From George Washington to George Clinton, 27 June 1780
To George Clinton
Head Quarters Ramapaugh [N.J.] June 27th 1780
Dr Sir
In the absence of the committee agreeable to the direction of your Excellency’s letter I opened it and perused the contents.1 The measures taken by the legislature are vigorous and correspondent to that spirit which has uniformly actuated them. In the execution I am persuaded whatever depends on you will be done. I regret that there seems to have been a mistake in a very essential article—the men for completing the battalions. I know not what may have been the intention of the committee, but mine was to have the battalions filled to their establishment in the field, independent of the levies for frontier service, and my calculations of the force requisite for the intended co-operation have turned upon this principle: any thing short of it will be a serious and injurious disappointment.
As I am not near enough the committee to take their sense,2 and as the point is of too much importance to admit delay, I have thought proper instantly to return your express with an explanation of my views: If they arrive before the legislature rises I intreat your Excellency to lay my letter before them and obtain their determination.3 There is ⟨a certain⟩ proportion of regular continental ⟨force whic⟩h is essential to our success, and ⟨the full co⟩mpliment of our continental ⟨batalions⟩ is the least that gives a tolerable ⟨prospect of⟩ success. By having these we ⟨may possi⟩bly lessen the number of militia, ⟨but withou⟩t these no additional number ⟨of Militia⟩ will compensate for the defi⟨ciency. Yo⟩ur Excellency’s knowlege of ser⟨vice will⟩ make this reasoning clear to you, ⟨and superse⟩des the necessity of any arguments ⟨to inforce it⟩. I have the honor to be with ⟨perfect resp⟩ect and esteem your Excellency’s Most Obt & hble ser.
Go: Washington
LS, in James McHenry’s writing, offered for sale by Profiles in History (Catalog 38, Spring 2005); Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. Obscured material in the LS is supplied in angle brackets from the draft.
1. Clinton’s letter to the Committee at Headquarters, dated 24 June at Kingston, N.Y., reads: “Immediately upon the Receipt of your Letter, an Assessment of Flour and Cattle was ordered throughout the State, and we have every Reason to hope a sufficiency of both Articles will be procured—The Levies will undoubtedly be at the Place of Rendezvous by the Time appointed, as the Law enabling me to raise them is already passed, and I shall issue my Orders upon it immediately … several of the Members [of the legislature] upon whose Information and Judgment I can rely, imagine a considerable part (if not the whole number demanded) of the Horses will be obtained … the whole of our Quota of short Forage required by Congress, and consisting of Rye or Oats is to be delivered immediately after Harvest.
“Lest the Methods thus adopted to answer your Demands should fail, and in order to draw forth all the Strength & Resources of the State, the Legislature have vested me with general and unlimited Powers of Impress. …
“The Recommendation for compleating the Battalions without some Explanation, will appear to have been unnoticed—From the Return, our Deficiency is stated at about Eight Hundred Men, but by a Note at the foot of the Return it is suggested that the Deficiency is computed at this Number, unless the Troops to be raised in March and April have Marched—The Troops here alluded to it is supposed are the Levies destined for the Frontiers, which are now actually in Service under the Direction of the Commander in Chief, and amount to about the same Number with our Deficiency in the Continental Battalions; admitting therefore … that we ought to be Credited for them, we have then our full Quota of Men in the Fields.
“Upon this Principle the Legislature have made no Provision for compleating the Battalions beyond their present Number.” At the end of his letter, Clinton asked the committee to communicate its contents to GW (DNA:PCC, item 39).
2. GW had asked the Committee at Headquarters, formerly at Morristown, to move closer to the army (see his letter to the committee of 23 June, and their letter to him of 24 June).