From George Washington to Colonel Elias Dayton or the Officer Commanding the New Jersey Brigade, 16 February 1781
To Colonel Elias Dayton or the Officer
Commanding the New Jersey Brigade
Head Quarters New Windsor 16th Feby 1781.
sir
You will immediately, agreeable to the General Order of this day, augment the two light Infantry Companies to the number directed, and you will also be pleased to order three other Companies of equal numbers to be formed by detachment from the Brigade, taking the same care in the choice of Officers and Men as for the light Companies.1 To enable you to do this more effectually, you may, if you find it necessary, lessen the commands at Ringwood and Sufferans, especially the latter2—The whole detachment to be held in readiness for a march at a days warning3—The service will be but a temporary one—Lt Colo. Barber will command the detachment from your line. I am &.
P.S. You will procure for and send with the detachment a spare pr of shoes for each Man.4
Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. These troops were to form a component of the corps GW intended to order south to operate in Virginia (see GW to Rochambeau, 15 Feb., and his two letters to Lafayette, 20 Feb. [1 and 2]).
2. For these detachments, see GW to the Officer Commanding the New Jersey Brigade, 7 Feb., and Francis Barber to GW, 12 February.
3. The detachment joined the corps on 25 Feb., and the united corps marched shortly thereafter (see Lafayette to GW, 23 [first letter] and 24 Feb.).
4. For the reply, see Francis Barber to GW, 21 February.