George Washington Papers
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From George Washington to Major General Stirling, 13 January 1780

To Major General Stirling

Head Qrs Morristown 13th Jan. 1780.

My Lord,

Herewith Inclosed are your Lordships discretionary Instructions1—In addition to what you read in the morning, & in consequence of Genl Irvines information respecting the state of the Ice between York, long, & Staten Islands I have inserted a clause by which you will see that if things continue in the condition he represents I would have your Lordship turn your thoughts to the practicability of compelling a surrender of the enemy if they should even resort to their Forts.2

I am sorry Colo. Hazen made that March in one day, which was intended for two3—To counteract this wd it not be well for Genl Irvines detachment to assume an appearance of returning to Camp?

The Men which will reinforce you in Sleds tomorrow,4 had better be met at Springfield by your Orders, & a careful person to conduct them at once to the place of rendezvous. the Detachment will consist of abt 400 Men & may join Genl Irvines brigade if you have nothing better in view for them.

You know I presume that 40,000 Cartridges have been sent to Genl Irvine for the use of the Troops on the Expedition.5

If Colo. Stewarts Detachment should be ready earlier than I expect tomorrow I will direct him to Halt at quibbletown (under pretence of takg in forage there) till a proper hour arrives for him to proceed.6 I mention this that you may know how to meet him with orders in case you have not seen him since yesterday. & fixed your plan with him—In haste I am Yr Lordships most obt Servt

ADf, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.

On 14 Jan., Stirling issued his orders for the attack. As recorded at Brig. Gen. William Irvine’s brigade headquarters, they read: “General Irvine will command the Right hand Column, composed of Col. Walter Stewarts Detachment consisting of 500 men, Col. Halls Detachment of 400 and his own Detachment of about 700, who will all Rendezvous on the road Between Stephen Crane Esqrs and the main road from amboy to Elizabeth town By four oClock to morrow morning—Col. Hazen is to command the left hand Column consisting of his own Detachment of about 1000 men who are to Rendezvous at Connecticut Farms and march so as to be at Elizabeth town point By five oClock to morrow Morning.

“The right hand Column is to march so as to be at Halsteds point by five oClock to pass over the Sound there, & proceed by the Back road Towards the watering place, till further Orders—When the Column has passd the Sound Genl Irvine will immediatley dispach two Hundred men mounted on Horse back under a Good Officer on the Same road to file off by George Bornes towards Dungans [Dongan’s] Mill and there Dismounting and sending back the Horses under care of a Subaltern’s Guard, to form and March towards Decker’s to Surprise them in their Quarters if they can, or if Discoverd to Confine them there till further Measures can be taken for their Reduction.

“The Left hand Column is to Cross at the Old point, and take the Road by Post’s towards Deckers, and when it Comes to the Cross road at the Morning Star, Col. Hazen is to Detach 200 men with the 18 pownder, and two Sixes & two Howitzers to Deckers who are to Endeavour to reduce the enemy at that Hous, Col. Hazen will with the Remander of his Column, and the Cannon Take the right hand road, and fall into the Rear of the Right hand Column, and proceed till further Orders.

“the [Ulterior] operations will depende so Much on the face of the Ground, and Other Circomstance’s not now to be ascertained that no more precise Disposition can at present be maid—The Commandants of Column’s will take the usual Procaution for the Security of their Respective Corps on the march and for the preserveing the Strictest order, Obleging the troops to observe the most profound Silence, and Suffering no man to leave his ranks without haveing premission on pain of Death.

“the Genl promisses in case of Success that the Value of every thing that is public property or Lawfull plunder shall be Divided in Just proportion amonge the Officers and men, and if any Officer or Soldier atempts to approprate any thing to his own Particular use, he Shall be Compelld to Deliver it up, Shall forfeit all pertensions to a Common Share—and shall be punished at the Disceration of a Court Martial, for Disobediance of Orders—any man Quiting his post or Ranks in Order to plunder is to be punished with Instant Death—no private property of the Inhabitants is to be Medled with or Brought off, on any protence what ever, excepting fate [fat] Cattle & Sheep, of which Regular accounts are to be taken with the names of the person’s from whome taken, and to whome Deliverd, Every officer is to have a Roll of the Platoon he Commands, and to see that no man Absents himself from it.

“Majr Ogdon is appointed to act as an additional Aid de Camp, to Majr Genl Lord Sterling, and is to be respected and Obeyed as Such—Monsier Dubesang [Dubuysson] is to act as Brigade Majr to Col. Hazen, and is to be regarded as Such.

“If any parties of Militia of the Country will Joine either of the Column’s they are to be admited, and are to be under the Same Regulation’s” (PHi: William Irvine Papers). Although the document is undated, it can be dated to 14 Jan. by the letter of GW’s secretary Robert Hanson Harrison to Stirling of that date. Harrison wrote to Stirling: “I have the honor to inform You that His Excellency has given Lt Colo. DeBuisson leave on his earnest solicitation, to attend the expedition under your command” (NHi: Stirling Papers). In his orders, Stirling assigned Lieutenant Colonel Dubuysson as brigade major to Col. Moses Hazen. Before issuing his orders, Stirling must have received Harrison’s letter.

Stirling’s orders for the raid represented the simplified plan agreed on with GW (see Stirling to GW, this date, and GW’s second letter to Stirling of this date), rather than the more complicated attack plan proposed by Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene (see Greene to GW, 12 Jan.) or the equally complex plan in GW’s original instructions to Stirling of 12 January. The attempt at surprise was abandoned, the attack was to be made in daylight, and the assault on the redoubts at Richmond was dropped. The number of attacking columns was reduced to two, with the crossing points concentrated at Halstead’s and Elizabethtown points. GW directed that Stirling invite the New Jersey militia to join the raid (see GW to Stirling, 14 Jan. [first letter]). The invitation greatly hindered the effort to control plundering (see James Caldwell to GW and Hazen to GW, both 19 Jan.). If Stirling was successful, GW directed him to consider an attack on the British post at Paulus Hook, N.J. (see GW’s second letter to Stirling of 14 Jan.). For Stirling’s report on the expedition, see his letter to GW of 16 January.

On this date, GW’s aide-de-camp Richard Kidder Meade wrote to Greene regarding the stationing of express riders, apparently to facilitate communications for the coordination of this attack. The draft of the letter, written at headquarters, reads: “His Excy requests you will be pleased to have five or six good Express⟨es⟩ held in readiness—two of them will be wanted to attend Col. Walter Stewart perhaps this eveng—the rest will have employment tomorrow” (DLC:GW).

1See Instructions for Attack on Staten Island, 12 Jan., printed as an enclosure to this letter.

2GW had ordered Stirling to headquarters for consultations, probably about this attack (see GW to Stirling, 10 Jan.; see also GW to Irvine, 12 Jan.). GW sent his aide-de-camp Alexander Hamilton to assist Stirling in coordinating the attack (see Hamilton to GW, 15 Jan.). For Irvine’s report on the ice conditions in the waters surrounding Staten Island, see his first letter to GW of 12 Jan. and n.7 to that document.

4GW is referring to one of the detachments specified in his instructions for the attack.

5See GW to Irvine, 12 Jan., and n.4 to that document. On 15 Jan., GW’s aide Tench Tilghman wrote to Brig. Gen. Henry Knox from headquarters: “His Excellency desires you to order 40 or 50 thousand Musket Cartridges to the park to make up the quantity sent to Lord Stirling[’s] detachment” (DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 29206). Tilghman addressed the letter to Knox at the park of artillery.

6GW is referring to one of the detachments specified in his instructions for the attack.

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