To George Washington from Major Moses Knap, 30 March 1780
From Major Moses Knap
Westpoint [N.Y.] March 30th 1780
Sir,
As General Howe cannot determine the matter, I am obliged to trouble your Excellency to know, whether the Light Dragoons have a right to recruit out of the Infantry. Last Fall a Cornet of Colonel Sheldons Regiment reinlisted a number of men out of General Glovers Brigade & was about to furlough them. As soon as General Glover hear of it, he immediately ordered the Men to their Regiments, & forbid the Officer’s inlisting another Man; which was complied with: since that time a number of the same Men have reinlisted in their respective Regiments. One of the Men who was inlisted under the above circumstances, was taken up by the Cornet, (as he was going home to see his Friends,) and refuses to give him up, as he says his inlistment is prior to mine. All that I would beg to know of your Excellency is, whether these men shall be held by the Dragoons or by the Infantry. I am, with the greatest respect Your Excellency’s most obedient servant
Moses Knap Major 11th Masstts Regiment.
ALS, DLC:GW.
Moses Knap (Knapp; c.1739–1809) served as a sergeant in the Lexington Alarm and then as a captain in Col. Joseph Read’s Massachusetts Regiment, in the 13th Continental Infantry, and in the 4th Massachussetts Regiment. Promoted to major, Knap joined the 11th Massachussetts Regiment in November 1778, transferred to the 10th Massachusetts Regiment in January 1781, and ended his army service in June 1783 with the 5th Massachusetts Regiment.
GW replied to Knap from Morristown on 27 April: “I have recd yours of the 30th ulto—As the Artillery and Dragoons must either be obtained by inlistment or by draught from the line, the latter of which is a very disagreeable mode, it has been thought expedient to permit those Corps to engage Men whose times of service were expiring in the Infantry and who would not reinlist in that service. If the Man in question comes within the above description and has served his full time in the Regiment to which he formerly belonged, he may, in my opinion, be claimed by the Officer of Cavalry by whom he was inlisted anew—The State to which the Man properly belongs is in no degree injured by this, as she has credit for all her Men serving in the detached Corps” (Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).