To George Washington from Henry Knox, 16 March 1782
Elizabeth Town 16 March 1782
Sir
We received your Excellency’s Letter of the fourteenth this Morning, previous to the Receipt of which we had written to you by Lieutenant Blair of the Jersey Line. We have written to Sir Henry Clinton, of which the enclosed is a Copy, and sent it with another to the Officer commanding on Staten Island requesting him to facilitate Mr Skinner’s Passage to New York, whom we have instructed to agree with the Enemy to meet on any Day previous to the twenty fifth Instant.
We shall wait, in the Vicinity of this Place, the Event of Mr Skinner’s Mission, and shall take the earliest Opportunity of communicating it to your Excellency. We have the Honor to be your Excellency’s most obedient humble Servants
H. Knox
Gouvr Morris
DLC: Papers of George Washington.
Enclosure
Elizabeth Town 16 March 1782
Sir
On the twelfth instant we left Philadelphia, and arrived at this place on the fifthteenth, instructed and empower’d by his Excellency General Washington, to meet commissioners appointed by your Excellency.
An Express from Philadelphia, just now brings us a letter from the General of the 14th by which we learn that many circumstances, obliged Your Excellency to change the persons you at first intended to nominate, and induce you to wish that the meeting may be defer’d a little longer. The General has transmitted a letter to your Excellency and directed us to write to you on the subject. We have therefore instructed Mr Skinner, Commissary of Prisoners, to be the bearer of both letters, and to receive your Excellencys definitive answer.
We take the liberty Sir to suggest, That where the rights and feelings of humanity are so deeply interested, every delay is important. We are insensible to the [ ] inconveniencies of an useless journey, but we feel sincerely every moment of suffering which either party may be exposed to. Your Excellency must be sensible, of the expense of maintaining such a number of persons now quarter’d in the different States, becomes intollerably burthensome. every attention has hitherto been paid to their situation, but there are limits to all things.
In order to facilitate the meeting so that a short day may be fixed, The commissary of [ ] will enter into all necessary arrangements to accomodating those Gentlemen, whom you may appoint. Our further stay or return, will depend on your Excellencys answer which the commisaary will deliver. With great respect we have the honor to be Your Excellencys most Obedient Hble Servants
H. Knox
Gouvr Morris