3 November 1775. Dft not found. printed : JCC Worthington C. Ford and others, eds., Journals of the Continental Congress , 1774–1789, Washington, 1904–1937; 34 vols. , 3:319. Based on a report (not found) from a committee appointed 26 October composed of John Rutledge, JA , Samuel Ward, Richard Henry Lee, and Roger Sherman, which reported on 3 November ( same Worthington C. Ford and others,...
2V. Naval Committee to Silas Deane, 7 November 1775 (Adams Papers)
You are desired to repair immediately to the City of New York, and there purchase a Ship suitable for carrying 20 nine pounders upon one deck, if such a Ship can there be found. Also a Sloop, suitable to carry ten guns, which we would choose should be Bermudian built if such a one can be had. If you succeed in purchasing both, or either of these Vessels, you will use all possible expedition to...
3VIII. Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of the United Colonies, 28 November – December 1775 (Adams Papers)
ART. 1. The Commanders of all ships and vessels belonging to the THIRTEEN UNITED COLONIES, are strictly required to shew in themselves a good example of honor and virtue to their officers and men, and to be very vigilant in inspecting the behaviour of all such as are under them, and to discountenance and suppress all dissolute, immoral and disorderly practices; and also, such as are contrary...
4Henry Laurens, Richard Henry Lee, and John Adams to Joseph Trumbull, 5 September 1777 (Adams Papers)
The Resolve of Congress which you will receive under this Cover will shew you that we are appointed a Committee and for what purposes. We request you to transmit to us by the earliest good opportunity the fullest intelligence in your late department of Commissary General and you will further oblige us by adding any further information properly authenticated relative to the enquiries which we...
With great pleasure to ourselves we discharge our duty by inclosing to you your Commission for representing these United States at the Court of France. We are by no means willing to indulge a thought of your declining this important service, and therefore we send duplicates of the Commission and the late Resolves, in order that you may take one sett with you, and send the other, by another...
That by the return of ordinance and stores taken from the enemy in the Northern department from the 19 Sept. to 17 Oct. inclusive it appears, there were only 4647 muskets, which are returned “unfit for service,” 3477 bayonets without scabbards, 638 cartouch boxes, 1458 cutlasses without scabbards, 6000 dozen musket cartridges, 1135 ready or fixed shot for 32 peices of cannon, and only 15...
7To John Adams from Richard Henry Lee, 13 May 1778 (Adams Papers)
Our public letter does not leave me much to add, but friendship will not suffer me to let this opportunity pass, without expressing my wishes to congratulate you on your safe arrival in France. You will find our affairs at your Court in a much more respectable Train than they have been heretofore, and therefore, no doubt more agreable to you. Finance seems now the only rock upon which we have...
8The Foreign Affairs Committee to the Commissioners, 14 May 1778 (Adams Papers)
Our Affairs have now a universally good appearance. Every thing at home and abroad seems verging towards a happy and permanent period. We are preparing for either War or Peace; for altho we are fully perswaded that our Enemies are wearied beaten and disappoint in despair, yet we shall not presume too much on that belief, and the rather, as it is our fixt determination to admit no terms of...
9Marine Committee to the Commissioners, 10 June 1778 (Adams Papers)
There is wanted for A fifty Six Gun Ship now building at Portsmouth in the State of New Hampshire, Twenty eight 24 pounders Cannon and Twenty eight 18 Pounders which We request you will order to be shipped for that Port or the Port of Boston by the first Opportunity. Should the Continental Frigates Boston and Providence be in France when this gets to hand they may take in those Cannon and in...
10To John Adams from Richard Henry Lee, 20 June 1778 (Adams Papers)
Our enemies at N. York had contrived to distress us a good deal by a publication that the Boston was taken and carried into England. We were at first greatly concerned for our Friend, until we reflected on the lying genius of our enemies, and the improbability that Heaven would permit such a triumph of Vice over Virtue. Now we are made happy by an account from Boston that you are safely...
11Foreign Affairs Committee to the Commissioners, 21 June 1778 (Adams Papers)
The British Commissioners have arrived and transmitted their powers and propositions to Congress, which have received the answer you will see in the Pennsylvania Gazette of the 20th. instant. On the 18th. of this month Gen. Clinton with the British army (now under his command) abandoned Philadelphia, and the City is in possession of our Troops. The enemy crossed into Jersey, but whether with...
While we officially communicate to you the inclosed Resolve the Foundation of which you cannot remain a Stranger to, we must intreat you to be assiduous in sending, to those Commissioners who have left France and gone to the Courts for which they were respectively appointed, all the American Intelligence which you have greater Opportunity than they to receive from hence, particularly to Mr....
13To John Adams from Richard Henry Lee, 29 October 1778 (Adams Papers)
I am exceedingly happy to hear of your safe arrival, and I hope agreeable accommodation at Paris. At first, I doubt not, the splendid gaity of a magnificent Court, accorded not so well with the temperate manners of a sober Republican. But use reconciles most things. It may soon happen that you be desired to visit Holland, where I believe they yet retain much of that simplicity of manners which...
14To John Adams from Richard Henry Lee, 24 April 1779 (Adams Papers)
Philadelphia, 24 April 1779. Dft ( ViU : Lee Papers). printed : The Letters of Richard Henry Lee , ed. James Ballagh, 2 vols., N.Y., 1914 (repr. N.Y., 1970), 2:46–49. Given its date and its existence only in draft, this reply to John Adams’ letter of 5 Aug. 1778 (vol. 6:350–352) probably never reached him. Lee commended Adams for his determination to remain outside the quarrels of the...
