To George Washington from Captain Joseph Traversie and Joseph Louis Gill, 17 January 1780
From Captain Joseph Traversie and Joseph Louis Gill
Haverhill [N.H.] En Co’os Janr 17. 1780
Mon General excusé nous, si nous prenont la liberté de vous scrire cet ligne; pour vous informer de ce que nous Sçavont a legard, du General Belly et du Col. Bedel.
Depuis trois ans que nous sommes au service, nous scavont que cés Messieur⟨s⟩ ici, ont fournie atoutes les Sauvages qui sont ici a Co’os, toutes ce qui l’ont eu de besoin, et demander, et leur Subsistance, donc que toutes les Sauvages sont trés content d’eux.1 Mon General nous sommes Votre trés humble et trés obeisant serviteurs
Joseph Traversie Capt. Canadien
Joseph Gill Capt. des Sauvage
LS, DLC:GW.
1. For the supply of provisions to the Indians at Coos, Vt., see GW to Jacob Bayley, 25 Nov. 1778; GW to Moses Hazen, 6 Nov. 1779, and the notes to that document; and Bayley to GW, 22 Jan. 1780.
This letter, which reports that Brig. Gen. Jacob Bayley and Timothy Bedel have furnished the Indians at Coos with needed supplies, appears to be associated with the court of inquiry GW had called in December 1779 to investigate accusations of misconduct by the quartermasters and commissaries at the army post at Coos (see GW to Jeremiah Wadsworth, 7 Dec. 1779, and to Nathanael Greene, same date [second letter]). The investigation eventually resulted in the convening of a court-martial (see Hazen to GW, 8 Feb. 1780, and GW to Bayley, 9 March; see also GW to Joseph Cilley, Jr., and to James Gray, both 9 March). For the results of the court-martial, see General Orders, 16 Oct.).