To George Washington from the Board of War, 11 July 1780
From the Board of War
War Office [Philadelphia] July. 11. 1780:
Sir
The Board have been honoured with your Excellency’s several Favors accompanied with Estimates from General Knox respecting the Quantity & Species of ordnance Stores to be provided for the intended offensive Operation1—It was with the utmost Difficulty that we could procure, when called upon the last Campaign on the same Subject any considerable Quantities of the Articles principally required.2 Our Embarrassments are now greater than they then were as the public Credit was not at that Time so very low. The Iron Masters with whom Contracts were made for Shot & Shells were so hardly dealt with & have suffered so much by not recieving their Money in Time that we fear it will be nearly impracticable to get them again engaged unless we are furnished with Cash. Perhaps however some of them in Pennsilvania may be prevailed on to cast Part of the deficient Quantities of Shot & Shells upon Credit & those mentioned by General Knox in Jersey we presume he can influence to enter on the Bussiness. The Time is however too short for the Estimate of sixty Days if there were no other Objection to entering into large Contracts on the Subject—We have viewed the Matter in every Light we are capable of & tho’ properly impressed with the Magnitude of the Object we are convinced of the utter Impracticability of procuring more than half the Amount of the Estimate last sent us. Had we Money & were Time enough allowed us for procuring the Shot & Shells we are convinced a sufficient Quantity of Powder could not be obtained. Previous therefore to our taking any Steps in the Bussiness we think it necessary to inform your Excellency that we cannot undertake to provide more than the Amount of the Estimate as at first furnished us for a Siege of thirty Days. It will be with some Difficulty that we shall be able to accomplish even this as it depends upon the Money we recieve & the Ability & Disposition of the States to lend us the Quantity of Powder required beyond that we have & expect from France, about which we have no certain Information, but suppose General Knox to have been properly informed when he estimated the expected Arrival at 50 Tons.3 We enclose your Excellency an Account of what we have on Hand & the Deficiencies wanted to complete the Estimate for thirty Days as at first furnished without the Addition for the encreased Length of the Days at this Season.4 We will do our utmost to procure the Articles mentioned in this Estimate; but we thought it unnecessary to begin the Provision without being informed whether or not the Bussiness can be undertaken if the Articles agreeable to the thirty Day Estimate as at first furnished can be had & we beg your Excellency’s speedy Answer on this Subject.5 We have the Honour to be with the highest respect & Esteem your very obedt Servants
Richard Peters
By Order & in Behalf of the Board
ALS, DLC:GW; copy, DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 29297. The copy does not include the postscript.
2. See GW to Jeremiah Powell, 7 Oct. 1779, n.2, and to Henry Knox, 26 June, n.4; see also Board of War to GW, 27 July.
3. GW expected a large shipment of arms and powder to arrive with Continental frigate Alliance (see James Lovell to GW, 23 Feb., GW to Lovell, 4 March, and Henry Knox to GW, 23 May; see also Board of War to GW, 10 May 1779, and n.2 to that document, and La Luzerne to Congress, 16 May 1780, n.3, printed as an enclosure to Samuel Huntington to GW, 29 May 1780). The Alliance sailed on 7 July (see Pierre Landais to Benjamin Franklin, that date, in , 33:43). For its arrival on 16 Aug., and the quantities actually delivered, see James Bowdoin to GW, 17 August.
4. The board enclosed “A Return of military stores on hand and to be procured for 30 days service, agreeably to Genl Knox’s estimate inclosed in his letter of June 27. 1780,” dated at the “War & Ordnance Office” on 11 July: “Ten inch s⟨he⟩lls demanded 15.000[.] On hand at divers places as stated by Genl Knox 8,⟨81⟩8[;] remaining at the furnaces in Pensylvania 1907[;] Wanting 4275 [of the demanded] 15.000.
