George Washington Papers
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To George Washington from George Clinton, 26 December 1779

From George Clinton

Poughkeepsie [N.Y] Decr 26th 1779

Dear Sir.

Immediately on the Receipt of your Excellency’s Letter of the 16th Instant,1 (which did not come to hand ’till the Eveng of the 22d) containing the alarming Account of the Situation of the Army with respect to Provisions, I convened the purchasing Commissaries in this Quarter that I might know what Supplies they were able to furnish and whether any Exertions of mine would tend to forward the Business of their Department on this pressing Occasion.2 On the minutest Inquiry I have been able to make as to the Resources of this State, under its present Circumstances I am sorry to inform that we shall not have it in our Power to do more than supply the present Garrison of Fort Schuyler & the Posts in the Highlands with the Troops in their Vicinity computing the daily Issues at 40 Barrels of Flour.

Your Excellency will remember that the Legislature at their last Meeting authorized an Assessment on the Farmers of two eighth’s of all their Wheat after leaving a bare competency for the use of their Families3—The one eighth hath been collected & is now nearly expended without doing more than furnishing to the Troops a daily Supply—I have now ordered the other eighth to be immediately collected, manufactured & forwarded to Fishkill; but I fear (from the want of Water at the Mills) the Troops in this Quarter will suffer before it can be effected. It is from the amount of these Assessments & other Information, received from the Commissaries, that I form this Judgment of what Flour may be expected from us.

The Business of the Commissaries in this State has hitherto been confined to the purchasing of Flour. I believe if they had Orders & were supplied with Cash for the Purpose some Cattle & a small quantity of Pork might be procured.

In the present State of our Currency they will be absolutely prevented from doing any Thing effectually; as the Farmer considers the difference of the Value of the Money between the Times of Sale & Payment a diminution of the Price whereas if he had been immediately paid he could have disposed of his Money at the Value he received it; besides the want of Cash in the Hands of the Persons employed to purchase, the exorbitant Prices which our Farmers hear are given in some of the Southern States occasions so great an unwillingness in them to dispose of their Produce at any Rate that I apprehend very little (other than what is forced from them by the Authority of Law) will be procured. If these Difficulties were removed and a Proportion of Indian Corn & Rye was manufactured with the Wheat into Flour for immediate Use, it would so lengthen out the Supplies which may be procured in this State as to enable us, to do much more towards feeding the Army—The Bread will certainly be equally wholesome & nourishing for the Troops; But without this (if the last Crops in the other States have been equally injured) a real Scarcity with the fatal Consequences which will attend it is to be apprehended.

I must set out the first of next Month to meet the Legislature at Albany & your Excellency may rely on it that I will faithfully represent to them the present Difficulties of the Army and recommend every Measure which may appear calculated to remove them4 and, in the mean time, that I will continue my best Endeavors to promote the public Service and of relieving you from the present Distresses. I have the honor to be with the most perfect Regard & Esteem Your Excellency’s Most Obedt Servt

Geo: Clinton

LS, DLC:GW. The docket of the LS reads “An answer,” but no subsequent letter from GW to Clinton on this subject has been found.

2Clinton had written the New York purchasing commissaries from Poughkeepsie on 21 Dec.: “The very alarming accts. I have this moment rec’d from his Excell’cy Genl. Washington with respect to supplies of Provisions for the army, has induced me to call a meet’g of the purchasing Commissaries in this Quarter, in order that I may be particularly informed of the Quantities of Provisions they have in Store & what Prospects they have of obtain’g more, as well as to consult with them whether any further exertions which it may be in the Power of this State to make on this extraordinary Emergency will enable them to provide competent Supplies. I have, therefore, to request that you will meet me at this Place without one moment’s delay” (Hastings and Holden, Clinton Papers, description begins Hugh Hastings and J. A. Holden, eds. Public Papers of George Clinton, First Governor of New York, 1777–1795, 1801–1804. 10 vols. 1899–1914. Reprint. New York, 1973. description ends 5:426–27; see also Heath to Clinton, 16 Dec., at Heath to GW, 17 Dec., n.2).

3Clinton is referring to two measures that had passed the New York legislature. The first measure, adopted on 4 Sept., enabled assessors to compute and take from inhabitants for present army purposes “an eighth of the Wheat or Peas, supposed to be in their Possession respectively, beyond what may be deemed necessary for the Use of their respective Families, until the first Day of September next” (N.Y. Laws, description begins Laws of the State of New-York, Commencing with the first Session of the Senate and Assembly, after the Declaration of Independency, and the Organization of the New Government of the State, Anno 1777. Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 1782. description ends 73). The second measure, adopted on 13 Oct., authorized the seizure of “a further eighth Part of the Wheat, in the Possession of the Inhabitants of this State respectively, beyond what may be deemed necessary for the Use of their respective Families,” the wheat to “be paid for at the current Price” (N.Y. Laws, description begins Laws of the State of New-York, Commencing with the first Session of the Senate and Assembly, after the Declaration of Independency, and the Organization of the New Government of the State, Anno 1777. Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 1782. description ends 80).

4Clinton wrote GW from Albany on 21 Feb. 1780: “Immediately on the Convening of the Legislature I laid before them your Excellency’s Letter of the 16th December on the Subject of obtaining Supplies for the Army and can with Pleasure inform your Excellency that they entered upon the Business without Delay and have passed two Laws for this Purpose—The one, (after allowing one Bushel of Wheat or an equivalent in Flour per Head per month until the first of August for each Person in the respective Families within this State) impowers the Assessors to seize the Remainder and deliver over to the Comy Genl of Purchases two third Parts thereof for the use of the Army the other third Part to be stored for relieving the future Wants of the Inhabitants—The other Law, for remedying in some Degree the Deficiency of Money in the public Offices enacts that the Certificates of the Qu[arte]r Mr Genl and Comys Genl of Purchases & Forage shall be received into the State Treasury in Payment of Taxes” (DLC:GW; see also N.Y. Laws, description begins Laws of the State of New-York, Commencing with the first Session of the Senate and Assembly, after the Declaration of Independency, and the Organization of the New Government of the State, Anno 1777. Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 1782. description ends 101–3).

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