his casting of cannon and making of cartridges, of which numbers should be in readiness; and, in general, what forwardness the business of the laboratory is in; and urge him to the most diligent discharge of the duties thereof.

One thing in particular I beg of you to impress strongly upon Congress, and that is, the necessity of keeping the Paymaster regularly supplied with cash. Without it, every thing moves slowly; and many and great disadvantages flow from the want of it, as we have most wofully experienced of late in numberless instances. Given at Head-Quarters, Morristown, this 18th day

of March, 1777!

SAME to the PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

MORRISTOWN, 18 March, 1777. 'SIR, The difficulty, if not impossibility, of giving Congress a just idea of our situation (and of several other important matters requiring their earliest attention) by letter, has induced me to prevail on Major-General Greene to wait upon them for that purpose. This gentleman is so much in my confidence, so intimately acquainted with my ideas, with our strength and our weakness, with every thing respecting the army, that I have thought it unnecessary to particularize or prescribe any certain line of duty or inquiries for him. I shall only say, from the rank he holds as an able and good officer in the estimation of all who know him, he deserves the greatest respect; and much regard is due to his opinions in the line of his profession. He has upon his mind such matters as appear to me most material to be immediately considered; and many more will probably arise during the intercourse you may

think proper to honor him with: on all which I wish to have the sense of Congress, and the result of such deliberations as may be formed thereupon. I have the honor to be, &c.'

Lond. ed. vol. ii. p. 44.

Wash. Writ.

SAME to ELIAS BOUDINOT.

Sparks, vol. iv. p. 368.

MORRISTOWN, 1 April, 1777.

'SIR, I am authorized by Congress to appoint a Commissary of prisoners. The pay will, I expect, be about sixty dollars a month; the duty, except as to confinement, not hard, at least after the business is once put into a proper train. Close attendance on the army will be requisite, in order to receive and distribute the prisoners to places assigned for their confinement; at each of which some person should be stationed to see that they are taken care of, that they receive what is allowed them, and that proper accounts are kept of the expenses. The most troublesome part of this office will be to obtain accounts of the expenses already incurred; for, after this is once done, the business may be put upon such a footing, as to be managed with regularity and ease.

'I intend to annex another duty to this office, and that is the procuring of intelligence. The person engaged in the department of Commissary of Prisoners will have as much leisure, and better opportunities, than most other officers in the army, to obtain knowledge of the enemy's situation, motions, and, as far as may be, designs. Thus, Sir, in concise terms, have I given you a sketch of the duties of a Commissary of Prisoners, and my expectations from him; and now give me leave to ask if you will accept the appointment. With very great esteem and regard, 'I am, Sir, yours, &c.'

Wash. Writ.

Sparks, vol. iv. p. 372.

Mr. Boudinot accepted the appointment; and, as appears by the following Resolves, Congress confirmed it.

IN CONGRESS, June 6. Resolved, That a commission be granted to Elias Boudinot, Esq., as Commissary-General of Prisoners; the said commission to be dated the 15th day of May last, and Mr. Boudinot to be allowed the pay and rations of a Colonel :

That Elias Boudinot, Commissary-General of Prisoners, be empowered to appoint two Deputy Commissaries of Prisoners; the said Deputies to be allowed the pay and rations of Majors.'

Here may be seen the time and manner of that kind of appointment which was with some earnestness recommended, Nov. 8, 1775. See the expressions and also the actions concerning prisoners, pp. 122, 165, 170, 203, 227, 299, 305, 307,310, 311, 344, 347, 370, 389.

GENERAL WASHINGTON to GOVERNOR COOKE. MORRISTOWN, 3 April, 1777. 'SIR, The late ample arrivals of arms at Philadelphia and at Portsmouth, added to those we before had, puts me out of all further uneasiness on account of that necessary article.

*

The effects of granting extravagant bounties, and of raising bodies of men upon Colonial establishments, now appear, from the returns of the low state of your Continental battalions. From the first cause, the men are taught to set a price upon themselves, and refuse to turn out, except that price be paid; and I am informed, in some instances, in Massachusetts, one hundred pounds lawful money per man have been paid. It is also evident, that the raising of the Colonial brigade for fifteen months retards the Continental enlistments; for General Spencer, in a letter of the 26th of March, writes to me, that the first has five hundred men, and the last but three hundred and eighty, about half of whom have had the small-pox. You certainly overrate the number of men upon Rhode Island, if they consist of only six Hessian and two British regiments. The Hessian regiments, when they came out complete, did not exceed six hundred men each; and the British, two hundred and fifty each. Now, if they have decreased by casualties in proportion to the other troops in the British army, they are scarcely more than three thousand; a number too small to make any attempt upon the main. So far, therefore, from being able to consent that your Continental battalions should remain at home, supposing the enemy should continue upon the island, that I am obliged, in the most positive terms, to order every man, who has had the small-pox, to come immediately forward; and those who have not, so soon as they are recovered. I have written to General Varnum to the same effect.

