1To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 22 January 1783 (Washington Papers)
Having lately received a call from Congress to pass the Atlantic in the character of one of their ministers for negotiating peace, I cannot leave the Continent without separating myself for a moment from the general gratitude of my country to offer my individual tribute to your Excellency for all you have suffered & all you have effected for us. were I to indulge myself in those warm effusions...
2From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 22 January 1783 (Jefferson Papers)
Having lately received a call from Congress to pass the Atlantic in the character of one of their ministers for negotiating peace, I cannot leave the Continent without separating myself for a moment from the general gratitude of my country to offer my individual tribute to your Excellency for all you have suffered and all you have effected for us. Were I to indulge myself in those warm...
3To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 28 October 1781 (Washington Papers)
I hope it will not be unacceptable to your Excellency to receive the congratulations of a private individual on your return to your native country, & above all things on the important success which as attended it. great as this has been however, it can scarcely add to the affection with which we had looked up to you, and if in the minds of any the motives of gratitude to our good allies were...
4From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 28 October 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
I hope it will not be unacceptable to your Excellency to receive the congratulations of a private individual on your return to your native country, and above all things on the important success which has attended it. Great as this has been however, it can scarcely add to the affection with which we had looked up to you, and if in the minds of any the motives of gratitude to our good allies...
5To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 28 May 1781 (Washington Papers)
I make no doubt you will have heard before this shall have the honour of being presented to Your Excellency of the junction of Lord Cornwallis with the force at Petersburg under Arnold who had succeeded to the command on the death of Major General Philips. I am now advised that they have evacuated Petersburg, joined at Westover a Reinforcement of 2000 Men just arrived from New York, crossed...
6From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 28 May 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
I make no doubt you will have heard, before this shall have the honour of being presented to Your Excellency, of the junction of Lord Cornwallis with the force at Petersburg under Arnold who had succeeded to the command on the death of Major General Philips. I am now advised that they have evacuated Petersburg, joined at Westover a Reinforcement of 2000 Men just arrived from New York, crossed...
FC (Virginia State Library). Written by a clerk and directed to “His Excellency General Washington & the Honble Virginia Delegates in Congress.” The papers of the Executive having been almost wholly lost in the visit which was made by General Arnold to this place, we are endeavouring to procure Copies of as many of them as we can. As the Correspondence with Congress is among the most important...
8From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington and the Virginia Delegates in Congress, 10 May 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
The papers of the Executive having been almost wholly lost in the visit which was made by General Arnold to this place, we are endeavouring to procure Copies of as many of them as we can. As the Correspondence with your Excellency is among the most important I am to solicit the Favor of you to permit the Bearer hereof Mr. Granville Smith to take Copies of any Letters with which you have been...
9To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 9 May 1781 (Washington Papers)
Since the Letter which I had the Honor of last addressing to your Excellency, the military movements in this state have scarcely merited Communication except a very late one. The Enemy after leaving Williams burg came directly up James River & landed at City point being the point of Land on the Southern Side of the Confluence of Appamattox & James Rivers; they marched up to Petersburg where...
10From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 9 May 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
Since the Letter which I had the Honor of last addressing to your Excellency, the military movements in this state have scarcely merited Communication except a very late one. The Enemy after leaving Williamsburg came directly up James River and landed at City point being the point of Land on the Southern Side of the Confluence of Appomattox and James Rivers; they marched up to Petersburg where...
11To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 23 April 1781 (Washington Papers)
On the 18th instant the enemy came from Portsmouth up James river in considerable force, tho’ their numbers precisely are not yet known to us. they landed at Burwells ferry below Williamsburg & near the mouth of Chickahominy above it. this latter circumstance obliged Colo. Innes who commanded a body of Militia stationed on that side the river to cover the country from depredation, to retire...
12From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 23 April 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
Richmond, 23 Apr. 1781 . This letter is identical with TJ’s letter to Samuel Huntington of this date except that it lacks the postscript. RC ( DLC : Washington Papers); 3 p.; in a clerk’s hand, signed by TJ; endorsed: “Richmond 23d. April 1781 from Governor Jefferson. Ansd. 16 May.” FC ( Vi ). Tr ( DLC ). Printed in HAW Henry A. Washington, ed., The Writings of Thomas Jefferson , Washington,...
13To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 28 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
I forward to your Excellency, under cover with this, copies of letters received from Major General Greene and Baron Steuben which will give you the latest state of the situation of things with us and in North Carolina. We had hoped to have received by the French Squadron under Mons: Tilly eleven hundred stand of arms which we had at Rhode-Island, but were disappointed. the necessity of...
14From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 28 March 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
Richmond, 28 Mch. 1781 . This letter is virtually identical with TJ’s letter to Samuel Huntington, same date , with the exception of one paragraph in Huntington’s letter which was omitted in this. RC ( DLC : Washington Papers); in a clerk’s hand, signed by TJ; endorsed, in part: “Ansd. 18h. April.” FC ( Vi ). Enclosures ( DLC : Washington Papers): Copies of Nathanael Greene to TJ, 23 Mch. ;...
15To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 21 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
The inclosed Letter will inform you of the arrival of a British Fleet in Chesapeake Bay. The extreme negligence of our stationed expresses is no doubt the cause why as Yet no authentic account has reached us of a general action which happened on the 15. instant about a mile and a half from Guilford Court House, between General Green and Lord Cornwallis. Captain Singleton an intelligent Officer...
