52651Editorial Note (Washington Papers)
After GW in December 1769 secured from Governor Botetourt and the Virginia council authorization to survey, in no more than twenty parcels, 200,000 acres in the Ohio Valley for the officers and soldiers of the Virginia Regiment of 1754, he and the officers met in Fredericksburg in August 1770 to decide how they should proceed. It was agreed that GW should accompany their surveyor, William...
52652Errata (Washington Papers)
Volume 1—p. xxiv, line 33: 1949–57 is 1948–57; p. 55, n.3: Thomas Nelson (1716–1782) is Thomas Nelson (1715–1787); p. 70: letter to Richard Corbin should be dated 28 January 1754 (see Francis Corbin to GW, 7 July 1798); p. 144, n.8: Henry Van Meter (died c.1759) is Henry Van Meter (died c.1757); p. 208, n.4: n.16 is n.15; p. 219, n.13: Maudit is Mauduit; p. 284, n.7: of Hampton is of Norfolk;...
52653Editorial Note (Washington Papers)
In preparation for the writing of this letter, GW composed a list of topics which he wished to be covered in it. Those undated notes, which are printed here, apparently were then used by Joseph Reed to make a rough draft of the letter. Reed’s draft has not been found, but a draft written by him was reported to be in the possession of James Wilkinson in the early nineteenth century. The...
52654Editorial Note (Washington Papers)
The committee of conference that Congress appointed on 30 Sept. arrived at Cambridge on 15 Oct. and conducted its business between 18 and 24 October. For five days, 18–22 Oct., the committee conferred with GW and representatives of the New England governments, principally on the raising of a new army for the coming year and the revising of the articles of war but also on the current enlistment...
52655Editorial Note (Washington Papers)
The following opinions concerning the defense of Philadelphia and the Delaware River apparently were solicited by GW on or before 6 Aug. 1777, when the first one was written, although no direct evidence has been found of GW requesting the opinions, or that the matter was discussed in a formal council of war. GW used these opinions and referred to them when writing to John Hancock on the...
52656Editorial Note (Washington Papers)
The American dispositions on the east side of Brandywine Creek probably were complete by the evening of 10 Sept. (map 2). Maj. Gen. John Armstrong’s two brigades of Pennsylvania militia were stationed at Gibson’s or Pyle’s Ford, a short distance south of Chadds Ford. Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene’s division held the ground immediately east of Chadds Ford, straddling the road leading to...
52657Editorial Note (Washington Papers)
The network of spies and couriers that has come to be known as the Culper ring, on account of the code names of its spies, had its genesis in GW’s need to provide reliable intelligence to Vice Admiral d’Estaing on British naval movements at New York during the fall of 1778. Recognizing the provision of quality intelligence as a critical aspect of the new military partnership, GW sought...
52658Editorial Note (Washington Papers)
Following his receipt of Congress’s official notification that Vice Admiral d’Estaing had arrived on the Georgia coast with a large French fleet, GW in the short span of the first week of October expanded and put into motion his plans for a joint campaign with the French to drive the British from New York. GW had begun contemplating an attack on the British military bastion of New York in May...
52659Editorial Note (Washington Papers)
The effectiveness of an army rests in large measure on the quality of its officers. GW recognized this truth. He held that only gentlemen should serve as officers, insisted that officers not fraternize with their men, and consistently encouraged officers to study to improve their martial skills. Major General Steuben’s military manual, which GW carefully reviewed during its creation, served as...
52660Editorial Note (Washington Papers)
Since 1778, GW had relied on the Culper spy network for intelligence from inside New York City. In May 1780, the network’s spy in the city, Robert Townsend, refused to serve any longer, and his contact on Long Island, Abraham Woodhull, also one of the Culper spies, became reluctant to continue. GW accepted their withdrawal, but he kept open the possibility of reviving the network. Dissatisfied...