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To George Washington from Major General Nathanael Greene, 30 January 1780

From Major General Nathanael Greene

Morris Town 30th Jany 1780.

Sir

I have this Evening receiv’d several Letters from Colo. Hay: copies of two of which I inclose to Your Excellency for your perusal.1 They contain representations of the encreasing difficulties, in the Quarter Master’s Department, at the Post of Fish Kill. It is nothing more than I expected; but only things are drawing to a crisis a little earlier than I had conceived of. I am confident no Man in America can do more to support the business, in the district, than Colo. Hay can; and I am confident no Man is better disposed to exert himself than he is. But his situation, as well as all the Staff, in every quarter, is distressing beyond description.

If the present force cannot be supported at West-Point, and its dependencies, will it not be best to detatch a part into the Country? Happily the rest may be supported; and by attempting to keep the whole in Garrison they may be obliged to quit altogether.

Major Hale is here, who is perfectly acquainted with Colo. Hay’s business; is going to Philadelphia, and will represent the state of the Post to the Treasury.2 Perhaps they may grant him some relief; tho’ I am afraid it is not in their power.3 I am, with great Respect, Your Excellency’s Most Obedient Hume Servt

Nath. Greene Q.M.G.

P.S. Colo. Hay inclos’d a copy of a Letter from Colo. Bostwick, Deputy Commissary General of Forage at Fish-Kill, in which he says a great part of the Forage, engag’d by the Agents, and not paid for, is now selling for private use, the People being determined to wait no longer for their Money.4

LS, DLC:GW.

1The copy of the first letter from Udny Hay to Greene, dated at Fishkill, N.Y., on 25 Jan., reads: “I yesterday sent to Colonel Bostwick to know what quantity of forage he thought it was possible to supply us with, as we had none at this post—His answer you have enclosed. I gave him one quarter part of the cash, or rather the phantom of cash, forwarded by Colo. Pettit to me being an order from the President of Congress on the Treasurer of this State, of which he has not yet been able to obtain a single shilling nor have I got quite sixty thousand dollars. What we are to do I know not Six days at W. Point without an ounce of flour; no forage at this post to maintain public teams, the farmers ordered out with private teams refusing to come unless they are assured of their [pay], the Justices declaring their requisition is just, and yet we totally incapable of making, or at least of fulfilling, a promise thereof. Under these circumstances Sir, I must confess myself at my ne plus ultra; for there is not a method I could think of or devise, that has not already been essayed.

“General Heath proposes writing the Legislature who by this time I hope are sitting; I shall do the same, but am much afraid without success, as I cannot propose a remedy that has the least probability of being adopted; In short Sir, if we have not an ample and immediate supply of cash, or Providen⟨ce⟩ is pleased to add one more to the many miracles he has already worked in our favour, I will venture to affirm our Army cannot hold their present position three weeks longer, unless supplies can be sent from the Southward, which I think is no ways probable. Indeed I am certain the state of the forage on the route through which it must come, renders it totally impracticable.

“Though I think it my duty to give you this true description of our situation, and my opinion of the consequences that must arise therefrom, be not in the least afraid that I will not continue to use every possible endeavour to prevent those evils taking place, which I so much dread—I hope your troubles with the main Army are now all at an end; tho’ it is commonly said that misery loves company it would be a great addition to mine, to hear you were in the same situation.

“If matters mend you shall hear from me soon” (DLC:GW).

The copy of the second letter from Hay to Greene, dated at Fishkill on 26 Jan., reads: “I wrote you twice yesterday both of which will accompany this and will be delivered by Major Hale who is to settle some accompts with Colo. [Samuel] Ogden & Mr [John Jacob] Faish [Faesh], necessary to be finished before he and I can come to a full settlement.

“From the new embarrassments which are not only every day, but every hour presenting themselves to view; I have a sincere desire to quit the department, not from disgust, but from a full conviction of an absolute want of ability, (circumstanced as we have, & are still likely to be) to fulfill the duties of my station, agreeable to the orders of my superior Officers, the expectation of the Army, or to my own wishes, and will therefore take the liberty of requesting you will by the first of March procure some one able and willing to undergo a fatigue to which I find my constitution no longer adequate, nor my penetration or knowledge of the department sufficient to remedy those evils which the want of a timely supply of cash is likely to bring upon us. These and these only are my reasons why I wish to quit, and as since my first coming into the department, I can call Heaven to witness the public good has ever been my study, that I may still preserve that uniformity of conduct; when I find my services ca⟨n⟩ no longer [be] usefull to that public, I wish not to recieve their pay.

“I have this day given it to Genl Heath as my opinion that the only mode to preserve the Army from famine is to march a Brigade into the interior parts of the state from whence our supplies are to be drawn. What the Genl will determine on the subject I do not yet know; but it is a disagreeable task to a generous mind to drub a freeman into rendering a service to the public for which a reasonable compensation is due, and yet no compensation can be given though perhaps much wanted.

“Having lived several years in a no[r]thern climate where such snows as we have lately had are common, I form perhaps a very different Idea of what the roads must soon be, from what a person unaccustomed to such snows probably would; which of our opinions are best founded time must discover.

“Should Congress think proper to call upon the State to nominate one from their own body to fill my present station, perhaps an uncommon confidence in him might obtain that unlimited credit from the people which (tho’ absolutely necessary) I can have no right to expect Every assistance in my power shall be readily granted him” (DLC:GW).

2Daniel Hale (d. 1821) of New York was an assistant quartermaster general and former assistant to Hay. Earlier in the war he had been an assistant deputy commissary in the northern department. Hale later became a director of the Bank of Albany, was appointed to two terms as New York secretary of state, and served as a state assemblyman.

3On 8 Feb., Congress ordered the issue of a warrant for $150,000 for the use of the quartermaster department in New York (see JCC, description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 34 vols. Washington, D.C., 1904–37. description ends 16:136–37; see also Charles Pettit to Greene, 7 Feb., 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 5:352).

4A copy of Andrew Bostwick’s letter to Hay of 24 Jan. is in DNA:PCC, item 173.

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