1From George Washington to John Armstrong, 21 September 1767 (Washington Papers)
Since I had the pleasure of seeing you at the Warm springs I have been informd that much of the Land upon Yaughyaughgany and Monongahela which was formerly conceivd to lye within the limits of Virginia and on which many of our People have settled are take⟨n⟩ into Pensylvania by the establishd Line now running between that Provence & Maryland & that Grants may at any time be obtaind from the...
2From George Washington to John Armstrong, 18 August 1769 (Washington Papers)
About a fortnight ago I came to this place with Mrs Washington and her daughter, the latter of whom being troubled with a complaint, which the efficacy of these Waters it is thought might remove, we resolvd to try them, but have found little benefit as yet from the experiment; what a Week or two more may do, we know not, & therefore are inclind to put them to the Test. it was with much...
3From George Washington to John Armstrong, 24 August 1769 (Washington Papers)
With particular pleasure I acknowledge the receipt of your favour by Mr Fulton —it affords me a fresh Instance of your friendly regard, for which I shall always retain a lively remembrance—The Letters you speak of as wrote to me by way of Winchester &ca never came to hand; from Captn Crawford it was, that I receivd the Acct of your obliging Letter to Mr Tilghman, and of the good effect it was...
4From George Washington to John Armstrong, 20 March 1770 (Washington Papers)
Your obliging favour of the 24th of Jany came to my hands sometime after the date thereof; & to which, I shoud have given an immediate answer, but was in hopes that by delaying of it a while, to have said something more to the purpose than I am like to do at present, in respect to the matter you did me the honour of mentioning, in behalf of yr Son. At this time, I do not know one good opening...
5From George Washington to John Armstrong, 28 September 1773 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: to John Armstrong, 28 Sept. 1773. On 24 Dec. Armstrong wrote GW : “Your favours of the 28th Sepr from Annapolis . . . I now most gratefully acknowledge.”
6From George Washington to John Armstrong, 10 October 1773 (Washington Papers)
Upon my return home from the Annapolis Races (from whence I wrote you, committing the Letter to the care of Captn McGachen of Baltimore Town, who assured me it should be forwarded the Week after) I receivd a Letter from Lord Dunmore our Governor, containing the following Paragraph, which I inclose for your information, agreeable to my promise. I last Post receiv’d yours of the 12th Instt (that...
7From George Washington to Brig. Gen. John Armstrong, 19 January 1777 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: to Brig. Gen. John Armstrong, 19 Jan. 1777. Armstrong wrote to GW on 22 Feb. that “I am favoured with your Excellencys Letter of the 19th Ulto.”
8From George Washington to Brigadier General John Armstrong, 5 March 1777 (Washington Papers)
I have your favr of the 22d Feby from Carlisle, and hope soon to have the pleasure of seeing you at this place. I cannot conceive upon what principle the Baltimore Militia were stopped, they ought to have been here in time to have releived Genl Johnstons Brigade, the last of whom go home this day. But as I lately wrote most pressingly for a Reinforcement, I imagine Genl Buchanan is by this...
9From George Washington to Brigadier General John Armstrong, 4 July 1777 (Washington Papers)
I had the pleasure of receiving yours of the 20th June, some days ago, but the constant hurry I was in during Genl Howe’s late Maneuvres in Jersey must apologize for not answering you sooner. The spirit with which the Militia of this State and pennsylvania turned out upon the late Alarm far exceeded my most sanguine expectations and I am persuaded must have chagrined Genl Howe, who, I beleive,...
10George Washington to Major General John Armstrong, 8 October 1777 (Hamilton Papers)
[ Pawlins Mill, Pennsylvania ] October 8, 1777 . Instructs Armstrong to send Brigadier General James Potter and six hundred men to intercept British communications between Philadelphia and Chester. Expects to be informed of Potter’s actions. Df , in writing of H, George Washington Papers, Library of Congress. Armstrong was a major general, Pennsylvania Militia.
11From George Washington to Maj. Gen. John Armstrong, 22 December 1777 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: to Maj. Gen. John Armstrong, c.22 Dec. 1777. In his first letter to GW of 23 Dec. , Armstrong writes of “your Excellens. favour which came to hand last night.”
12From George Washington to Maj. Gen. John Armstrong, 23 December 1777 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: to Maj. Gen. John Armstrong, c.23 Dec. 1777. In his second letter to GW of 23 Dec. , Armstrong writes that he had “received your Excellys Favour this Afternoon.”
13From George Washington to Major General John Armstrong, 28 December 1777 (Washington Papers)
I have this Morning receiv’d your Favor of 26th Inst. The Method you have adopted for preventing the Intercourse & Supply of Marketting from the Country, I think is a good One, & I expect will have the intended effect, though I fear it is impossible to put a total Stop to it even by the greatest exertions of the Officers, as there are many Avenues to Town which it will be found difficult to...
