21To George Washington from Brigadier General Duportail, 27 January 1779 (Washington Papers)
Remembrance of the Uneasiness which we felt on the subject of Boston, in the month of October—engages me to represent to Your Excellency that we may have our anxiety revived next Campaign, unless we take seasonable precautions—Your Excellency sent me to that City in order to form a plan of the necessary fortifications—I had the honor of delivering you the Plan —but from what I have learnt, the...
22From George Washington to Brigadier General Duportail, 8 February 1779 (Washington Papers)
Congress has by an act of the 2d inst. directed me to order an Engineer to proceed to south Carolina for the service of the southern Department—if I shd judge it necessary. As I think the presence of a skilful Engineer indispensible in that Country I am to desire that you will detach one of the Corps—with directions to repair to Charles Town and take the orders of Major General Lincoln or the...
23From George Washington to Brigadier General Duportail, 29 March 1779 (Washington Papers)
I am sorry to find by yours of the 20th that you have met with so many delays and disappointments in the prosecution of your plan for taking a survey of the Delaware. Altho’ I am anxious to see you in Camp, I shall be very unwilling to recall you while there is the least prospect of your rendering any service; I must therefore desire you to point out to that public Body before which you may...
24To George Washington from Brigadier General Duportail, 6 April 1779 (Washington Papers)
i send to your excellency a Copy of the Resolved of the Council about me. in Council philad. march 31 1779 this board taking into Consideration general du portail’s letter and the instructions Received from general washington dated 30th of june 1778 do Resolve that from the Confidence they Repose in general duportail and their opinion of his skill and jugement he be fully authorised and...
25From George Washington to Brigadier General Duportail, 9 April 1779 (Washington Papers)
A body of troops is ordered to rendesvous at Wyoming on the Susquehanna. There will be some works to be carried on in that quarter which will require an Engineer. You will readily conceive the nature of frontier fortification and will be pleased to send a Gentlemen in your department whom you judge proper for the purpose. He had best proceed in the first instance towards Sunbury where he will...
26To George Washington from Brigadier General Duportail, 22 April 1779 (Washington Papers)
i Receive just now your excellency’s letter and Conformably to your orders i have the honour to propose major mernan for the expedition on susquehanna. i write to him to take your further orders for that Country. i have the honour to be with great Respect your excellency’s the most obedient and very humble servant ALS , DLC:GW . See GW to Duportail, 9 April . GW wrote to Major Murnan on 4 May...
27From George Washington to Brigadier General Duportail, 27 July 1779 (Washington Papers)
You will be pleased to make an arrangement of the officers who have presented themselves for appointments in the companies of Sappers and Miners, which I will transmit to the Board of War to obtain their commissions —The numerous drafts that have [been] made from the line for different purpose⟨s,⟩ would make it inconvenient at this time to take out others for the purpose of forming these...
28To George Washington from Brigadier General Duportail, 27 July 1779 (Washington Papers)
West Point being to us a point which it is of the greatest importance to preserve and to put once for all in a state of defence, I think that we ought not to touch the fund of troops necessary to the defence of this post, in its present state, and to the construction of the works already undertaken. According to what his Excellency has been pleased to submit to our view, it appears that we...
29From George Washington to Brigadier General Duportail, 22 September 1779 (Washington Papers)
I am to request you will give instruction to your assistants attached to the different works—to turn their attention to the barracks necessary at each to cover the men required to be constantly stationed for the immediate security of the respective posts—and the places at which it will be most proper to erect them—Were it not for the difficulty of transporting materials to those high mountains...
30To George Washington from Brigadier General Duportail, 24 September 1779 (Washington Papers)
I have the honor to present Your Excellency the state of the troops necessary for the defence of the works at West Point. Fort Clinton and the two water batteries 630 Fort Putnam 300 Rock Hill 100 Redoubt No. 1 with the battery in front 170 Grand battery upon the point to the left of the redoubt 40 Battery at the place marked out 50 Redoubt No. 2 with the battery 170 Redoubt No. 3...