21Virginia Delegates to Thomas Jefferson, 8 May 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). Addressed to “His Excelly. Thos. Jefferson Esqr. Govr. of Virginia.” Except for Meriwether Smith’s signature, the entire letter is in Theodorick Bland’s hand. In the editors’ opinion, this dispatch was from JM as well as his two colleagues, and the omission of his signature reflects merely his momentary absence at the time the letter was sealed. Having...
22Virginia Delegates to Thomas Jefferson, 22 May 1781 (Madison Papers)
Tr (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan). The complaints about the delegates’ financial condition and the spelling of words such as “opend” and “arrivd” indicate that the missing original was in Theodorick Bland’s hand. This transcript is endorsed, “May 22d 81 Copy of an intercepted letter from the Delegates to Congress from Virginia to the Governor.” Another transcript (Public...
23Virginia Delegates to Thomas Jefferson, 29 May 1781—Note on Missing Letter (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. 29 May 1781 . In a letter to Thomas Jefferson on 14 June 1781 from Staunton, Va., William Fleming (1729–1795) of Botetourt County and a member of the Council of State, wrote: “The inclosed paper came under cover from Our members in Congress of the 29th. of May. In theirs, mention is made of a letter from the King of France of a late date to Congress the contents of which will...
24Virginia Delegates to Thomas Jefferson, [ca. 3 June] 1781 (Madison Papers)
Printed text ( Burnett, Letters Edmund C. Burnett, ed., Letters of Members of the Continental Congress (8 vols.; Washington, 1921–36). , VI, 110). Written by Joseph Jones and signed by Jones and Theodorick Bland. JM most probably agreed with what his colleagues reported. For this reason the absence of his signature should not bar this extract from inclusion in his correspondence as a delegate....
25Virginia Delegates to Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, [ca. 9 July] 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). Written by Meriwether Smith, except for the signatures of the other delegates. Docketed: “1781 July 12th. From Delegates of Virga State respg. property of Virga. attached by Simon Nathan.” The underwritten the Delegates attending in Congress from the Common Wealth of Virginia, beg leave to communicate to the supreme Executive Council of the Common...
26Virginia Delegates to Joseph Reed, 13 July 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). Written by JM, except for the other delegates’ signatures. Docketed, “1781 July 13th. from Honble Delegates of Virginia.” The Underwritten Delegates from the State of Virginia have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency’s letters of the 10th. & 12th instant, and to express their entire satisfaction at the readiness shewn by the Supreme...
27Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 24 July 1781 (Madison Papers)
Copy (Virginia State Library). Written by Joseph Jones and enclosed in the delegates’ letter of 31 July to Nelson ( q.v. ). Probably the recipient’s copy, which was intercepted by the British, was also written by Jones. The information in the letter and also much of the wording are identical with Jones’s letter of the same day, probably to Edmund Pendleton ( Burnett, Letters Edmund C. Burnett,...
28Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 31 July 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Haverford College Library). Written by Joseph Jones. The cover is missing, but the contents of the letter, especially the designation of the recipient as “your Excellency,” permit no doubt as to whom the dispatch was addressed. The Rider being robid of the Mail a few miles on this side of Wilmington prevented your Excellency from receiving our Letter of last week a copy of which we now...
29Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 7 August 1781 (Madison Papers)
Printed excerpts (Parke-Bernet Catalogue No. 54 [25–26 October 1938], item 167; Burnett, Letters Edmund C. Burnett, ed., Letters of Members of the Continental Congress (8 vols.; Washington, 1921–36). , VI, 170). The letter was written by Joseph Jones and signed by Jones, JM, Theodorick Bland, and Edmund Randolph. The excerpts below amount to somewhat more than half the letter, since the...
30Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 14 August 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Written by Joseph Jones. The letter is obviously a communication from all the delegates, even though the signatures of JM, Edmund Randolph, and Meriwether Smith do not appear. We have your favor of the 27th. ulto. The Delegates moved in Congress for a resolution to furnish our State with some passports for Vessells to import Salt only from Bermuda and load with...
31Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 20 August 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (New York Public Library). Entirely in JM’s hand, except for the signatures of the other delegates. Addressed to “His Excellency Thomas Nelson Esqr. Governor of Virginia[,] By Mr Nicholson.” Probably it was delivered by George Nicolson, returning from Philadelphia, where he had been sent by the commercial agent of Virginia to purchase matériel for state troops. See Agreement with Cowell, 27...
32Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 21 August 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Written by Meriwether Smith, except for the other signatures. Addressed to “His Excellency Thomas Nelson Esqr. Govr. of Viga. at Richmond.” We had the Honour, Yesterday, of writing to your Excellency by Mr. Nicolson; since which no Intelligence of Importance hath transpired. By some Accident or other the Mail from Virginia did not arrive yesterday; and we are not...
33Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 28 August 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). Written by Joseph Jones except for the other signatures. With this letter the Virginia delegates began numbering their dispatches to Nelson at the top. This was “No. 7.” We were yesterday favored with your Excellency’s two letters of the 10th. & 17th. instant. Our plan of writing weekly by the post has we assure you been in no instance departed from. As...
34Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 4 September 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Entirely in JM’s hand, except for Jones’s and Bland’s signatures. Docketed: “Delegates Sept. 4. recd 13th.” and “Genl Washington with a part of the American Army and the Count de Rochambeau with the whole of the French thus far on their way to Virginia.” “No. 8.” is written at the top of the letter. Yesterday’s post brought us no letter from your Excellency. We...
35Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 11 September 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). In JM’s hand, except for the signatures of Jones, Bland, and Randolph. “No. 9.” is written at the top. Another post has arrived without our being favored with a line from your Excellency. A letter has been received by the President of this State from Governor Livingston containing intelligence that General Clinton is preparing to embark a large body of troops at N....
36Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 18 September 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Written and franked by Theodorick Bland. Addressed to “His Excelly. Thos. Nelson Esqr. Govr. of Virginia.” “No. 10” is written at the top of the letter. It was opened in Richmond by the Council of State during the absence of Nelson and then forwarded to him in “Camp before York.” The delegates would not number their future letters. We have been honord with Yr....
37Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 25 September 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Written by Theodorick Bland, who also signed for JM. Received in Nelson’s absence but, although obviously opened, apparently not acknowledged by the addressee or the lieutenant governor. Yesterdays post arrived without any letter from your Excelly. to us. We cannot help observing to your Excelly. that the Operations of the fleet and army are of so important a...
38Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 9 October 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Written by Edmund Randolph and signed by him and JM. Docketed: “From the Delegates. Octr. 9. ‘81[.] Letter from Mess. Madison & Randolph: asking Weekly information of the progress of our Army and detailing the effort in Congress to enquire into the title of Virginia New York & Connecticut to the lands respectively ceded by these States.” When your excellency...
39Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 16 October 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). In Edmund Randolph’s hand, except for the signatures of JM and Joseph Jones. Your excellency’s favor of the 5th. instant gives us great reason to flatter ourselves upon the present prospect in Virginia Intelligence from New-York announces a fixed purpose in Sir Henry Clinton to force his way into the Chesapeake, with a fleet of 26 certainly, and...
40Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 23 October 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). Written and franked by Edmund Randolph, signed by JM and Joseph Jones. Addressed, “Public service His excellency The governor of Virginia Richmond.” The committee, to whom was referred the cession of Virginia, have been industrious in the audience of counsel, and investigation of the claims of the several great land companies. We refused to attend their...
41Motion of Virginia Delegates on Western Lands, [26 October] 1781 (Madison Papers)
MS ( NA : PCC , No. 36, I, 229–30). Written by Edmund Randolph. Docketed, “Motion of Delegates of Virginia—Octr. 26h. 1781. Negatived.” Resolved that, inasmuch as it appears from the journal of the 27th. of november 1775, the 28th. of July, the 12th. of August, the 12th. of september, the 10th. and 20th. of october and the 2d. of november 1778, the 22d and 26th. of January, the 16th. and 23d...