14From George Washington to Maj. Gen. John Armstrong, 21 February 1778 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: to Maj. Gen. John Armstrong, 21 Feb. 1778. Tench Tilghman wrote at the bottom of the last page of Armstrong’s letter to GW of 5 Feb. : “Ansd 21.”
15From George Washington to Major General John Armstrong, 27 March 1778 (Washington Papers)
I am obliged by your favr of the 5th Feby and 10th inst. I fear your apprehensions as to the augmentation of the Army, at least in good time, will appear to have been but too well founded. Some of the States have but lately drafted their Men, others have proceeded but a very little way in recruiting and some have not yet fixed upon the mode of compleating their Regiments. Even those Men that...
16George Washington to Major General John Armstrong, 24 April 1778 (Hamilton Papers)
Valley Forge, April 24, 1778 . Invites Armstrong to council of war. Df , in writing of H, George Washington Papers, Library of Congress.
17From George Washington to John Armstrong, 18 May 1779 (Washington Papers)
I have received your favor of the 10th Instt & thank you for it—Never was there an observation founded in more truth than yours of my having a choice of difficulties—I cannot say that the resolve of Congress which you allude to has encreased them—but with propriety I may observe it has added to my embarrassment in fixing on them inasmuch as It gives me powers without the means of execution...
18From George Washington to John Armstrong, 13 July 1779 (Washington Papers)
I have been favoured with your Letter of the 7th Instant. From the character of Major Nichols as a good Officer I should have been happy—if he had remained in service—but he could not be reintroduced now even with his former rank as the vacancy occasioned by his resignation has been filled and sundry consequent arrangements made much less with the rank he requires. I have no power to appoint...
19From George Washington to John Armstrong, 10 August 1779 (Washington Papers)
Among the number of Letters which I am continually receiving & the multiplicity of papers which are put into my hands to peruse, your favor of the 25th of June was mixed, & for a time lost—nor did it come to light again till yesterday. this, though a bad excuse, is the truth, & consequently the best apology I can make for delaying so long an answer to the quære in behalf of your Son. I wish it...
20From George Washington to John Armstrong, 26 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
Your favor of the 8th from Carlisle came to me safe, as did the letter alluded to in it; which I should have thanked you for long ’ere this if the public business in which, I am engaged wd yield obedience to my inclination, & indulge me more frequently in the gratification of an epistolary & pleasing intercourse with my friends—I received with much pleasure the acct of your recovered health,...
21From George Washington to John Armstrong, 10 January 1783 (Washington Papers)
By Major Armstrong I had the honor to receive your favor of the 10th of Octr—and in overlooking a bundle of unanswered letters I discovered among them another fr o m you of the 29th of June which had got there by mistake—as it required an immediate reply. It is rather out of Season, to assign causes at this late hour for the continuence of the Pensylvania Recruits at Carlisle—but the truth of...
22From George Washington to John Armstrong, 25 April 1788 (Washington Papers)
From some cause or other which I do not know your favor of the 20th of February did not reach me till very lately. This must apologize for its not being sooner acknowledged. Altho Colo. Blain forgot to call upon me for a letter before he left Philadelphia, yet I wrote a few lines to you previous to my departu[r]e from that place; whether they ever got to your hands or not you best know. I well...
23From George Washington to John Armstrong, 6 February 1791 (Washington Papers)
Acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 29th of December, and offering you my best thanks for the interest it expresses in my behalf, I beg you to be persuaded that neither my late silence nor my present brevity are in any degree the consequence of diminished regard. Your friendship receives from me the same grateful & affectionate return which I have ever made to it—but the multiplied...
24From George Washington to John Armstrong, 11 March 1792 (Washington Papers)
(Private) Dear Sir, Philad. March 11th 1792 I am persuaded that no one will be more ready than yourself to make the proper allowances for my not having sooner acknowledged the receipt of your friendly letter of the 23d of December, as you there express a conviction that the pressure of my public duties will allow me but very little time to attend to my private correspondences. This is...
25From George Washington to John Armstrong, 23 February 1797 (Washington Papers)
Believing that there may be times and occasions, on which my opinions of the anonymous letters and their author, as delivered to the army in 1783, may be turned to some personal and malignant purpose, I do hereby declare, that I did not, at the time of writing my address, regard you as the author of the said letters; and farther, that I have since had sufficient reason for believing, that the...
26From Thomas Jefferson to John Armstrong, 21 December 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
I informed General Kosciuszko of your kind attention to the location of his lands, and of your refusal to accept of any thing for it, expressing a pleasure at the opportunity of rendering him a service, and he in answer desires you to be assured how sensible he is of this mark of recollection & friendship, and the pleasure he has recieved from this testimony of regard from an old brother...
