George Washington Papers
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From George Washington to Samuel Huntington, 17 October 1780

To Samuel Huntington

Head Quarters near Passaic Falls 17th Octobr 1780

Sir

I have just received advice from Elizabeth Town, which I think may be depended on, that the Fleet fell down from New York on sunday last and it is said have since sailed. There was a constant firing of signals on Sunday.1 The numbers gone are, by the best information I have yet obtained, about 2500 Foot and thirty or forty Horse, but they have taken spare furniture for a considerable number of Horse. General Lesly commands. They have pilots for both Eastward and southward, but the latter is generally thought to be their destination.2 I have the honor to be with very great Respect Yr Excellency’s most obedt and humble Servt

Go: Washington

P.S. It is said they have taken a number of spare Arms also with them.3

LS, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DNA:PCC, item 152; Df, DLC:GW; copy, DNA:PCC, item 169; two copies, MdAA; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. Congress read this letter on 20 Oct. (JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 34 vols. Washington, D.C., 1904–37. description ends , 18:956). GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman docketed the draft: “Lt. Colo. Buyssons servt” (see GW to Dubuysson, 17 Oct., found at Dubuysson to GW, 2 Sept., n.2). The servant presumably carried the LS to Huntington in Philadelphia.

1See John Hendricks to GW, this date. The previous Sunday was 15 October.

2Gen. Henry Clinton had mulled an embarkation from New York to Virginia (see Clinton to Charles Cornwallis, 14 and 15 July, in Saberton, Cornwallis Papers description begins Ian Saberton, ed. The Cornwallis Papers: The Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in The Southern Theatre of the American Revolutionary War. 6 vols. Uckfield, England, 2010. description ends , 1:172–75). Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis then wrote Clinton from Charleston on 6 Aug.: “It may be doubted by some whether the invasion of North Carolina may be a prudent measure, but I am convinced it is a necessary one and that, if we do not attack that province, we must give up both South Carolina and Georgia and retire within the walls of Charlestown. …

“An early diversion in my favour in Chesapeak Bay will be of the greatest and most important advantage to my operations” (Saberton, Cornwallis Papers description begins Ian Saberton, ed. The Cornwallis Papers: The Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in The Southern Theatre of the American Revolutionary War. 6 vols. Uckfield, England, 2010. description ends , 1:175–79, quotes on 177; see also Willcox, American Rebellion description begins William B. Willcox, ed. The American Rebellion: Sir Henry Clinton’s Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775–1782, with an Appendix of Original Documents. New Haven, 1954. description ends , 448–49). Clinton later wrote that he had “resolved without delay to send an expedition into Chesapeake Bay, with a view of making a powerful diversion. … Immediate application was accordingly made to the Vice Admiral [Marriot Arbuthnot] for a naval escort, and I directed a proper force to be in the meantime prepared for embarkation, under Major General Leslie” (Willcox, American Rebellion description begins William B. Willcox, ed. The American Rebellion: Sir Henry Clinton’s Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775–1782, with an Appendix of Original Documents. New Haven, 1954. description ends , 210). Clinton then considered, but ultimately abandoned, an embarkation against the French in Rhode Island (see George Rodney to Philip Stephens, 15 Sept., in Rodney of the White Squadron description begins Letter-books and Order-Book of George, Lord Rodney, Admiral of the White Squadron, 1780–1782. 2 vols. New York, 1932. In Collections of the New-York Historical Society, vols. 65–66. description ends , 1:9–11, and Willcox, American Rebellion description begins William B. Willcox, ed. The American Rebellion: Sir Henry Clinton’s Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775–1782, with an Appendix of Original Documents. New Haven, 1954. description ends , 214).

Clinton subsequently wrote that he instead decided to attack West Point and delay “an expedition to the Chesapeake, the object of which (having been for some time talked of and known) had naturally lulled suspicion to sleep with respect to any other” (Willcox, American Rebellion description begins William B. Willcox, ed. The American Rebellion: Sir Henry Clinton’s Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775–1782, with an Appendix of Original Documents. New Haven, 1954. description ends , 214). The discovery of Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold’s plot to betray the garrison at West Point stopped the movement, much to Clinton’s consternation (see Document V, n.2, with Major John André’s Capture and Execution, 23 Sept.–7 Oct., editorial note). While he remained wary of a thrust against West Point, GW predicted from prior intelligence that Clinton would target Virginia (see GW to James Duane, 4 Oct.; see also GW to Nathaniel Wade, 25 Sept.).

