George Washington Papers
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To George Washington from Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., 8 August 1775

From Jonathan Trumbull, Sr.

Lebanon [Conn.] 8th Augt 1775

Sir

I received your favour of the 4th instant,—Observe the contents—The new Levies will come into camp in a short Space—save that on the present Emergency, so large a fleet appearing on our Coasts—I have Ordered Colo. Webb to leave one Captain with his Company at New-Haven for the present—In Addition to one quarter part of the Trained Soldiers of five of our Regiments lying on the Sea Coasts and Sound, to be officered, equip’t and in readiness to march at Minutes Warning.1

Yesterday letters were sent to our Commissaries to buy up all the Toe Cloath in this Government for the purpose you mention—The Pattern will be sent from one to another that sutable persons may be employed to make up the Same, to be forw⟨arde⟩d as is directed.

It gave me pain to read your next paragraph not having it in my power to afford further assistance although it is hoped for, & expected every Day.2

But I have now the relief and pleasu[r]e to congratulate you, on the supplies coming to you and going to Ty— & Crown Point.3 I am, with great Esteem and Regard Sir Your most Obedient humble Servant

Jonth. Trumbull

ALS, DLC:GW; LB, Ct: Trumbull Papers.

1For accounts of the British fleet off the Connecticut coast, see Norwich Committee of Correspondence to GW, 7 Aug. 1775, and Trumbull to GW, 7 Aug. 1775, n.2. Part of Col. Jedediah Huntington’s newly raised 8th Connecticut Regiment joined the Continental army outside Boston on 9 Aug. (General Orders, that date), but Col. Charles Webb’s 7th Regiment and the last companies of Huntington’s regiment apparently did not arrive until sometime during the latter part of September (Trumbull to GW, 15 Sept. 1775). The five regiments on the seacoast were militia units (Trumbull to GW, 7 Aug. 1775).

2Trumbull is referring to GW’s request for powder, lead, and flints. See GW to Trumbull, 4 Aug. 1775. On 7 Aug. Governor Trumbull and his council sent a letter to Col. Jabez Hamlin, asking him to inform them “of his progress in collecting and sending salt petre and sulphur, to New York, to be made into gun powder” (Hinman, Historical Collection description begins Royal R. Hinman, comp. A Historical Collection, from Official Records, Files &c., of the Part Sustained by Connecticut, during the War of the Revolution. Hartford, 1842. description ends , 329).

3The Connecticut delegates at Philadelphia informed Trumbull in a letter of 28 July 1775 “that about Thirteen Tons of Powder has arrived in this City within a few Days which was sent for by this Congress since their arrival at this place about 6 Tons more is expected every day, the 13 Tons is forwarded to and partly on the way to our Army at Cambridge. We have also received Two Tons & a half from South Carolina which is forwarded directly to General Schuyler which will with what has been sent him before give him we believe about four or five Tons, further Supplies are expected in the several Provinces” (Smith, Letters of Delegates description begins Paul H. Smith et al., eds. Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774–1789. 26 vols. Washington, D.C., 1976–2000. description ends , 1:672–73). Congress voted on 25 July to send 6½ tons of gunpowder to GW and on 2 Aug. another 5 tons. See Richard Henry Lee to GW, 1 Aug. 1775, n.3. The first of this gunpowder arrived at Hartford on 11 Aug. (Trumbull to GW, 11, 12 Aug. 1775). The 2½ tons for Schuyler’s army at Ticonderoga and Crown Point was approved on 28 July (Roger Sherman to William Williams, 28 July 1775, in Smith, Letters of Delegates description begins Paul H. Smith et al., eds. Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774–1789. 26 vols. Washington, D.C., 1976–2000. description ends , 1:674–76).

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