1. See Harrison to Virginia Delegates, 20 September, and nn. 4, 8, 9, 13, 14; Randolph to JM, 20 September 1782. JM used the word “jealousy” in the sense of “distrust” or “apprehension.”

2. “The paper No. 1,” in JM’s hand, is divided into two sections. Of these, the first is entitled: “Intelligence recd. on the 18th. of Sepr. by the Commander in chief from a person immediately from N. York,” and the second: “Intelligence recd. by Genl Washington from Canada dated Sepr. 3. 1782 and judged by him to bear marks of great authenticity.” These headings and the text under each of them are approximately verbatim copies of Washington’s two enclosures in his most recent dispatches to President John Hanson. The earlier of these, dated 22 September, had been read on the twenty-eighth in Congress (NA: PCC, No. 152, X, 735–40; JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, 1904–37). description ends , XXIII, 609, n. 1). On 1 October Congress listened to the other dispatch, written on 26 September (JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, 1904–37). description ends , XXIII, 629, n. 1; NA: PCC, No. 152, X, 743–46).

Washington called the report accompanying his letter of 22 September, “the most direct & perfect Information I have been able to obtain.” It gave assurance, in spite of rumors about an early attack to be launched against “the French Fleet at Boston, or those at Portsmouth” by an expedition from New York, that no “offensive operations” would be undertaken by the enemy in that city. On the contrary, some of the ships in its harbor would soon go “to Charleston to bring off the garrison,” and others would “transport a no. of Refugees” to Nova Scotia. Enemy headquarters in New York had “under consideration to send off all the British Troops to the W. Indies & to garrison the City till Spring with the Foreign troops & loyalists.” General Carleton believed it “not improbable” that he soon would be ordered by London to withdraw altogether from New York.

The enclosure in Washington’s dispatch of 26 September reported from Canada that the enemy’s fortifications there, in upper New York, and in the Old Northwest were to be strengthened and manned with more soldiers. Three or four thousand were expected “from Europe and about 1500 of the foreign troops from N York.” This reinforcement, however, seemed to be only a holding operation, because the British apparently planned “to point the whole force of the nation agst. the French & Spanish settlements in the W. Indies.” A “large supply” of provisions would soon arrive in Canada from Ireland. The British in Canada had forbidden their Indian allies to make further raids against the Americans. This restraining order greatly offended the Iroquois. A “Seneca Sachem,” according to a secret American agent who had been present at a meeting between the Indians and a spokesman from enemy headquarters in Canada, declared that the British had misled his people by “lies” about winning the war and were now abandoning them to “be sacrificed or submit to the Americans.” The “Sachem” was probably the intractable and eloquent Sagoyewatha (Red Jacket) (ca. 1756–1830) (Quarterly Journal of the New York State Historical Association, XI [1930], 341, n. 2). See also JM to Pendleton, 1 October 1782, and nn. 4 and 5.

3. “No. 2,” comprising four pages, is in the hand of, and signed by, George Bond, “Depy Secy” of Congress, who, in view of the docket—reading “Mr. Madison Sept. 25th 1782”—had probably prepared the copy at JM’s request. Bond copied the report made on that day by a committee comprising John Witherspoon as chairman and JM and three other members, and the two tallies of votes taken during the debate on the report (JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, 1904–37). description ends , XXIII, 604–6). For the report, see JM to Randolph, 10 September 1782, and nn. 12–17.