15To John Adams from Richard Henry Lee, 8 October 1779 (Adams Papers)
I congratulate you most sincerely on your safe return to your family and your country. I hope you found the former in good health, and the latter I am very sensible will be at all times benefitted by the assistance of so able a Citizen, and the more especially at this time, when the most important of all sublunary things is under consideration, the establishing of government. Independent of...
16To John Adams from Richard Henry Lee, 7 May 1780 (Adams Papers)
I should have paid my respects to you before now had I known where to have directed my letters, for at this time I have no other method than to inclose the present to our friend Mr. Lovell at Philadelphia, who I trust will know the best manner of conveying it. The enemy appear to have abated very little of their pride, however much their power may be lessened. It may be expected nevertheless...
17To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 29 June 1775 (Washington Papers)
Nothing material has occurred since you left this place, except the imperfect accounts we have of the Charlestown battle, which upon the whole seems to have nothing unfavorable to our great cause, but the loss of Dr Warren—To an infant Country, it is loss indeed, to be deprived of wise, virtuous, and brave Citizens. I hope however, still to hear, that our Enemies have lost Characters very...
18To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 1 August 1775 (Washington Papers)
After the fatigue of many days, and of this in particular, I should not sit down at eleven oClock at night to write to a Gentleman of whose goodness of heart I have less doubt than I have of yours. But well knowing that you will pardon what flows from good intentions, I venture to say that my hopes are, you will find from what the Congress has already done, and from what I hope they will do...
19To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 26 September 1775 (Washington Papers)
Two days ago I arrived here from Virginia, which the late short adjournment just allowed me time to visit and return from. I brought two letters from thence for you which come with this. Having some business with Colo. Mason, I travelled that road and having sent to your Lady to know if she had any commands this way, had the pleasure to learn that all were well at Mount Vernon. As I suppose it...
20To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 8 October 1775 (Washington Papers)
A Ship in 7 weeks from London brings us pretty perfect intelligence of the infernal designs of our Ministerial enemies, as you will see by the inclosures in Dr Shippens letter. I believe they are the most perfect that could be obtained, and so may be much relied on. God grant that our successes at Boston and in Canada may disappoint, and thereby ruin these fatal foes to the liberty and...
21To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 22–23 October 1775 (Washington Papers)
I thank you for your obliging favor of the 13th and I assure you that no Man living approves the vigorous measures you mention more than myself. Great bodies, you know, move slow; and it is as sure, that the most palpable and glorious events may be delayed, and the best causes finally lost by slow, timid, and indicisive counsels. We must be content however to take human nature as we find it,...
22To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 13 November 1775 (Washington Papers)
I must beg leave at the beginning of this letter to apologise for any incorrectness as I write in great haste—Indeed the hurry of business is such here with many of us, that we have little time for the ordinary offices of life. You may be assured that I will do Colo. Read all the service that I can in the way you desire. We have a Ship here in 6 weeks from London, that brought the original...
23To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 26 November 1775 (Washington Papers)
As Mr Custis can furnish you with an exact account of our affairs in Virginia, it will be unnecessary for me to say any thing on that subject. Proper persons will certainly and presently be appointed, under proper regulations, to determine on sea Captures. I heartily congratulate you on the surrender of St Johns. That of Montreal must, I think, quickly follow, because it is quite defenceless,...
24To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 6 December 1775 (Washington Papers)
The inclosed letter from Colo. Pendleton came to hand two days ago, and as it will save a good deal of unnecessary writing, I send it to you. The proclamation there alluded to, we have seen. It proclaims martial law thro Virginia and offers freedom to all the Slaves, calling their Masters rebels &c.—It seems this unlucky triumph over Hutchings with his less than half armed Militia, so...
25To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 13 March 1776 (Washington Papers)
I was in Virga (from whence I am but just returned) when your favor of the 26th Decr came here, and now I have but a moment before this Gentleman goes off to thank you for it, and to cover a letter from your brother, with the proceedings and ordinances of our last Convention —Gen. Clinton had left Virginia before I did, and was gone to one, but which we do not know, of the Carolinas —Gen. Lee...
26To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 26 March 1776 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from Richard Henry Lee, 26 Mar. 1776. On 4 April GW wrote to Richard Henry Lee : “Your favour of the 26th Ulto came to my hands last Night.”
27To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 13 June 1776 (Washington Papers)
I am informed that a certain Mr Eustace, now in New York, but some time ago with Lord Dunmore, is acquainted with a practise that prevailed of taking letters out of the Post Office in Virginia and carrying them to Dunmore for his perusal and than returning them to the Office again. As it is of the greatest consequence that this nefarious practise be stopt immediately, I shall be exceedingly...
28To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 27 October 1776 (Washington Papers)
I congratulate you sincerely on the several advantages your Troops have lately gained over the enemy, for ’tho each has been but small, yet in the whole they are considerable, and will certainly have the effect of inspiriting our army, whilst it wastes and discourages the other. May the great Dispenser of justice to Mankind put it in your power, before this campaign ⟨e⟩nds, to give these foes...
29To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 27 February 1777 (Washington Papers)
My brother Delegates are of opinion that the inclosed papers may avail you something in settling some disputes about rank that may come before you, and therefore it is sent. Congress never did any thing in this matter, as the business was put into other hands. I realy think that when the history of this winters Campaign comes to be understood, the world will wonder at its success on our part....
30To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 10 April 1777 (Washington Papers)
The resolves of Congress, that you will receive by this Messenger, you may be assured, are not intended, by any means, to obstruct your views a single moment. If your judgement should incline you to think that the Troops had better march on to Head Quarters quick as possible, you have only so to order it, and it will give pleasure to every good man here. The business of speedily reenforcing...