From George Washington to John Eccleston, 4 September 1793
To John Eccleston
Philada 4 Septr 1793.
Sir,
The address, to which the enclosed is an Answer, was sent to me by Mr Murray.1 I take the liberty of enclosing it to you, as Chairman of the Meeting, with a request that you will communicate it to the Landholders & other citizens of Dorchester County, being, Sir &c.
Go. Washington.
LB, DLC:GW.
1. GW enclosed his undated reply to the 19 Aug. address of the citizens of Dorchester County, Md., approving of his Neutrality Proclamation. The reply read: “Fellow Citizens, No one can more sincerely deprecate the horrors of war, or more ardently wish to continue to our Country the blessings uniformly attending peace, than I do.
“To meet your approbation of a measure resulting from these motives, & from the fullest conviction that it was the duty & interest of this Country to remain neuter in a contest which has engaged most of the powers of Europe, at the expense of much blood & treasure, cannot but be extremely pleasing to me.2
“The miseries attending war are recently within our own experience; and though the issue of our struggle was glorious, and the prosperity & happiness we have derived from it unequalled perhaps in any other Country, yet, I trust the good sense of the people of these United States will never (if peace can be preserved consistently with our dignity & honor) suffer themselves to be drawn into another.
“As far as my endeavours can contribute towards the preservation of this desirable object, my most active exertions shall not be wanting” (LB, DLC:GW).
2. For the Dorchester County approbation of GW’s Neutrality Proclamation, see the Citizens of Dorchester County, Maryland, to GW, 19 Aug.