George Washington Papers

III. From Lieutenant Colonel Jeremiah Gilman, 20 March 1780

III
From Lieutenant Colonel Jeremiah Gilman

Camp ne[a]r Danbury [Conn.]
March 20th 1780

May it please your Excellency

With Pleasure I have serv’d my Country since the Commencement of the present unnatural Contest, and would esteem it a particular happiness to ha⟨ve⟩ it in my Power to persevere, as long as the Cause of my bleeding Country might require my Service; but my Constitution has been such that I have not been able to do my Duty in the Field these twelve Months past, nor have I the least Prospect of recovering my Pristine State of Health In such a situation (besides being an unnecessary exp⟨ense⟩ to my Country) I stand in the way of Others, capable of Performing the Duties of their Stations; therefore Humbly beg your Excellency may Please to Grant me a Discharge from the Service.

“The Inclosed will show that all my Public Acctt in the Regiment are settled1—For the Auditors Office I am Conscious that I never had any.2 With the greatest Esteem I remain Yr Excellency’s Most Obedient Servant

Jere. Gilman Lt. Col. 1st N. Hampshire Regt

LS, DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 3334.

Jeremiah Gilman (1740–1823) served as captain of the 5th Continental Infantry from January 1776 until his transfer that November to the 1st New Hampshire Regiment. Maj. Gen. John Sullivan’s recommendation assisted Gilman’s promotion to major in April 1777 (see Hammond, Rolls description begins Isaac W. Hammond, ed. Rolls of the Soldiers in the Revolutionary War, 1775, to May 1777. . . [vol. 1]; Rolls of the Soldiers in the Revolutionary War, May, 1777, to 1780 . . . [vol. 2]; Rolls and Documents relating to Soldiers in the Revolutionary War . . . [vols. 3-4]. New Hampshire Provincial and State Papers, vols. 14–17. Concord and Manchester, N.H., 1885–89. description ends , 4:127). Gilman subsequently became lieutenant colonel of the 2d New Hampshire Regiment that September, returned to the 1st New Hampshire Regiment in early 1778, and resigned from the army in March 1780.

1. No enclosures have been identified.

2. GW replied to Gilman from Morristown on 24 March: “I have received your letter of the 20th of March requesting leave to resign and inclosing the certificates ordered in such cases.

“You will be pleased to consider this as my approbation of your resignation, while I regret that the state of your health would not admit of your continuance in service” (Df, in James McHenry’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).

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    Washington Papers
    Title
    III. From Lieutenant Colonel Jeremiah Gilman, 20 March 1780
    Author
    Gilman, Jeremiah
    Recipient
    Washington, George
    Date
    20 March 1780

    Reference

    Cite as
    “III. From Lieutenant Colonel Jeremiah Gilman, 20 March 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-25-02-0157-0004. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 25, 10 March–12 May 1780, ed. William M. Ferraro. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2017, pp. 239–240.]