1From George Washington to the Continental Congress Marine Committee, 25 May 1779 (Washington Papers)
In a letter which I had the honor to write to Congress the 17th instant I mentioned to them that the present naval strength in the harbour of New York consisted only of two friga[t]es of twenty guns, two sloops of war and a few privateers, which constituted the whole protection to a large number of transports—I intimated at the same time that an important blow might be struck by collecting our...