“Eight inch shells demanded 9000[.] On hand at divers places as stated by Genl Knox 1439[;] remaining at the furnaces in pensylvania 1030[;] Wanting 6531 [of the demanded] 9000.
“18 lb. shot demanded 36.000[.] On hand at divers places as stated by G.K. 17849[.] At Bull’s—John Jacobs’s &c. say 5000[;] Wanting 13151 [of the demanded] 36.000.
“12 lb. shot demanded 36000[.] On hand at divers places as stated by G.K. 12321[.] At Bull’s, John Jacobs’s &c. say 2500[;] Wanting ⟨21⟩179 [of the demanded] 3⟨6⟩000.
“24 lb. shot at Philadelphia, 2084 which may be advantageously substituted in the room of part of the deficient 12 lb. shot.
“Powder demanded 4860 barrels[;] ditto for contingent services 1000[; total:] 5860 barrels[.] On hand as stated by Genl Knox 3071[;] At a powder mill in Pensylvania 30[;] Materials on hand at Springfield & Philaa for 600[.] Expected from France 2000 barrels—but Genl Knox is informed there are shipped 1000 only[.] Arrived this day (July 11. from St Eustatia) at Philaa 30[.] The whole demand may be completed, if we can borrow from Maryland & the Eastern states 1121 [making a total of] 5860 barrels.
“Materials for making powder—At Springfield 69 casks supposed to weigh 600 lb. each[;] 2 boxes [supposed to weigh] 300 each[;] At Baltimore 8 ⟨boxe⟩s [supposed to weigh] 800 each.
“In the whole about 48.000 lbs. which with the sulphur (of which there is an abundance) & other materials to be compounded with it will probably yield about 600 barrels; as before stated.
“By a return of the 29th April 1779, made by Mr Pearson (a deputy of Colo. Flower’s) there appeared to be at Colo. Bull’s, John Jacobs’s & some other places within thirty miles of Philadelphia, 18731 eighteen pound shot, & 4923 twelve pound shot. Part of these have since been removed to this city and to West Point; and of course are included in Genl Knox’s estimate: But we were not satisfied with Mr Pearson’s return, because not grounded on an actual survey: yet the quantities were originally so large, we can entertain very little doubt of the numbers remaining which we have stated in the foregoing return. An active man is now gone to ascertain the quantities & collect them.
“There are also considerable quantities of cannon shot at Fredericksburg in Virginia, a large proportion of which are heavy shot; but the return of them is mislaid.
“If all the powder mentioned in this estimate is to be appropriated to the service of cannon & mortars, the present stock of musket cartridges cannot be increased.
“At the particular request of the board, his Excellency the sieur Gerard, just before his departure last fall, was pleased to engage to give his personal attention to the shipping, by the first vessels destined for such service, fifty tons of cannon powder[,] fifty tons of musket powder[,] one hundred tons of lead—and ten thousand stand of arms[.] We are therefore induced to hope there will arrive with the French fleet another thousand barrels of powder, as well as the other articles now mentioned” (DLC:GW).
6. See GW to the Board of War, 14 June; see also Board of War to GW, 19 June.
7. The enclosed letter from Col. Lewis Nicola to the Board of War, dated 22 June, reads: “a Gentleman of the name Anderson, came with some Company, to my House yesterday evening & appeared to be acquainted with Capt. Joel, I enquired of one of the Company who the Gentleman was & was informed he was brother to a Major Anderson in the Continental Service, I thought this a favourable of making some enquiries concerning the Captain, which I desired my friend to do & recd the following Account. Mr Anderson, when a prisoner in Bermuda, was a little acquainted with Capt. Joel, having lain one Night in the room with him, but heared him often talkd of on Account of his Attachment to a Lady & quarrel with the Governor to whom he sent a joint of one of his fingers.
“As this corresponds with what the Captain mentioned I think it necessary to inform you thereof … The Capt. has favored me with a Copy of the verses I mentioned to you which is inclosed (DLC:GW; the enclosure has not been identified).