George Washington Papers

To George Washington from William Moultrie, 7 December 1793

From William Moultrie

Columbia [S.C.] 7th December 1793

Sir

I have the Honor of transmitting to you the Resolves of the Legislature of this State together with a Number of Affidavits, setting forth that Certain Persons in this State have been enlisting Men for the Service of the French Republic to go on an Expedition against a Power not at War with the United States—the Investigation of the whole Business is fully expressed in the Report of the Committee.

In the Message with which the Resolves & affidavits were sent to me, I am desired to request, that the names of the several Witnesses will not be known—the Necessity of this Secrecy is obvious.1 I have the Honor to be with great Respect & Esteem, Sir, your most obedient & most humble Servant

Willm Moultrie

ALS, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters; Copy, DNA: RG 46, Third Congress, 1793–95, Senate Records of Legislative Proceedings, President’s Messages; LB, DNA: RG 46, Transcribed Reports and Communications Transmitted by the Executive Branch to the U.S. Senate, 1789–1819. This letter evidently was not sent until 9 Dec. or later, as all of its enclosures bear attestations of that date. On 15 Jan. 1794 GW submitted to Congress this letter and enclosures (along with Genet’s statement on the matter to Thomas Jefferson, 25 Dec.) “as being connected with the correspondence, already in your possession, between the Secretary of State and the Minister plenipotentiary of the French Republic” (LS, DNA: RG 46, Third Congress, 1793–95, Senate Records of Legislative Proceedings, President’s Messages; see also ASP, Foreign Relations description begins Walter Lowrie et al., eds. American State Papers. Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States. 38 vols. Washington, D.C., Gales and Seaton, 1832–61. description ends , 1:309–11).

1This paragraph appears as a postscript in the copy and letter-book copy. The copy of the letter and enclosures in Senate Records includes a certification by State Department chief clerk George Taylor, Jr., 14 Jan. 1794, that the documents were “truly copied from the originals (except the omission of certain names agreeably to the letter of December 7th 1793, from Governor Moultrie).” Those copies omit the names of the persons giving affidavits.

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