To George Washington from Arthur St. Clair, 8 June 1793
From Arthur St. Clair
Greensburgh [Pennsylvania] June 8th 1793
Sir
You will probably be surprised to see a Letter from me of this date from this place1—The Delay I have met with in this Country has distressed me extremly but it has been unavoidable; for I have been at the very point of Death: and now I am so far recovered only as to be barely able to ride but still too weak to walk more than a few Yards at a time, nevertheless, I am on my way to Pittsburgh to avail myself of the first Opportunity to descend the River where indeed I ought to have been long ago.2 My Duty requires me to account for not being there which will I hope be my Excuse for obtruding myself—One more such Attack will probably stop the Scene forever.
With the sincerest and most fervant Wishes for your Health and Happiness I have the honor to be Sir Your most obedient Servant
Ar. St Clair
ALS, DNA: RG 59, Territorial Papers, Territory Northwest of the River Ohio.
1. Greensburg, in Westmoreland County, Pa., is approximately 24 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
2. For Arthur St. Clair’s prolonged stay at Philadelphia and absence from the Northwest Territory, of which he served as governor, see Tobias Lear to Thomas Jefferson, 26 Feb., and note 7, and to GW, 3 April 1793.