27From Thomas Jefferson to John Armstrong, 13 July 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
Your favor of June 4. has been duly recieved. on recurring to the deed of Genl. Kosciuzko to Madame Felix I observe he guarantees to her 1st. the existence of the land , that is, that these lands were real, and not merely ideal, as many which had been sold in Europe. 2. the situation, to wit geographical situation. 3. title. 4. contents. 5. delivery of possession. the objections mentioned in...
28From Thomas Jefferson to John Armstrong of New York, 26 May 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
We find it of advantage to the public to ask of those to whom appointments are proposed, if they are not accepted, to say nothing of the offer, at least for a convenient time. the refusal cheapens the estimation of the public appointments and renders them less acceptable to those to whom they are secondarily proposed. the occasion of this remark will be found in a letter you will recieve from...
29From James Madison to John Armstrong, 27 May 1804 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. 27 May 1804. Acknowledged in Armstrong to JM, 2 June 1804 , as an offer of appointment as U.S. minister to France and a suggestion, should Armstrong accept the commission, that he visit Washington before sailing to France.
30From Thomas Jefferson to John Armstrong of New York, 29 June 1804 (Jefferson Papers)
Will Genl Armstrong do Th: Jefferson the favor to come & take family soupe with him to-day at half past three? Th:J. will ask the same favor of mr Madison. free conversations with Genl. Armstrong will give him a truer idea of the dispositions of this government towards those of Europe than written instructions can possibly convey. RC ( NBLiHi ).
31From James Madison to John Armstrong, 15 July 1804 (Madison Papers)
A Commission by which the President appoints you Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to the French Republic is herewith inclosed, with a letter of credence to the First Consul. The delivery of these will be an occasion of which you will avail yourself to assure the French Government of the continuance of those friendly dispositions which the United States have hitherto expressed, and...
32From James Madison to John Armstrong, 20 July 1804 (Madison Papers)
I have requested the Treasury to remit you three thousand dollars according to your request. If convenient to yourself, it would be preferred to pay you the whole outfit before you embark. Should time admit the balance being Six thousand dollars, shall be remitted on your intimating that it will be acceptable, or you may draw upon me for it payable here or at New York. The papers relating to...
33From James Madison to John Armstrong, 21 August 1804 (Madison Papers)
Your letter of August 6th. has been duly received. Those of August 2d & 4 addressed to Mr. Wagner have also been transmitted to me. No regular notification has yet been received of the change which it seems certain has taken place in the French Government, nor are the new stile and title precisely known, by which it is to be addressed. All that can be done therefore in accommodation to the...
34From James Madison to John Armstrong, 6 September 1804 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. 6 September 1804, Department of State. Offered for sale by B. Altman & Co. (advertisement, Wall Street Journal , 15 July 1973), where it is represented as a one-page letter stating that U.S. claims regarding debts contracted by the French in Saint-Domingue have not been met nor has Livingston reported on the matter. JM asks to be informed about the probability and time of...
35From James Madison to John Armstrong, 10 November 1804 (Madison Papers)
Since my last of June 29th to Mr Livingston I have received his several communications under the dates of the 25 & 26th of July 8th. 28 & 29th of August & 4th of September. The course which the proceedings under the Convention for indemnifying our Citizens, has taken, seems to require no particular addition to the remarks and instructions already in your hands, until the result of them shall...
36To James Madison from John Armstrong, 14 February 1805 (Madison Papers)
Your letter of the 10th of November had a long passage, and the duplicate copy by the way of Marseilles, was the first to reach me. With the exception of one of the 4th. of September, this is the only letter I have received from you. The claims are now nearly brought to a close, and my next dispatch will probably present a final report with regard to them. Of all the business I have ever had...
37From James Madison to John Armstrong, 2 March 1805 (Madison Papers)
The Officers of the French Government in St Domingo having made that Government a debtor to Mr Tucker of Massachusetts by a restraint which left him no alternative, Mr Pichon undertook to liquidate the compensation due, for which he delivered Mr Tucker a draft on Paris. On the presentation of this draft payment has been refused on account of an alledged defect of authority in Mr Pichon. It has...
38From James Madison to John Armstrong, 5 March 1805 (Madison Papers)
With the exception of several letters on special subjects, my last was dated on the 24th of November; since which I have received from Mr Livingston his letters of Septr. 14 & 21st & October 10 & 23d, and yours of the 20th of October 1804. Congress did not adjourn till the night of the 3d instant. The greater part of their Acts were passed in a late stage of the session, and a number of them...
