To George Washington from Major General Nathanael Greene, 6 July 1780
From Major General Nathanael Greene
Camp Precaness 6th July 1780.
Sir
All that I can say, in answer to your Excellency’s letter of the 4th, is, that I see not the remotest prospect of providing anything in the Quarter Master’s Department, but by requisitions to the States.1 Orders have been given for repairing the Boats, and having them in readiness:2 I have great hopes this will be effected; but how we are to get the Oars and Boat-hooks, is beyond my conception. Inclos’d I send your Excellency, a copy of a letter from Mr Sickles at Albany: from which you will see the state things are in there.3 I have no doubt everything will be done, that can be done without Money; but the dependence cannot be great.
The Anchors, Cables &c., mentioned in your Excellency’s letter of the 31st of May, can be had either at Boston, Providence, or Philadelphia. If your Excellency thinks proper to direct the Estimates to be made and laid before the Committee, it shall be done without loss of time; but will not the french fleet be able to furnish these things?
The public business is conducted thro’ so many channels, and dependent upon so many different hands in the execution, that I am altogether at a loss to know what is done, or what is doing; nor will it be in my power to get better information untill I know where, and on whom I can depend.4 I am, with great respect, Your Excellency’s Most Obedient Hume Servt
Nath. Greene Q.M.G.
LS, DLC:GW.
1. GW’s letter to Greene of 4 July, dated at “Head Quarters Colo. [Theunis] Deys” reads: “I shall be glad to be informed whether you have any and what prospects of procuring the several Articles mentioned in my letter of the 31st May—some of them are so materially necessary to our expected operations, that if you do not see a probability of providing them thro’ your own means, no time is to be lost in making specific requisitions from the States most contiguous” (Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).
2. No letters from Greene to his subordinates on this subject have been identified.
3. The enclosed letter from assistant deputy quartermaster Thomas Sickles to Greene, dated 14 June at Albany, reads: “Inclos’d are the Returns for the last month. No disbursements have been made since the first of March, for want of Money. Business of all kinds is at a stand. Colo. Hay has wrote several times for Boards: not one can be had on credit. He also writes for 3000 Oars: they cannot be had without money; nor can we get a Carpenter to do anything; the Batteau-men are daily quitting the service, and unless they are paid by the end of this Month, we lose them all. The Armory and Smith’s Shop is out of Coal, and the Colliers refuse to work, as they can neither get Money or Rum, and many times no provisions.
“Colo. Lewis is now with the Legislator [Legislature] at Kingston, trying what they will do” (DLC:GW).
4. No reply from GW has been found, but see GW to Greene, 14 July (first letter).