1. The enclosed “memorial of Samuel Safford Lieut. Colonel of the regiment commanded by Seth Warner,” dated at Bennington, Vt., on 10 Jan., reads: “your memorialist entered the service of the United States as early as the month of May 1775 at the time the Americans possessed themselves of the fortresses Ticonderoga, Crown-Point and St Johns on lake Champlain, and has attended constantly therein to this time, and by reason of Colo. Warners bodily indisposition, the command of the regiment has great part of the time devolved on your memorialist whose health by such service has become greatly impaired and more especially since the memorable battle of Bennington on the 16th day of August 1777 the extreme heat of which day so overcome your memorialist that he has not since been able to bear the fatigues of a moderate campaign; and as health is the greatest blessing in life and the indispensable duty of man to endeavour to preserve, and as the regiment aforesaid have a greater proportion of officers than soldiers—Your memorialist therefore prays your Honors permission to retire from his command, a few months at the opening of the next campaign, that he may have an opportunity to recover his health and thereby be put in a capacity to be further serviceable in the defence of his injured country—and he as in duty bound will ever pray” (DLC:GW). Congress had referred the memorial to the Board of War on 3 Feb. (JCC, description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 34 vols. Washington, D.C., 1904–37. description ends 16:121–22).

GW replied to Stoddert’s letter in the postscript of his letter to the Board of War dated 18 February.