To George Washington from Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig Weltner, 16 May 1780
From Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig Weltner
Northumberland [Pa.]
16th May 1780
May it Please your Excellency
It will be agreeable to the Governour and Council of the State of Pennsylvania to Receive the Remr of the Core formerly Commanded by Majr Ottendorff into my Regiment; & the Receeption of them will meet the Approbation of me, & my officers Esspiceally as they are to be formed into one Company1—The Capt. Shotts, & Seiling, were to Agree between themselves who wou’d Quit the Service, which they have not Settled—Capt. Shotts thinks hard, to leave the Service being the Oldest officer, Captain Seiling, thinks likewise hard having Reinlisted the Men at a Great Expence & Trouble; & the Men are all in his favour.2
I am Sorrey to be Sepperated from your Excelleny Army; And to be Stationed in such a Wilderness; but for the Good of the Service am Allways Content. I thank God has restored my Health so that I Can bear the Fatigues3—About a Month agoe the Enemy attacted this County in four Difft places, but had little Sucess,4 & yesterday Seven Savages attacted ten of our Militia on an out Post, killed four the first fire & the Remaining Six Wounded two of the Savages and made them Make a Preceipitate Retreate. I shall Conclude your Excelleny’s most Obedient Humble Servt
Lud: Weltner Lt Col. Comandt G: Regmt
LS, DNA:PCC, item 152.
The docket of Weltner’s letter indicates that he enclosed a copy of a muster roll for captains John Paul Schott’s and Anthony Selin’s independent companies. The muster roll “of the Corps comanded by Capt. John Paul Shott tacken from 1st Octr 1779 to 1st Apl 1780,” dated at Wyoming, Pa., on 28 March shows that between the two companies only six sergeants, two corporals, and twenty-one privates remained on duty (DNA:PCC, item 152).
1. Actions already had been taken to incorporate Schott’s and Selin’s companies, formerly part of Major Ottendorf’s corps, into Weltner’s German Battalion. The Board of War wrote Weltner on 28 Dec. 1779 with authorization to annex men formerly in Ottendorf’s corps “to your Regiment, provided it would be productive of no disturbance among the officers” (, 1st ser., 8:62). The Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council passed a supportive resolution on 31 Dec. (see , 12:217–18). In March 1780, the council considered a letter from Weltner indicating that “the company formerly Ottendorff’s” was “now to be incorporated with the German Battalion” (, 12:297).
2. Weltner is referring to the dispute between Selin and Schott over who would command the merged company in the German Battalion (see , 12:297). On 31 March, the Board of War wrote Joseph Reed, president of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council, that a board of officers would determine the issue “if Col. Weltner cannot himself settle the dispute” (, 1st ser., 8:153–54; see also GW to the Board of War, 27 April).
3. For health issues that nearly caused Weltner’s resignation, see GW to Weltner, 16 Nov. 1778, and the source note to that document.
4. For recent Indian depredations in Wyoming Valley, Pa., see Zebulon Butler to GW, 15 May, and notes 2 and 3 to that document. On 9 April, Weltner reported to the Board of War an Indian raid on a locale twelve miles from Northumberland that had “very much alarmed” the country and caused him to man three outposts (, 1st ser., 8:171).