To George Washington from Jeremiah Wadsworth, 3 January 1780
From Jeremiah Wadsworth
Philada Jany 3d 1780
Sir
Notwithstanding the repeated & urgent Applications for Money made by me to the Treasury Board I have not obtained grants sufficient to pay half the Debts contracted for the Supplies already furnished the Army—and have no reason to Expect any more Cattle from the otherside Hudson’s River & on this Side enough could not be obtained to furnish the Army with half a Ration ⅌ day for two Months If I had Money to pay for them and the very great debts due from the Department here make it very improbable that any further Credit can be obtained—It is therefore my Opinion that Your Army can not be supplied with flesh Meat of any kind—I have better hopes respecting the Supplies of flour and beleive a partial Supply of Bread can be obtained. & am not without hopes that the Troops in Jersey may have a full Supply, but as I am no longer Commissary General Your Excellency will not look on this as any promise of Bread from me—tho’ I should have continued to execute the duties of the Office agreeable to the request of Congress in their resolution of the 4th Ulto if not prevented by the total loss of Credit for want of Money to pay my public Debts1—I shall be detained here some days ’till I have laid before Congress a State of my Accounts and then on my Way home wait on Your Excellency & give all the information in my power.2 In the Interim I have the honor to be Your Excellys Most Obet & hble servt
Jereh Wadsworth
P.S. I have laid a Copy of this Letter before Congress.3
LS, DLC:GW; LB (two copies), CtHi: Jeremiah Wadsworth Papers; copy, enclosed in GW to Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., 8 Jan., Ct: Trumbull Papers; copy, DNA:PCC, item 78. The copy sent to Trumbull does not contain the postscript.
1. In their resolution of 4 Dec. 1779, Congress had accepted Wadsworth’s resignation as commissary general of purchases; but to avoid “a failure of supplies” with potentially “dangerous consequences,” they had asked him “to continue in the business of supplying the army” until his successor, Ephraim Blaine, could take over the duties of the office ( 15:1349). For more on Wadsworth’s resignation, see Wadsworth to GW, 29 Oct. 1779, n.5.
2. Wadsworth did not leave Philadelphia until at least 16 Jan.; he carried Blaine’s letter to GW of that date (see the source note to that document).
3. Wadsworth, in Philadelphia, wrote to Congress on this date: “The inclosed is a Copy of a letter I have just written to His Exceelly General Washington. I send it for the perusal of Congress as I suppose it will ocasion a fresh application from him to Congress—and any delay may be attended with bad consequences—I am very certain the army in New Jersey are without flesh meet, fresh or Salt and all oxen that are to be sold in this State are at least Twenty Shillings ⅌ pound and ready money demanded for them the number is very small—and their is little hopes of obtaining them: it is beyond a doubt with me that the army must soon look for food for themselves” (DNA:PCC, item 78).