From George Washington to the Board of War, 14 December 1779
To the Board of War
Head Qrs Morris Town Decr 14: 1779
Gentn
I was last night honoured with your favors of the 8th & 10th & also with Mr Stoddert’s of the 6th & 10th.1
The Virginia Troops having marched,2 I return the Commissions for the Officers, which the Honble the Board will be pleased to have delivered to Genl Woodford. Those for the Maryland line shall be delivered.
If the Company lately commanded by Capn Lee—& Captain porter can be annexed to Colo. Proctor’s Regiment without producing discontents—it will be desireable; but as we have had so much uneasiness & distraction on the subject of rank—it is necessary that it should be inquired what operation the measure would have. When this is made—I will communicate the Result.3
My Orders for the march of the Virginia Troops extended only for their movements as far as Philadelphia. I advised Congress of this in my Letters of the 8 & 10th that they or the Board might arrange matters for their ulterior proceedings—as circumstances would not admit of my doing it4—and I doubt not but they have put things in train agreable to their plan. The Order of Congress of the 4th for the march of the Troops being subseqt to their receipt of my Letters of the 18th & 29th Ulto—and in general terms, I did not conceive myself at liberty to retain any of these coming within the discription, contained in your Letter of the 10th and the whole have marched. In my Letter of the 10th & 11 I took the liberty again to submit to Congress the propriety of their determining, by a more particular state then transmitted, what part of the Troops it might not be worth while to send forward and of endeavours being used to reinlist for the War on the terms of a furlough to the 1st of April and the Continental & State bounties those whose services would expire by the last of March—and requested that they would give orders thereon. In these matters I presume they or the Board will direct. If I had been apprised of the determination previous to the marching of the Troops I should have retained such as came within the direction—and endeavoured to have reinlisted them on the terms above mentioned agreable to the suggestions in my Letter of the 10th & 11th—I have communicated such parts of the Board’s Letter as relate to the Waggons to the Quarter Master General5—but from the situation of things—I imagine they will order in all points with respect to the arrangements & movements of the detachment. I have the Honor to be with the greatest respect Gentn Yr Most Obedt st.
P.S. I return the Arrangement of the Virginia line—as the alterations proposed in the number of their Commissions cannot be made here on account of their march.
Df, in Robert Hanson Harrison’s writing, DLC:GW; copy (extract), PHarH; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. The extract consists of the draft’s third paragraph (see n.3 below).
1. Board of War secretary Benjamin Stoddert had written GW from Philadelphia on 10 Dec.: “I have the honor to forward the commissions wanted in the Maryland line—agreeable to Major General, the Baron de Kalbs, return” (ALS, DLC:GW). For Stoddert’s letter to GW of 6–10 Dec., see GW to the Board of War, 6 Dec., n.9.
2. For the movement of the Virginia line to the southern department, see GW to Samuel Huntington, 29 Nov., source note.
3. The Board of War had written GW from Philadelphia on 8 Dec.: “The Council of this State for the sake of the more conveniently supplying them & on Account of the Smallness of Proctor’s regiment have requested that we would procure the two Companies commanded by Captains Lee & Porter raized in this State & now in Col. Lamb’s to be annexed to Proctor’s Regiment which has only eight Companies. We are fearful of Difficulties as to the Officers of Proctor’s who are of younger Standing than the Officers of these two Companies as these latter will step in & prevent the regimental rise of the Subalterns who are even now sufficiently uneasy at supposed Preferences they allidge to have been given to Officers of the Artillery Line. We promised to write to your Excellency on this Subject & to request your Opinion upon the Matter that if the Thing can be brought about consistent with good Agreement among the Officers of Proctors & Propriety as to Lamb’s Regt we may report to Congress & gratify the Wishes of Council” (ALS, DLC:GW). The Board of War wrote Joseph Reed, president of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council, on 23 Dec.: “For the information of your Excellency and the honourable Council, we inclose you an extract of a letter from his Excellency General Washington, relative to the company lately commanded by capt. Lee & Capt. Porter, proposed to be annexed to Proctor’s regt.—When we receive the General’s final answer, we will do ourselves the honour to communicate the same to your Excellency” ( 1st ser., 8:57; see also 12:210, and 1st ser., 8:43). The transfer of the companies under the commands of captains James Lees and Andrew Porter from Col. John Lamb’s 2d Continental Artillery Regiment to Col. Thomas Proctor’s 4th Continental Artillery Regiment remained under consideration (see Reed to GW, 18 April 1780, DLC:GW; GW to Reed, 28 April, PHi: Gratz Collection; and Henry Knox to Reed, 19 May 1780, in 1st ser., 8:253).
4. GW is referring to his letters to Huntington of 8 and 10–11 December.
5. For GW’s communication to Q.M. Gen. Nathanael Greene of the need for Continental wagons to convey troops marching to the southern department, see Greene to Charles Pettit, this date, in 5:175–76.