42Motion on Negotiations with Cherokee Indians, [2 November] 1781 (Madison Papers)
Printed text ( JCC Worthington Chauncey Ford et al ., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, 1904–37). , XXI, 1089). A motion was made by the delegates of Virginia, that the resolution of yesterday, respecting the appointment of commissioners, to treat with the Cherokee and Chickasaw Indians, be repealed. Ordered , That Thursday next be assigned for the...
43Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 7 November 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Written by Edmund Randolph. JM’s name was signed by Joseph Jones. For the present week, we have nothing particular to communicate; the State of the discussion of the cession of Virginia not yet being prepared. We shall therefore postpone any farther observations on this head, intending to accompany our next information with an account of the quota of money,...
44Motion of Virginia Delegates on Western Lands, [14 November] 1781 (Madison Papers)
Printed text ( JCC Worthington Chauncey Ford et al ., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, 1904–37). , XXI, 1113). A motion was made by the delegates of Virginia, That the first Tuesday of December next, be assigned for the consideration of the report of the committee, to whom were referred the cessions of New York, Virginia, Connecticut, and the...
45Virginia Delegates to Thomas Nelson, 20 November 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Written by Joseph Jones. Docketed, “Virga Delegates Letter Dated Nov 20th 1781 recd. Nov. 29th. 81.” Our Letter of the 17th. by Capt. Irish contains those communications, which would otherwise have been the subject of this weeks correspondence. We have now to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Andrews’s Letter of the 9th. conveying to us the disagreeable information of...
46Virginia Delegates to Benjamin Harrison, 4 December 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Written by Joseph Jones and addressed to “His Excellency The Governor of Virginia Richmond.” JM wrote the postscript. Relying on the assurances given by your Excellency, that we should be releived from our embarrassments here, by the agency of Mr. Ross to whom our supply had been committed, we ceased from further representations on that head, believing them to be...
47Virginia Delegates to Benjamin Harrison, 18 December 1781 (Madison Papers)
RC (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). Written by JM. Docketed, “Lre from Delegates in Congress Decr 27. 1781.” Probably the letter reached Harrison in Richmond on that date. At the request of Baron Steuben, a letter from him to your Excellency is herewith inclosed. The paper from the Secretary of War to Congress also inclosed is an answer to the two Resolutions of the General Assembly...
48Motion of Virginia Delegates on Illicit Trade with Great Britain, [26 December] 1781 (Madison Papers)
MS ( NA : PCC , No. 36, I, 249–50). Docketed: “Dec. 26, 1781 Motion of Mr Jones Mr Madison to be considered 27.–29 Decr. 1781 Referred to Mr Randolph Mr Ellery Mr Law.” To render more effectual the regulation contained in the ordinance of the fourth day of this month for suppressing the importation into the U. States of goods wares and merchandizes of the growth produce or manufacture of Great...
49Virginia Delegates to Benjamin Harrison, 1 January 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Written and franked by JM. Addressed to “His Excellency Benjamin Harrison Esqr. Governor of Virginia[.] Public service.” A Letter from Genl Heath who commands the army on the North River, dated the 26th. Ulto: informs Congress that an intelligent person from N. York had reported to him that an embarkation of troops was taking place there, that he saw a part of them...
50Virginia Delegates to Benjamin Harrison, 8 January 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC (Virginia State Library). Written by Edmund Randolph. Docketed: “Lre from Delegates in Congress Dated Jany 8th. 1782[.] Inclosing Mr D Murrays papers[,] Also facts and reasons respecting the incorporation of the National Bank.” Your excellency’s favor of the 28th. Ulto, not having acknowledged the receipt of our despatches by Capt. Irish, we shall repeat them, unless the next post should...