From George Washington to Brigadier General John Nixon, 25 October 1779
To Brigadier General John Nixon
West point Octor [25] 1779.
Dear Sir
I have received your L[e]tter of Yesterday and can assure you, that no measures have been wanting on my part, to obtain Commissions for the Massachusetts line in consequence of the late Arrangement.1 As soon as it was finished—it was transmitted to Congress—with an earnest request—that it might be committed to the Board of War, if it was approved—that the Commissions might be issued.2 Since Congress approved it—I have more than once requested the Board to lose no time in forwarding the Commissions—and so late as the 12th Instant—I wrote them in pressing terms upon the subject.3 From these considerations and the Board’s attention to expediting business—I cannot but persuade myself, ⟨th⟩at they will arrive in the course of a few days; or at least as soon as circumstances will permit. It is possible, besides the time which it necessarily takes to fill up between 4 & 500 Commissions and to record & enter them in a Book, that a want of blanks may have occurred—also the late change of presidents may have occasioned some difficulties. I know there are many instances as you observe, where promotions have been made in Orders; but those in most cases where directed by me, were either founded on pressing necessity—or where I conceived I had authority to do it. From some Regulations which have lately taken place on the subject of Commissions—promotions & vacancies—and which induced me to transmit the Massachussetts Arrangement in the first instance to Congress—it is my wish, to interfere with them as little as possible.4 As I have already mentioned, I cannot but hope—that a few days will put every Officer in possession of his Commission.5
The moment they arrive they shall be transmitted—and if they should not come by the Evening of the 2d of Novr I will forward to You & Genl Glover a List of the Field Officers & Captains, taken from the arrangement sent to Congress, which may answer the views of the Committee of the Honourable the General Court, with respect to the subject you mention, as far as it extends. A List of Subaltern Officers was not taken by me from the Arrangement; but I have great hopes the Commissions for all will be here in time—and if they are not—the justice & generosity of the Court will not, I am persuaded, suffer the circumstance to operate an injury to them, as to any benefits they may have intended.6 As the subject of this Letter is interesting to the whole of the Massachussetts line—You will be pleased to shew it to Genl Glover7 and to such of the Officers as you may think necessary. I am Dr sir, with great regard Yr Most Obedt sert
G.W.
Df, in Robert Hanson Harrison’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. Harrison composed this letter to Nixon on 25 Oct., noting this date when expanding the draft of a letter initially directed to Maj. Gen. William Heath on 24 October.
1. Nixon’s letter to GW of 24 Oct. has not been found.
3. GW is referring to his letters to the Board of War of 11 Sept. and 12 October. Congress had approved the arrangement of the Massachussetts officers on 6 Sept. (see Heath to GW, 23 Oct., n.2).
4. GW is alluding to a resolution Congress passed on 28 June that included a promise “to redress any grievances” related to officer arrangements “when particularly pointed out” ( 14:778–79).
5. For the arrival of the commissions, see Benjamin Stoddert to GW, 12 Nov., and GW to Heath, 20 Nov.; see also GW to the Board of War, 2 November.
6. The Massachusetts General Court sent a committee to confer with army officers from that state after receiving on 14 Sept. a letter from Maj. Gen. William Heath to Jeremiah Powell written at the Highlands, N.Y., on 2 Sept. (see , 16, 18, 21, 25–26, 30, 35–36, 39, and , 8). A draft of Heath’s letter reads: “Enclosed is an address and remonstrance, this morning presented to me by a Committee of Officers from the Massachusetts Line of the Army. I think it my Duty to forward it by this first oppertunity, and permit me to request that it may be laid before the Honble General Assembly as Soon as Conveniently may be. Duty to my Country and to those whom I See faithfully Serving her Interest, Under many hardships and Discouragements Constrain me to request it.
“The State of Massachusetts have now in the Field Officers and Soldiers who would do honor to any country, They are hardy, brave, and well disciplined, and perhaps equal to any Troops in the world They are Sacrificeing their Ease, Domestick happiness exposing there Lives to Danger and encountering every Species of hardships with unparrelleled patience. but to hear these Officers assure you that they have Scarcly a Change of Linnen, or Cloths fit to mount a Guard, to See Soldiers bare footed marching over Stones and roots lugging heavy timber up precipices is as true as it is Surprising, yet the hopes that their Country will reward them, or to use their own words do them Justice, makes them persevere I am however Confident that unless Somthing be Speedily done numbers of the Officers must and will quit the Service, their own distresses and those of there Suffering Family, cannot much longer subsist on hopes of releif, it must actually be afforded, as the Officers are very full and explicit in their memorial I will not add” (MHi: Heath Papers). The enclosed memorial has not been identified. For more on the Massachusetts committee, see GW to the Board of War, 2 November.
7. In a letter dated 26 Oct., GW advised Brig. Gen. John Glover to read this letter to Nixon (see GW to Heath, 26 Oct., n.2).