From George Washington to Brigadier General William Smallwood, 20 December 1779
To Brigadier General William Smallwood
Hd qrs [Morristown] Decr 20. 1779
Dear Sir
I have reconsidered the point, with respect to placing General Gist on the Court Martial for the trial of Genl Arnold, in your room—and as there are reasons to induce me to wish, that the Court first appointd should suffer no1 change but such as very pressing circumstances require—it is my desire that you should continue, if it can be done without an essential injury to You. The Trial I hope will not take up a great deal of time—and as the Evenings are long—You may still be preparing and making your arrangements for your journey.2 I am with great regard & esteem Dr sir Yr Most Obedt st
G. Wn
Df, in Robert Hanson Harrison’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. At this place on the draft, Harrison initially wrote “as little.” He then struck out those words and wrote “no” above the line.
2. GW’s appeal failed as Brig. Gen. Mordecai Gist replaced Smallwood as a member of Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold’s court-martial (see General Orders, 21 Dec.; see also GW to Joseph Reed, 4 Dec., and n.2 to that document).