1. The enclosure was a copy of John Mitchell’s letter to GW of 17 Dec. explaining why he could not then testify in person at Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold’s court-martial.

Greene had written Mitchell from Morristown on 22 Dec.: “General Arnold is just arrivd in Camp and has consulted the Judge Advocate [John Laurance] respecting your being here who gives it as his opinion that it is absolutely necessary and cannot be dispensed with. I also receivd a letter the moment of the Generals [Arnold’s] arrival from Col Cox who informs me that your business was so circumstanced that you could not give your attendance agreeable to the order of the General [Washington] without great injury to the business of the Department. As his Excellency desird your attendance and as the Judge Advocate thinks it necessary I am to request you will come without loss of time and bring with you the Clerk [John Hall] that made the erasement in the Book which the Supreme Council made a demand of you for.

“I have sent a special Express to advertize you and beg you to improve every moment till your arrival. You will not be detaind above one or two days” (Greene Papers, description begins Richard K. Showman et al., eds. The Papers of General Nathanael Greene. 13 vols. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1976–2005. description ends 5:195–96). For the march of the Virginia line to the southern department, see GW to Samuel Huntington, 29 Nov., and the source note to that document.

2. GW elaborated in another letter to Greene on this date: “I did not send counter orders to Col. Mitchel; but in consequence of his letter, I took it for granted his attendance here must be dispensed with as it appeared to be essential in Philadelphia. I sent you a copy of his letter to give you an idea of the situation of things there, as I had been informed you had sent for him by express; and meant to leave it with you after this to judge whether he could be spared from where he now is or not. If the service will not suffer by his absence, my desire to give General Arnold every advantage he is entitled to would make me wish him to come to Camp; but if he cannot do it without injury to the service other considerations must give place to this—You best know the exigencies of your own department and will act in the affair accordingly—If you are clear it will be no material disadvantage to bring Col. Mitchell from Philadelphia, you may let the matter remain as it stands; but if the contrary is to be expected, I wish you to countermand the order you sent him yesterday. You will please to inform me whether you do the latter or not” (Df, in Alexander Hamilton’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW). No subsequent letter from Greene to Mitchell with orders for his coming to Morristown has been identified, but Mitchell eventually testified at Arnold’s court-martial at the discretion of the Board of War (see Charles Pettit to Greene, 5 and 26 Jan. 1780, and Mitchell to Greene, 10, 12, and 14 Jan. 1780, in Greene Papers, description begins Richard K. Showman et al., eds. The Papers of General Nathanael Greene. 13 vols. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1976–2005. description ends 5:241–42, 252, 262, 271, 314–16; see also GW to Joseph Reed, 4 Dec. 1779, n.2; GW to the Board of War, 24 Dec., and n.3 to that document; and Arnold, Proceedings, description begins Proceedings of a General Court Martial of the Line, Held at Raritan, in the State of New-Jersey, By Order of his Excellency George Washington, Esq., General and Commander in Chief Of the Army of The United States of America, For the Trial of Major General Arnold, June 1, 1779. Major General Howe, President. Philadelphia, 1780. description ends 32–38).