To George Washington from Samuel Smith, 2 July 1779
From Samuel Smith
Balt[imor]e 2nd July 1779
Sir
I Had the Honor to recieve your Excelly permission to resign, the obliging Expressions & Honor you do ⟨me,⟩ in which I shall ever esteem myself indebted to you for.1 I reg⟨ret⟩ my Incapacity of ever being able to repay your politen⟨ess⟩ or I should have been happy to have remain’d in a situation ⟨mutilated⟩ I might have indeavour’d to merit it. I ever shall regret ⟨my⟩ being oblig’d to leave the service,2 to which I had devoted my Life, & shall esteem myself happy when I can have it in my power to do an obliging thing to those who remain in it.
at your Desire I have Inclos’d my Comn & am happy you permit me to retain it. It will make a pleasure to think I still hold that C. in which I have so long been proud of—I recd a Certificate of my having settled my Accots from the Auditor General which I w⟨as⟩ oblig’d to leave with the auditor of this state before ⟨mutilated⟩ with it could be settled. I will endeavour to procure ⟨an⟩ attested Copy & transmit it to your Excelly3 P⟨ermit⟩ me to be your Excelly Mo. Obedt servt
S.S.
ADfS (mutilated), MdHi: Samuel Smith Papers.
GW replied to Smith from West Point, N.Y., on 30 July: “I received your favor of the 2d Instant, Inclosing your Commission. I transmit You one made out on parchment, which was issued in consequence of the arrangement of the Maryland line, & on which a certificate of discharge is indorsed” (Df, in Robert Hanson Harrison’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).
1. Smith is referring to GW’s letter to him of 29 May in which he was characterized “as a good and brave officer.”
2. Smith resigned because of a wound received at Fort Mifflin, Pa., during October 1777.
3. No letter from Smith to GW on this subject has been found.