*

As it is my duty to afford equal protection to every part of the Continent, you may be assured, if I thought there was any real danger to be apprehended from the enemy at Rhode Island, instead of drawing the Continental troops from that quarter, I would add to their numbers. But, when there is every probability of their coming away, and supposing they should stay, as the internal strength of the country would hinder them from setting foot upon the main, I think I am excusable in drawing every man in the Continental service (excepting those intended for the Northern Department) to this point, to make opposition to the grand army of the enemy; who, unless they are checked, will, in turn, overrun every State in the Union.

As the safety of the whole Confederacy depends upon each

The arrival of two vessels from France, in March, fortunately brought a full supply of arms; a considerable quantity of powder, blankets, and a variety of military stores besides.

State's furnishing the quota of men allotted to it, I must call upon you in the most pressing manner to endeavor to complete your allotment by the usual methods; but, if your men will not turn out voluntarily, notwithstanding the great encouragement given by the State, I beg you will, if your powers are adequate, insist upon each district's furnishing a certain number, as they have done in Massachusetts. If neither of these modes can be fallen upon, to good effect, we may as well give up the cause.

I have the honor to be, &c.'

SAME to the PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

MORRISTOWN, 10 April, 1777.

'SIR, I was just now honored with your letter of the 9th instant, covering sundry Resolutions of Congress. Those for regulating the hospital and medical department, I trust, will prove of the most salutary consequences. It is only to be regretted, that this necessary and liberal institution had not been gone into and completed at an earlier period.

The honors Congress have decreed to the memory of Generals Warren and Mercer afford me the highest pleasure. Their character and merit had a just claim to every mark of respect; and I heartily wish that every officer of the United States, emulating their virtues, may by their actions secure to themselves the same right to the grateful tribute of their country.

'Since writing to you yesterday, I have received further intelligence from the enemy's preparations in York, indicating a movement before long. It is contained in the enclosed letter, and corroborates the opinion I have long entertained, that they would make a push against Philadelphia.' Lond. ed. vol. ii. p. 52.

Wash. Writ.

SAME to JOHN AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON.

MORRISTOWN, 12 April, 1777. 'DEAR BROTHER, To my great surprise, we are still in a calm. How long it will, how long it can, remain, is beyond my skill to determine. That it has continued much beyond my expectation already, is certain. But, to expect that General Howe will not avail himself of our weak state is, I think, to say in so many words, that he does not know how to take advantage of circumstances, and of course is unfit for the trust reposed in him. From all accounts it appears, that the remaining part of the troops at Rhode Island were preparing to embark; and that Philadelphia is the object, I have not myself the smallest doubt. Other opinions do,

*The action of Congress alluded to was on the 7th of April. In relation to the hospital department, see pp. 423, 427, 441.

however, prevail. A little time will determine the point. For some days past, there has been considerable movement among the enemy's shipping. It seems next to impossible to make our officers in any of the States exert themselves in bringing their men to the field, as if it were a matter of moonshine whether they come to-day, tomorrow, a week, or a month hence. The campaign will be opened without men on our side, unless they come in much faster than I have reason to expect them.

'The unfortunate policy of short enlistments is daily and ho 'y exemplified. Thoroughly convinced I am, that, if the troops, who were enlisted last year, had been engaged for the war, or even three years, I could with them, and such aids as might have been drawn to our assistance, have driven the British army and their auxiliary troops out of the Jerseys, in the course of last winter. I do not know but they might also have been driven from New York. Instead of that, we have at this late day an army to assemble for self-defence. But past errors cannot be rectified. We must guard as much as possible against future evils. The ridiculous and inconsistent orders given by the Executive powers in some of the States, and even by the officers therein, for the rendezvous of their men, are scarcely to be thought of with patience. It would seem as if to harass the troops and delay their junction were the ends in view.

'I am glad to hear that my sister and the little ones are well. I thank her for the trouble she has taken in knitting the stockings you speak of. My love to you all, in which Mrs. Washington, who is now with me, joins. I am your most affectionate brother.' Ibid. p. 387.

SAME to PATRICK HENRY, Governor of Virginia.

MORRISTOWN, 13 April, 1777. 'SIR,- It gives me much concern to hear, that the recruiting service proceeds so slowly in most of the States. That it is the case in Virginia affects me in a peculiar manner. I feel much obliged by the polite respect your honorable Board of Council are pleased to show to my opinion; and am under the necessity of observing, that the volunteer plan, which you mention, will never answer any valuable purposes; and that I cannot but disapprove the measure. To the short engagements of our troops may be fairly and justly ascribed almost every misfortune which we have experienced. By that cause, and that alone, have the liberties of our country been put in question, and the most obvious advantages lost. This I speak from painful experience; and, assured of the facts, I cannot countenance, in the smallest degree, what I know to be pernicious in the extreme. Short enlistments, when founded on the best plan, are repugnant to order, and subversive of discipline; and men, held upon such terms, will never be equal to the important ends of war; but, when they are of the volunteer kind, they are still more destructive.