16From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 21 March 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
Richmond, 21 Mch. 1781 . This letter is virtually identical with TJ’s letter to Samuel Huntington, same date , q.v., but with the omission noted there. RC ( DLC : Washington Papers); in a clerk’s hand, with complimentary close and signature in TJ’s hand; endorsed, in part: “Ansd. 4: April.” FC ( Vi ). Enclosure ( DLC : Washington Papers): Copy of James Barron to TJ, 20 Mch. 1781 , q.v.
17To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 19 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
I have the honor of enclosing your Excellency a copy of a letter from Genl Greene with some other intelligence received, not doubting your anxiety to know the movements in the South. I find we have deceived ourselves not a little by counting on the whole numbers of militia which have been in motion as if they had all remained with Genl Greene, when in fact they seem only to have visited &...
18From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 19 March 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the honor of inclosing your Excellency a copy of a letter from Genl. Greene with some other intelligence received, not doubting your anxiety to know the movements in the South. I find we have deceived ourselves not a little by counting on the whole numbers of militia which have been in motion as if they had all remained with Genl. Greene, when in fact they seem only to have visited and...
19To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 8 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
I had the pleasure of receiving a Letter from General Greene dated High Rockford february 29 (probably march 1) who informs me that on the night of the 24th Colo. McCall surprized a subaltern’s guard at Hart’s mill, killed 8 and wounded and took 9 prisoners, and that on the 25th Genl Pickens and Lieutenant Colo. Lee routed a body of near 300 Tories on the Haw river, who were in arms to join...
20From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 8 March 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the pleasure of receiving a Letter from General Greene dated High Rock ford February 29. (probably March 1) who informs me that on the night of the 24th Colo. McCall surprized a subaltern’s guard at Hart’s mill, killed 8 and wounded and took 9 prisoners, and that on the 25th Genl. Pickens and Lieutenant Colo. Lee routed a body of near 300 tories on the Haw river, who were in arms to join...
21To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 26 February 1781 (Washington Papers)
I gave you information in my last letter that Genl Greene had cross’d the Dan, at Boid’s ferry, and that L[or]d Cornwallis had arrived at the opposite shore. large reinforcements of militia having embodied both in the front & rear of the enemy, he is retreating with as much rapidity as he advanced. his route is towards Hilsborough. Genl Greene cross’d the Dan the 21st in pursuit of him. I have...
22From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 26 February 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
Richmond, 26 Feb. 1781 . This letter is identical in substance with TJ’s letter to Samuel Huntington of the present date , q.v. RC ( DLC : Washington Papers); 3 p.; in a clerk’s hand, signed by TJ; endorsed (in part): “Ansd. 21st. March.” Printed in HAW Henry A. Washington, ed., The Writings of Thomas Jefferson , Washington, 1853–1854 , i , 296–7, and elsewhere. Tr ( DLC ).
23To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 17 February 1781 (Washington Papers)
By a Letter from General Greene dated Guilford C. house Feby 10. we are informed that Lord Cornwallis had burnt his own waggons in order to enable himself to move with greater facility & had pressed immediately on. the prisoners taken at the Cowpens were happily saved by the accidental rise of a watercourse which gave so much time as to withdraw them from the reach of the enemy. Lord...
24From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 17 February 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
Richmond, 17 Feb. 1781. . This letter is identical in substance with that sent by TJ to Huntington this day , q.v., except that the last sentence in the first paragraph and the last two sentences in the paragraph before the complimentary close in the letter to Huntington are not in the letter to Washington. RC ( DLC : Washington Papers); 4 p.; in a clerk’s hand, signed and with postscript in...
25To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 12 February 1781 (Washington Papers)
The inclosed extract of a Letter from Governor Nash which I received this Day being a confirmation of the intelligence I transmitted in a former Letter I take the liberty of handing it forward to your Excellency. I am informed through a private channel on which I have considerable reliance that the enemy had landed 500 troops under the command of a Major Craig who were joined by a number of...
26From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 12 February 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
Richmond, 12 Feb. 1781. This letter is identical in substance with TJ’s letter of this date to Samuel Huntington , q.v. RC ( DLC : Washington Papers); 2 p.; in a clerk’s hand, signed by TJ; endorsed (in part): “recd 28u. Ansd. 21st March.” PrC of Tr ( DLC ). Printed from Tr in HAW Henry A. Washington, ed., The Writings of Thomas Jefferson , Washington, 1853–1854
27To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 8 February 1781 (Washington Papers)
I have just received intelligence, which though from a private hand, I believe is to be relied on, that a fleet of the enemy’s ships have entered Cape Fear river, that eight of them had got over the bar and many others were laying off; that it was supposed to be a reinforcement to Lord Cornwallis under the command of Genl Prevost. This account which had come through another channel is...
28From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 8 February 1781 (Jefferson Papers)
Richmond, 8 Feb. 1781. This letter is identical in substance with TJ’s letter to Huntington of this date, q.v. FC ( Vi ); captioned: “Genl. Washington & the President of Congress.” Tr ( DLC ); a defective press copy.
29To George Washington from Thomas Jefferson, 12 January 1781 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found : from Thomas Jefferson, 12 Jan. 1781. The entry for 19 Jan. in the journal of the Virginia executive council reads in part: “His Excellency [Jefferson] communicated his proceedings during the recess together with the Copies of the Letters which have passed between him & certain persons which being read & approved the board directs to be registered to wit: … to His Excellency...
30[From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 12 January 1781] (Jefferson Papers)
[ Richmond, 12 Jan. 1781. The proceedings of the Council for 19 Jan. 1781, the first meeting after the invasion, state that TJ “communicated his proceedings during the recess together with Copies of the Letters which have passed between him and certain persons which being read and approved the board directs to be registered to wit: … to His Excellency General Washington of the 10th and 12th” (...