To George Washington from William Livingston, 1 February 1777
From William Livingston
Haddonfield [N.J.] 1 Febry 1777
Sir
Yours of the 24th January I had the Honour of receiving after the Assembly was adjourned to this Place, which is a Village in the County of Gloucester about six miles from Philadelphia.1 The several Points mentioned by your Excellency I think of the greatest Importance for the better regulating our Militia; and as the house have now a Bill for that Purpose before them, I shall in the strongest manner recommend them to their Consideration.2
As the principal Errand of this Express is to bring us some Intelligence from our Army, and a true Account of any late Occurrences; if your Excellency has any News; & sufficient Leisure to communicate it, it will greatly oblige the members of our Legislature, & particularly your most humble & most obedt Servt
Wil: Livingston
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Haddonfield, located about five miles southeast of Camden, N.J., in present-day Camden County, was occupied successively by American and British forces during the Revolutionary War. Livingston and the New Jersey general assembly met there from 30 Jan. through March 1777.
2. Livingston wrote the New Jersey general assembly on 3 Feb. to inform it of GW’s concerns about the militia and to urge passage of the militia bill (see Livingston to the New Jersey General Assembly, that date, and the general assembly’s reply to Livingston, 5 Feb., in , 1:209–10, 213). For a discussion of the details of the militia bill, which the New Jersey general assembly began reconsidering on 30 Jan. and finally passed into law in mid-March, see Livingston to the New Jersey General Assembly, 7 Mar., ibid., 268–70.