181To George Washington from Major General John Armstrong, 23 December 1777 (Washington Papers)
I received your Excellys Favour this Afternoon & shall as far as in my Power endeavour to obey your Commands. Upon conferring with Persons who have the best Opportunities of knowing the Circumstances of the Country between this & Philada I am of Opinion that instead of there being a Surplus beyond the Wants of the Inhabitants they will have great Difficulty to reach the Spring with the little...
182To George Washington from Major General John Armstrong, 19 December 1777 (Washington Papers)
This day or tomorrow I design moving Over to the Bethlehem or rather the Eastown Road & near the Shamany & Shou’d have moved Sooner, had the weather & Other impediments permitted —the removal of Sick Soldiers & fragments of Continental Stores, with the Scarcity of Waggons to procure Our provisions have Stood in the way. Coll Pickering writes me that two or three hundred Arms, Tents &c. were...
183To George Washington from Major General John Armstrong, 4 December 1777 (Washington Papers)
In regard to the Advisability of a Winters Campaign, I answer —In keeping the Field, the hardships on both officers and privates are manifestly great, nor is there an alternative presenting your Excy with less inconvenience, at best you have but a choice of difficulties of which Hutting in the field is in my Opinion the least of the two, and most in Character for the Army. The only Semblance...
184To George Washington from Major General John Armstrong, 1 December 1777 (Washington Papers)
I beg leave to recommend, that as early as it may be Safe to make such movement, the Army may pass Over the Scuilkill & take for Some time a position on that Side. With respect to Winter Quarters for the Army—The longer I consider the measure pointed out in the back Villiages of this State, the more inadmissable that Step appears to be, as by the large lattitude thereby given the Enemy thro’...
185To George Washington from Major General John Armstrong, 25 November 1777 (Washington Papers)
Without such an acquaintance of the Enemies lines as wou’d discover to you where they are more or less accessible I can not well approve of an attack upon them, nor can I conceive the opposite numbers at Philada under Six thousand or upward—And question whether an attack can be Succesful if the lines are not penetrated in so Short a Space of time (perhaps some Seven or at most ten minutes) as...
186To George Washington from Maj. Gen. John Armstrong, 17 September 1777 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from Maj. Gen. John Armstrong, Sr., 17 Sept. 1777. Armstrong wrote GW at 8:00 P.M. , 18 Sept.: “I wrote you last Night at this hour.”
187To George Washington from Brigadier General John Armstrong, 20–21 June 1777 (Washington Papers)
I shall not incroach on your time with disscribeing that Circle of feeble Service wherein I have been engaged since I had the pleasure of Seeing you, ’tis enough to say it has been of the mottled kind. When the Supream Council of this State appointed me to the Command of their Militia, various motives compelled me to accept even under the latent mortification of knowing I had nothing to render...
188To George Washington from Brigadier General John Armstrong, 8 April 1777 (Washington Papers)
The bearer Mr Saml Kersley is One under the Nomination of a Captain in the minute I left yr Excely an assiduous & every way well disposed Young man—who after laying out what money he had of his Own in recruiting & coming to this City to be replenished (for which I thought my Certificate expressly grounded on your Authority wou’d have been Sufficient) Congress will not grant nor admit a...
189To George Washington from Brigadier General John Armstrong, 22 February 1777 (Washington Papers)
On my return from Baltimore & travelling the West⟨ern⟩ part of the County of York, I am favoured with your Excellencys Letter of the 19th Ulto —and Sorry to find that so few of the Pennsylvania Militia who were actually on foot ever reached to head Quarters & also for the Short Stay of those who did—when I spoke of 20,000 it was including the bones of the Old Army & her few new recruits. The...
190To George Washington from Brigadier General John Armstrong, 1 February 1777 (Washington Papers)
You will scarcely expect a Letter from me dated at this place so far out of the line of yr Excellencys Orders —On my traversing a considerable part of the State of Pennsylvania as high as Carlisle I found that not only the inclemancy of the weather prevented my being able to draw out the Militia Battalions so fully as cou’d have been wished, but the numbers that were gone to Camp especially...