John Jay Papers
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To John Jay from Gouverneur Morris, 31 March–1 April 1781

From Gouverneur Morris

Phila: 31st. March[–1 April] 1781

Dear Jay

I will enclose you the Copy of a Letter from Green to Congress if I get it in Time, which I expect.1 Should the Returns be omitted (which I am led to suspect) I will subjoin to this Letter so much of them as I have heard. Green’s Reasons for fighting will not appear nor the relative Numbers & Force. For the latter take this Sketch. Cornwallis about from 3000 to 3500 well disciplined and appointed: Green about from 1500 to 2000 Continental (many of them raw) and somewhat more of Militia than regular Troops. The whole of these almost in a State of Nature and of whom it might be said of as by Hamlet to Horatio. “Thou hast no other Revenue but thy good Spirits to feed and clothe thee.”2 The Reasons for fighting will stand thus. The fluctuating State of Militia who are the fruges consumere nati3 of an Army and after they amount to a certain Number render the Chances of Increase and Decrease tolerably equal so that a Straw will turn the Ballance. To this Disposition add that those Countries have not yet been habituated to the Energy of Power or as our old Friend used to say in the Afternoon the Sinew and Bone of Government. A second good Reason is the Country is too uncultivated to yield permanent Resource so that the very Teeth of the Enemy defend them especially on a Retreat. The third Reason arises from the comparative Consequences. A Defeat would to the Enemy be Ruin to us of little Importance— Green’s Letter gives to this Affair its worst colors and he is right Private Letters speak of the Action as most obstinate and such I beleive it to have been. The Artillery lost were but four Pieces and in that Country Artillery are of little Consequence. Besides (if I am not misinformed) we have more still than what we want for any field operations. The Enemy’s Loss of Men is to them irreparable, at least for some Time. Green’s was (I am told) repaired shortly after the Action— I have not changed my Opinion that Cornwallis will be ruined before he gets out of that Country. But I must at the same Time apprize you that few Persons of Judgment here are of my Opinion. I ground it on what is Cornwallis’ Character what I know of his Troops what I know of Green and the Temper and Character of the Militia who will in a great Degree form his Army. There is no Loss in fighting away two or three hundred Men who would go Home if they were not put in the Way of being knocked on the Head. The three hundred who are on the Way to supply their Places will fill up the Ranks and the food the former would consume is saved. These are unfeeling Reflections. I would apologize for them to any one who did not know that I have at least enough of Sensibility. The Gush of Sentiment will not alter the Nature of Things and the Business of the Statesman is more to reason than to feel.

In my Letter of the fourth Instant I told you that Robert Morris was appointed Minister of Finance & McDougall of Marine. The latter insisted on holding his Rank and Command in the Army. Congress would not consent, so that Matter is settled. The former has also made Propositions and it is doubtful whether they will be acceded to. It is a Subject on which I shall say Nothing before the Business is concluded.4

The Quota of Troops assigned to the State of New York is completely filled up for the War and that of the Eastern States is in a fair Way of being compleated for three Years. The Revolt of the Pensilvania Line has much deranged it. I have said Nothing about that Revolt to you or to Carmichael. I had begun a Letter to you— I waited for some Details. I reflected. My Letter is not finished nor will it be finished. I could not write to you on that Subject without a continued Use of our Cypher to a Length which would have required too much for the Occasion; besides, the new Facts which every News Paper teemed with would lead you to make proper Reflections.—5

Finance my Friend. The whole of what remains in the American Revolution grounds there— The States begin more and more to see the Necessity of complying with the Requisitions of Congress. This is good. Congress will by Necessity be pressed to Some thing like Urgency & Vigor. This is also good. But Necessity is a severe Preceptor and sometimes spoils the Scholar. However, on this Subject I will be silent. Indeed I have no time for a longer letter— I knew of the opportunity by which this will be sent some Days ago but I waited the Details which I meant to inclose so as to go early To Morrow Morning they arrived this Day and went very late to the Press. I pray you remember me to my Friends in Spain and believe me very truly yours

Gouv Morris.6

You have enclosed the Account which I got not untill this Day— There is an aggregate Return of the Killed wounded and Missing of the Continental Troops. That of the Militia is as follows.

Virginia ^1 Brigd^ killed 2 Captains 9 Rank and file. Wounded 1 Cap: 4 Sub[altern]s & 30 Rank & file. Missing 1 Major 1 Captain 3 Subs 3 Sergts 133 Rank & file

2 Brigd. killed 1 private wounded 1 Major 2 Subs 13 Rank & file Missing 1 Sub. 3 Sergts 83 Rank & file

Rifle Regts. killed 2 Captns. 1 Rank & file wounded 1 Capt 1 Sub 1 Sergt: 13 Rank & file Missing 1 Capt: 7 Subs 8 Sergts. 70[?] Rank & file.

North Carolina killed 6 privates wounded 1 Capt. 1 Sub. 3 priv: Missing 2 Captns. 9 Sub: 552 privates.

Cavalry from NC. commanded by the Marquis de bretigny 1 Killed 1 Wounded Many of the Virginia Militia missing are expected to return or be found at their Homes. from one Regt. of N.C. no return was recieved—few of these People were killed or taken as they threw away their Arms and ran off at the Begining or the Action

ALS, NNC (EJ: 90016); DftS, NNC: Gouverneur Morris (EJ: 11384).

1Nathanael Greene reported on the battle of Guilford Courthouse (15 Mar.) in letters to the president of Congress and to the governor of Virginia (Thomas Jefferson), both 16 Mar. Congress received the first report on the battle in a letter from Jefferson of 21 Mar., which was read in Congress on 27 Mar. Greene’s letter to Congress was read on 31 Mar. PNG description begins Richard Showman et al., eds., The Papers of General Nathanael Greene (13 vols.; Chapel Hill, N.C., 1976–2005) description ends , 7: 433–41; and LDC description begins Paul H. Smith et al., eds., Letters of Delegates to the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (26 vols.; Washington, D.C., 1976–98) description ends , 17: 96.

2Hamlet, act 3, sc. 2.

3“Fruges consumere nati”: born to consume the fruits of the earth. Horace, Epistles 1.2.31. Horace compares himself and his correspondent to the idle suitors of Penelope in the Odyssey. As in this case, the phrase is often used to criticize those believed to deplete resources but contribute nothing of value.

4Letter not found. The position of agent of marine was vacant until Congress appointed Robert Morris acting head of the Marine Department on 7 Sept. 1781. He held this position concurrently with that of superintendent of finance. Congress ultimately agreed to the conditions on which Morris would accept his appointment as financier. He appointed Gouverneur Morris his assistant in the Office of Finance on 4 Aug. 1781. See PRM description begins E. James Ferguson et al., eds., The Papers of Robert Morris, 1781–1784 (9 vols.; Pittsburgh, Pa., 1973–99) description ends , 1: 20–25; 2: 14–15, 214–19.

5On the mutiny of the Pennsylvania line, see the Secretary of Congress to JJ, 11 July 1781, below.

6See also James Lovell’s letter to JJ of this date, above.

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