Virginia Delegates to Benjamin Harrison, [11] June 1782
Virginia Delegates to Benjamin Harrison
RC (New York State Historic Sites, Albany, N.Y.). Entirely in the hand of Theodorick Bland, Jr., except for JM’s signature. Although the cover is missing, the title by which the recipient is addressed, along with the contents of the letter, establishes the identity of the addressee. The complete date probably should be 11 June 1782 in view of the nature of the information in the dispatch and the delegates’ custom of writing to the governor on Tuesday of each week.
Philadelphia June [11,] 1782
Sr.
This days post brought us Your Excelly’s. favor of the first of June1 enclosing the Resolution of May 28th relative to the Commissioners for settling the Accounts of the State,2 as also, a letter for the Chevr. de la Luzerne, and a Copy of Resolutions of the Assembly of the 23d of May, relating to the transaction of Col: Harrison with that Minister, all of which shall be duely attended to.3
Nothing Authentic has yet reachd this place from the French fleet in the West Indies, since the action of the 12th of April; and altho Contradictory accounts continue to arrive daily, from Various Quarters, which diminish the loss of our Ally, some of them even so far, as to reduce it, to only two ships—Yet we are sorry to give it as our opinion that there is too much reason to believe the Acct Publishd with Rodneys signature bears too many marks of Authenticity to be doubted.4
The Embarkation from New York, which we informd Yr. Excellency in our last was likely to take place,5 it is reported has actually saild, but of this we have no Authentic accounts, The number of troops embarked is not ascertaind nor their destination
Nothing of moment has happend since our last. we are, with assurances of the most perfect esteem & respect,
Yr. Excellys. Most obedt. Serts.
James Madison Jr.
Theok. Bland Jr.
1. Not found.
2. The “Resolution,” adopted by the House of Delegates on 28 May and concurred in by the Senate two days later, reads: “Resolved that the Governor with the Advice of the Council be authorized to approve the Commissioners to be appointed by Congress for settling the Accounts of this State with the United States” (MS in Virginia State Library). See also JM to Pendleton, 7 February 1782, n. 6.
3. See Harrison to Virginia Delegates, 8 June 1782, and n. 3. Benjamin Harrison, Jr., the son of the governor, was a colonel in the continental army and at this time was also “Agent for the French Army” in Virginia (, III, 122).
4. See JM to Randolph, 6 June 1782, and n. 13.
5. See Virginia Delegates to Harrison, 4 June 1782, and n. 14.