British attention turned again to the southern expedition, and Adm. George Rodney wrote Arbuthnot on 8 Oct. that he had “given every assistance towards carrying” Clinton’s plan to support Cornwallis “into Execution, and have the pleasure to acquaint you the Troops are all embarked and ready to proceed on that service” (Rodney of the White Squadron description begins Letter-books and Order-Book of George, Lord Rodney, Admiral of the White Squadron, 1780–1782. 2 vols. New York, 1932. In Collections of the New-York Historical Society, vols. 65–66. description ends , 1:25–27, quotes on 25). Clinton delayed the embarkation until another “English fleet with promised recruits” and provisions arrived on 15 Oct. (Willcox, American Rebellion description begins William B. Willcox, ed. The American Rebellion: Sir Henry Clinton’s Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775–1782, with an Appendix of Original Documents. New Haven, 1954. description ends , 220; see also John Jameson to GW, 23 Oct.). The embarkation soon sailed from New York: “Corps embarked were the Guards, Regiment of Bose, Eighty-second, Thirty-fourth, Fanning’s [and] Watson’s light infantry, Jagers, detachment of Seventeenth Dragoons, artillerymen (100), refugees, guides, pioneers, etc.—in all, 2800 rank and file” (Willcox, American Rebellion description begins William B. Willcox, ed. The American Rebellion: Sir Henry Clinton’s Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775–1782, with an Appendix of Original Documents. New Haven, 1954. description ends , 214, brackets in source; see also Baurmeister, Revolution in America description begins Carl Leopold Baurmeister. Revolution in America: Confidential Letters and Journals, 1776–1784, of Adjutant General Major Baurmeister of the Hessian Forces. Translated and annotated by Bernhard A. Uhlendorf. New Brunswick, N.J., 1957. description ends , 372).

Clinton wrote Maj. Gen. Alexander Leslie undated instructions to “pursue such measures as you shall judge most likely to answer the purpose of this expedition, the principal object of which is to make a diversion in favor of Lt General Earl Cornwallis. …

“The information you shall procure on the spot after your arrival at your destined port will point out to you the properest method of accomplishing this, but by that which I have received here I should judge it best to proceed up James River as high as possible in order to seize or destroy any magazines the enemy may have at Petersburg, Richmond or any of the places adjacent and finally to establish a post on Elizabeth River; but this, as well as the direction of every other operation, is submitted to Earl Cornwallis, with whom you are as soon as possible to communicate and afterwards to follow all such orders and directions as you shall from time to time receive from his Lordship” (Saberton, Cornwallis Papers description begins Ian Saberton, ed. The Cornwallis Papers: The Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in The Southern Theatre of the American Revolutionary War. 6 vols. Uckfield, England, 2010. description ends , 2:50; see also Clinton to Cornwallis, 20 Sept., in Saberton, Cornwallis Papers description begins Ian Saberton, ed. The Cornwallis Papers: The Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in The Southern Theatre of the American Revolutionary War. 6 vols. Uckfield, England, 2010. description ends , 2:48–50). Leslie’s force arrived in Chesapeake Bay on 19 Oct., partially debarked on 22 Oct., and moved on “Portsmouth to possess themselves of Public Stores Shipping &c.” (entry for 22 Oct. in Newsome, “A British Orderly Book,” description begins A. R. Newsome, ed. “A British Orderly Book, 1780–1781 [presumably Alexander Leslie’s].” North Carolina Historical Review 9 (1932): 57–78, 163–86, 273–98, 366–92. description ends 163; see also Jefferson to GW, 25 Oct.). Leslie’s troops did not advance up the James River, but a British force under Arnold entered Richmond early in 1781 (see Newsome, “A British Orderly Book,” description begins A. R. Newsome, ed. “A British Orderly Book, 1780–1781 [presumably Alexander Leslie’s].” North Carolina Historical Review 9 (1932): 57–78, 163–86, 273–98, 366–92. description ends 58–60, and Jefferson to GW, 10 Jan. 1781, DLC:GW).

3Huntington acknowledged this letter when he wrote GW on 23 Oct., postscript.

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