39From James Madison to John Armstrong, 26 March 1805 (Madison Papers)
Your account dated 25th December last, which has not been examined at the Treasury for want of the vouchers, containing a charge for Office furniture, it is necessary to apprize you that such an allowance has never been made and cannot therefore at the Treasury, be admitted. The Commissioners under the Louisiana Convention have deposited with Mr Skipwith the papers, furniture and utensils of...
40From James Madison to John Armstrong, 2 April 1805 (Madison Papers)
From the period when the misunderstandings between France and the United States encouraged the Agents and cruizers of the former in the year 1797 to fall upon the trade of the United States, till the capture of Curaçoá, this Island served as a station for Commissioning and fitting out privateers, for holding judicial proceedings over prizes, for selling them, and in short could scarcely be...
41From James Madison to John Armstrong, [23] May 1805 (Madison Papers)
Messrs. Thomas Lewis & Son of Boston were the owners of the ship Hope and Cargo, which were captured after the signature of the Convention with France of the 30th of Sept. 1800, carried to Guadaloupe and condemned. Those gentlemen having prosecuted an appeal, the Council of Prizes pronounced the capture illegal and ordered restitution to be made. Fortified with this decision, they sent an...
42From James Madison to John Armstrong, 6 June 1805 (Madison Papers)
On reviewing the letters from you not yet acknowledged I find them under the following dates, viz 12th Novr. 24. 25. & 30th Decr 14th Feby and 18th March last. I have the pleasure to observe to you that the President entirely approves the just and dignified answer given to the venal suggestions emanating from the French functionaries as explained in your letter of the 24th of December. The...
43From James Madison to John Armstrong, 25 August 1805 (Madison Papers)
It is represented by the parties interested in the ship New Jersey and cargo, for which indemnity is claimed under the late Convention with France, that a disallowance of the claim is likely to proceed from an idea that Insurers do not in such cases take the place of the Insured. As the Convention has provided for its own exposition and execution, it has been thought best that these should be...
44From James Madison to John Armstrong, George W. Erving, and James Monroe, 4 December 1805 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
§ To John Armstrong, George W. Erving, and James Monroe. 4 December 1805, Department of State. “Inclosed is a copy of the message of the President yesterday delivered to the two houses of Congress. The importance of its contents makes it desireable that you should receive it with as little delay as possible.” Letterbook copy ( DNA : RG 59, IM , vol. 6); RC ( DLC : Curry Autograph Collection);...
45From James Madison to John Armstrong, 19 February 1806 (Madison Papers)
Mr Skipwith has represented himself to be aggrieved by an attachment laid by the French Government upon a liquidation in his favor, under the Convention for the purchase of Louisiana. From the Documents he has exhibited, comprising as well a statement of the grounds upon which the attachment has been imposed, as his own explanations, it would appear that the principal stress is laid upon the...
46From James Madison to John Armstrong and James Bowdoin, 13 March 1806 (Madison Papers)
I have duly received from time to time your several letters bearing dates 3 July 10 & 15 Augt. 10 Sepr. 3 & 25 Octr & 26 Novr. Previous to the arrival of Mr Skipwith with your dispatches of Sept 10th our affairs with Spain had undergone the particular consideration of the President; with a reference as well to the change in the state of things in Europe, as to the approaching Session of...
47From James Madison to John Armstrong, 14 March 1806 (Madison Papers)
The rein given by Great Britain thro’ the arbitrary decisions of her Admiralty Courts to the Cruizers against our commerce, has produced already heavy losses to our merchants, and a very general indignation throughout the nation. You will have observed the notice taken of the British conduct in the Message of the President to Congress at the opening of the Session. I now transmit a copy of a...
48From James Madison to John Armstrong, 15 March 1806 (Madison Papers)
I herewith inclose an act of Congress just passed on the subject of the commerce with St. Domingo. In prohibiting the commerce in unarmed as well as armed vessels the act goes beyond the obligation of the United States under the law of nations, but the measure was deemed expedient for the present and the eventual welfare of the United States. And altho’ it must be understood to have proceeded...
49From James Madison to John Armstrong and James Bowdoin, 26 May 1806 (Madison Papers)
On the supposition that by the time this reaches you the negotiations prescribed in my letter of March 13 will have taken their final turn and that this may not be a favorable one it is thought proper by the president that in such a state of things you should endeavour to bring about an arrangement providing first that the status quo taking for the date the transfer of possession of Louisiana...
50From James Madison to John Armstrong, 15 August 1806 [letter not found] (Madison Papers)
¶ To John Armstrong. Letter not found. 15 August 1806. Acknowledged in Armstrong to JM , 24 Dec. 1806 ( DNA : RG 59, DD , France, vol. 10), and described in Jacob Wagner to JM , 15 Aug. 1806 , as having to do with the case of Benjamin Stoddert and John Mason.