To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 25 October 1780
From Thomas Jefferson
Richmond Octo. 25. 1780.
Sir
I take the liberty of inclosing to you Letters from Genl Hamilton for New York.1 On some representations received by Colo. Towles that an indulgence to Govenor Hamilton and his Companions to go to New York on parole would produce the happiest effect on the situation of our Officers in Long Island We have given him, Majr Hay & some of the same Party at Winchester leave to go there on Parole: The two former go by Water, the latter by Land.2
By this express I hand on from Genl Gates to Congress intelligence of the capture of Augusta in Georgia with considerable quantities of Goods; and information which carries a fair appearance of the taking of George Town in So. Carolina by a party of ours, and that an Army of 6000 French or Spaniards had landed at Sunbury.3 This is the more credited as Cornwallis retreated from Charlo⟨tte o⟩n the 12th inst. with great Marks of precipitation.4
⟨Since⟩ my last to you informing you of the appearance of a⟨n e⟩nemy’s fleet, they have landed 800 Men in the Neighbourhood of Portsmouth & some more on the Bay Side of Princess Anne.5 One thousand Infantry & one hundred Cavalry landed at New Ports News in the Morning of the 23d and immediately took posession of Hampton—the Horse were proceeding up the Road. Such a Corps as Major Lee’s would be of infinite value to us; next to a Naval force, horse seems to be most capable of protecting a Country so intersected by Waters.6 I am with the most sincere esteem Your Excellency’s Most obedt & mos⟨t⟩ humble sert
Th: Jefferson
LS, DLC:GW; copy, DLC: Jefferson Papers. Jefferson wrote the complimentary closing on the LS. Mutilated material in the last paragraph of the LS is supplied in angle brackets from the copy.
1. These letters from captured British brigadier general James Hamilton have not been identified.
2. Maj. Oliver Towles wrote Jefferson on 12 Oct. that if he paroled Henry Hamilton and “Fellow prisoners,” Virginia officials “may obtain permission to send Tobacco or other Commodities necessary for the sustenance of our Captive Friends” (, 4:33–34; see also GW to Jefferson, 29 Aug., and Jefferson to James Wood, 18 Oct., in , 4:46–47).
3. Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates wrote Jefferson from Hillsborough, N.C., on 18 Oct. requesting that he forward to Congress enclosures communicating this erroneous intelligence (see , 4:44; see also Jefferson to Samuel Huntington, this date, in , 4:67–68, and , 18:997).
4. The British defeat at the Battle of Kings Mountain forced Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis’s army from Charlotte, N.C., on 9 Oct. to keep control of South Carolina (see Francis Rawdon to Nisbet Balfour, 21 Oct., in , 2:126–27; see also General Orders, 27 Oct., n.2).
5. See Jefferson to GW, 22 Oct.; see also GW to Huntington, 17 Oct., n.2.
6. GW had transferred Maj. Henry Lee, Jr., and his corps to the southern department (see Lee to GW, 21 Oct., source note).
In his reply to Jefferson on 8 Nov., GW asked for more intelligence and praised the decision to parole Henry Hamilton, former British lieutenant governor of Detroit, and Maj. Jehu Hay (DLC:GW).