From George Washington to Major Benjamin Tallmadge, 8 March 1780
To Major Benjamin Tallmadge
Head Quarters Morris Town March 8th 1780
Dear Sir,
I have received your favor[s]1 of the 20th and 26th Feby Inclosed you will find an acceptance of Capt. Shethars Resignation, which ought of right to have been indorsed upon his Commission—I shall be glad to be informed whether the interposition of the Civil authority in regard to granting and extending furloughs is confined to the State of Jersey, because I would take occasion to mention the matter to the Governors of the States where such proceedings have happened—I forwarded Mr Campbells letter to him.2
I have never received any directions from the Board of War to call upon otis & Henly for a supply of Cloathing for the 2d Regt of Cavalry—on the contrary—I wrote to the Board on the 15th Jany last in consequence of Capt. Edgars application, and a[d]vised them to give orders to Otis & Henly to have cloathing made up for a full regiment—telling them at the same time, that if the Regiment should not be recruited to its complement, the overplus cloathing might be kept or delivered to some other Corps3—having heard nothing since—I concluded the matter had been done—but I shall upon your letter, write immediately to the Board that if there has been any misapprehension, they may take occasion to give their orders without delay4—C. Seniors letter of the 27th Feby transmitted to me by Lt Brewster came safely to hand.5 I am Dr Sir Your most obet servt
Go: Washington
LS, in Richard Kidder Meade’s writing, CSmH; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman, who penned the draft, wrote “fav[or]s.” Tallmadge addressed two letters to GW on 20 February (letter 1 and letter 2).
2. Tallmadge replied on 12 April that the interference seemed to be limited to the authorities in New Jersey (DLC:GW). Tallmadge’s letter to James Campbell has not been identified, but its subject dealt with the issuing of unauthorized furloughs (see Tallmadge’s second letter to GW of 20 Feb.).
5. The letter from Abraham Woodhull (“Samuel Culper, Sr.”) to Tallmadge (“John Bolton”), dated 27 Feb. at Setauket, N.Y., reads: “late last night I returnd from 727 [New York] Where I had the Pleasure of Seeing C. Junr and many other good Freinds—I have nothing to inclose to you from C. Junr He assureing me that Coll Ramsey and Some other Gentlemen that left 727 [New York] on Wednessday last on their way to Head Quarters was furnished with all the Intelligence that he could informe—Yet requests I Would write to accompany the News Papers—On Saturday last a Packet arived with the Decr Mail. And by Private letter and all that we can understand, indicate a continuance of the War. The Spirits of the Enemy on the Same account are very high The Loyalest formerly the Oliver Cromel, Is about to Sail in Search of Genl Clinton—Hope they are all Safely landed in the Eternal Regions a few days gone, a Ship arrived from Jamaica, But nothing can be lernt more than what is Published thers a large Fleet With Dry goods &c. dayly expected from Urope, And a great number of Merchantmen from other Quarters Our Prisoners on board of Ships hath Sufferd much this Winter, And to Compleat the total destruction of the Sick the Hospital Ship on Thursday last about 4 OClock took fire in the Stern Said by means of a Stove and was immediately Consumed How many perished I cannot Say reports are from 3. to 50 Thers a very great mortallity amongst the Enemies Horses thers was no appearance of any movement that I could lern. I Shall now mention the Station of Several Corps on L. Island and conclude—At Loyds Neck Coll Ludloes Regt—at Oyster bay about 40 of german Huzzars at Jerico the Second Battallion of skinners Brigade The 17 Dragos at Hempstead Coll Fannings Regt at Jamica Gover. Browns at the Head of the Fly near Flushing, 54 Regt at New Town one Regt of Hessians at Bushwik 725 [Brewster] handed me two fials and 20 Gines Which Shall be Imediately Transmited to C. Junr, I Could wish to Serve you better but it not being in my Power at this time am in great hast yours Sincerly” (DLC:GW). Tilghman wrote the words in square brackets above the numbers used by Woodhull, who had encoded the words using the alphanumeric cipher of Tallmadge’s Culper spy ring “dictionary” (see Tallmadge to GW, 25 July 1779, n.2). The previous Wednesday was 23 February. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Ramsay was on parole carrying Maj. Gen. William Phillips’s letter to GW of 21 February. Woodhull’s reference to “Saturday last” seems to refer to 19 Feb., not 26 February. New York printer Hugh Gaine wrote in his journal entry for 18 Feb. that the vessel that had been reported on 16 Feb. as having dropped anchor in New York Harbor had been identified as the Brilliant from Liverpool, England. In his entry for 22 Feb., Gaine recorded that “The Galatea came up this Day from Jamaica.” On 24 Feb., Gaine wrote that “Last Night the Hospital Ship at the Wallabout [Bay] got on Fire by accident and burnt to the Water’s Edge.” On 27 Feb., Gaine recorded that “The Loyalist and Rose-Bud with the General Tryon Letter of Marque and sundry other vessels sailed this Day, some of them with Dispatches brought by the Packet from England” ( 2:80–81). The dispatches presumably were for British general Henry Clinton. The 20-gun warship Oliver Cromwell of the Connecticut state navy had been captured by a British squadron in June 1779. The British renamed her Restoration and, subsequently, Loyalist.