From George Washington to Brigadier General William Woodford, 25 November 1779
To Brigadier General William Woodford
Head Quarters West point 25th Novr 1779
Dear Sir
Be pleased to inform me by return of the Express when the Division will certainly march from Haverstraw. Should Genl Poor have come up with his Brigade, you may take the short Road to Sufferans, as my only reason for desiring you to march by Kakeate was to avoid falling in with poor’s Brigade.1 Upon your arrival at Pompton be pleased to send an Officer forward to Genl Greene who is near Morris town, and desire him to inform you where you shall halt2 if he has not fixed upon the Ground upon which you are to hut The Officer will meet you between Pompton & Morris—I earnestly request that the new Cloathes of the Men may be saved as much as possible when they are hutting.3 I am Dear Sir Y⟨our most Ob⟩t Servt.
L[S], in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; copy, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. Mutilated material in the letter is supplied in angle brackets from the copy. GW signed the cover of the letter, which was addressed to Woodford at Haverstraw, New York.
1. See GW’s first letter to Woodford, 21 November.
2. Upon reaching Ramapo, N.J., on 29 Nov., Woodford wrote Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene in compliance with GW’s directions (see 5:130). Writing from Morristown on 30 Nov., Greene instructed Woodford to remain at Rockaway Bridge until GW chose the location for the army’s winter encampment. Greene added: “Never did a person labour more industriously for any purpose than I have to search out a proper place for hutting the Army, but there are so many circumstances to be taken [into] consideration in the choice of a Position that it is exceeding difficult to find one that either pleases my self or will probably please the General” ( 5:130; see also Greene to GW, 27 Nov., and GW to Greene, 30 Nov.).
3. For GW’s decision to send the Virginia line to the southern department, see his letter to Samuel Huntington, 29 Nov., and the source note to that document.