To George Washington from James Wilkinson, 9 November 1779
From James Wilkinson
Philadelphia Novr 9th 1779
sir
I was last Evening honored with your Letter of the 2nd Inst: & shall pay every practicable attention to the Mandate therein contained; in the mean time the justice I owe my Character obliges me to assure your Excellency, that no Moment of my time since my Arrival in this place has been otherwise employed than in direct pursuit of the Interests of the Army & of the Public;1 and I am confident I have it amply in my Power to convince you that my presence has been productive of more good here, than it could have effected elsewhere, the conviction of which will I hope induce your Excellency to pardon the breach of punctuality I have commited by not returning to Came so soon as I promised: I feel great uneasiness from not having it in my Power to pay instant obedience to your order, as I am sensible of the Necessity for my presence at Camp, and I hope I shall not be condemned when I inform your Excellency that very interesting & essential Business with the Board of War & the Treasury, will absolutely prevent my leaving the City before the 17th or 18th Inst. at which time I shall go to Camp prepared to remain constantly with the Army, or at such place as you shall direct, during the Winter.2 The Necessities of the Troops which demand instant consideration can be relieved on your Excellencys Order without inducing the least irregularity or Injustice, as the Issues will be made to the state Clothiers, or persons acting in their Line, on Account of their respective Quota, liable to deduction at the general or future distribution. In all Issues which may take place before I reach Camp, I hope it will be observed that the Board of War have delivered to the executive Council of this state 2,000 of the french Coats for the use of their Troops,3 & that the cut of their Clothing is in great forwardness under the Direction of the Governor & Council who will I doubt not make it compleat:4 I am informed by Mr Whittlesey purchasing Agent for the state of Connecticut, that he has provided a competency of Shirts, Shoes, Hats & under Cloths for the Troops of that state,5 and I understand from Dr Scudder, a Congressional Deligate from Jersey, that the Agent of that state is in Town, & will be able to provide for the Troops thereof.6
Inclosed your Excellency will receive Returns, of the Clothing recd from Messrs Mease & Measam, of the Quantity forwarded to New Burgh, & of the Issues which have been made at this place,7 the residue of the Clothing here will be in motion by the 15th Inst. I have taken every precaution to secure & facilitate its Transport to New Burgh (as well from springfield as from hence), & I am much surprized to find by your Letter that large supplies have not arrived at that place, as the Returns will shew that large Quantities have been a long time in Motion.8
I find by a Letter from Lancaster that 4261 pair of Shoes were sent from thence to Camp the 21st of last Month,9 & I am informed by Mr Henry Comy of Hides for the state, that Col. Hooper has seized from his Assistants between 2 & 3000 pair more, which have been delivered to the Troops under Majr Genl sullivan at East Town.10
I received your Excellencys Letter respecting the Western Department on the 28th Ultimo & shall see the supplies ordered by the Board of War sent off in three or four Days11—And I am with every possible respect Your Excellencys Most Obdt & mos. hble servt
James Wilkinson
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Congress had elected Wilkinson as clothier general on 24 July, and he soon after assumed his duties in Philadelphia (see John Jay to GW, 29 July, and n.6 to that document).
2. Wilkinson apparently left Philadelphia for West Point on 19 Nov. (see Board of War to Joseph Reed, 18 Nov., found at Board of War to GW, 19 Nov., n.1).
3. See Board of War to GW, 12 Nov., and notes 4 and 5 to that document.
4. The Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council, sitting on 31 Aug., received communications from Wilkinson related to state provision of clothing, “particularly Hats, Blankets, Shoes and Stockings.” The council then named a committee “to visit the State Store, inspect the Quantity and Condition of the Cloth therein, and make report what will be proper to be done with the Cloth, and how far the above recommendation may be executed with the present stock” ( 12:87; see also 12:94–95, 112, 148–49).
5. Chauncey Whittlesey (1746–1812) became a minister after graduating from Yale College in 1764, but he soon left the clergy for a career as a merchant in Middletown, Connecticut. He began as a purchasing agent for the state in 1776 and served in that capacity throughout the war. For Whittlesey’s efforts to secure clothes during summer 1779, see 2:377, 380–82.
6. Wilkinson is referring to Enos Kelsey, New Jersey’s state clothier, who had written Caleb Camp, speaker of the New Jersey Assembly, from Princeton on 27 September. That letter in part reads: “I herewith hand you an estimate of sundry things now wanted for the officers and soldiers of the Jersey brigade, with the prices annexed to the same, as nearly as these times of uncertainty will admit of. As I am now on my way to Philadelphia, I mean to call on the clothier-general immediately, and procure from him as many of the articles as possible. Such as I cannot get that way, I intend purchasing, as far as my money will extend, which is £28,539.5.0. My whole attention at present, I believe, ought to be paid to the clothing of the soldiers only. I therefore intend at this time to engage the stockings, which I think can readily be done, purchase linen for one shirt each, and set them a making fast as possible. The coats I have some hope of receiving from the clothier-general, as I am well assured he has a great many on hand” ( 183–84; see also William Churchill Houston to Robert Morris, 6 March 1780, in 14:467–72).
Enos Kelsey (1733–1811), born and raised in Connecticut, graduated from Princeton College in 1760. He remained in Princeton and became a merchant. Kelsey supported American independence, served as justice of the peace and judge of the court of common pleas in Somerset County, and was appointed state clothier by the New Jersey government in June 1779 (see William Livingston to the Assembly, 22 April 1779, in 3:63–66; see also Livingston to the Assembly, 16 Feb. 1778, and to the New Jersey Delegates, 3 July 1778, in 2:219–29, 379–80). Complaints over Kelsey’s performance as clothier led to his resignation in spring 1780.
7. The enclosed returns have not been identified.
8. In this paragraph, Wilkinson almost certainly is responding to GW’s letter to him written at “Head Quarters” (West Point) on 30 Oct.: “Be pleased to furnish me with an Abstract of the quantity of Cloathing at present in store, and let me know whether you have information of any considerable quantity being on the way from Springfield or Philada” (Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).
9. This letter has not been identified.
10. For the recent activities of William Henry, commissary of hides for Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, to procure shoes, see GW to the Board of War, 2 Oct., and Board of War to GW, 9 Oct.; see also GW to the Board of War, 12 October.
11. In his letter to Wilkinson dated 18 Oct., GW wrote “that the troops at Fort Pitt were then much distressed for Cloathing.”