From George Washington to Brigadier General Charles Scott, 6 March 1779
To Brigadier General Charles Scott
Head Quarters Mid: Brook 6th March 1779
Dear Sir
His Excellency Governor Henry having requested that a General Officer might be sent to the State of Virginia to superintend the recruiting service and that some of inferior Rank might also be sent to take charge of the Recruits when collected and march them to Camp, I have appointed you to that service and inclose you a list of such Officers already in Virginia upon command and Furlough as are to be detained for the purposes above mentioned.1 You are immediately upon the Receipt hereof to send to the different Officers or signify it to them in the public prints informing them of the duty to which they are appointed and repair yourself to Williamsburg and take your future orders from His Excellency the Governor.2 Be pleased to exert yourself to get as many of the Recruits as possible here by the 1st of May and if you can put the Business in such a train that you yourself can join your Brigade by that time, it will be very agreeable to me, as I wish to assemble our force by that time if possible.3 I am Dear Sir.
Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
GW wrote a letter to Brig. Gen. George Weedon on this date from Middlebrook that reads: “It being a matter of importance that the inclosed should reach Genl Scott as speedily as possible, I have taken the liberty to put it under cover to you and to request you to direct the Deputy Quarter Mr at Fredericksberg to forward it immediately to him by a special Messenger. as I do not know to what particular place to direct it, I must beg of you to send it where Genl scott will most probably be found.... P.S. should General Weedon not be in Fredericksberg, the Deputy Qr Mr is to follow the above directions” (Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW). Weedon was in Fredericksburg, Va., while on leave from the army.
1. The enclosed list of officers has not been identified. For GW’s correspondence with Virginia governor Patrick Henry concerning recruiting officers, see his letters to Henry of 7 Feb. and this date (see also General Orders, 9 March).
2. See Scott to GW, 22 March, and n.3 to that document.