John Jay’s Draft of a Letter from the Continental Congress to George Washington, 2 April 1776
John Jay’s Draft of a Letter from the Continental Congress to George Washington
Philadelphia April 2d. 1776—
Sir
It gives me the most sensible Pleasure to convey to you by order of Congress the only Tribute which a free People will ever consent to pay, the Tribute of Thanks & Gratitude to their Friends & Benefactors.1
The disinterested and patriotic Principles which led you to the Field, have also led you to Glory, and it affords no little Consolation to your Countrymen to reflect, that as a peculiar Greatness of Mind induced you to decline every any Compensation for serving them except the Pleasure of promoting their Happiness, they may without your Permission bestow upon you the largest Share of their Affections & Esteem—
Those Pages in the Annals of America will record your Title to a conspicuous Place in the Temple of Fame, which shall inform Posterity that under your Direction an undisciplined Band of Husbandmen in the Course of a few Months became Soldiers, and that the Desolation meditated against the Country by a brave Army of Veterans commanded by the most experienced Generals, but employed by bad Men in the worst of Causes, was by the Fortitude of your Troops & the Address of their officers next to the kind Interposition of Providence, confined for near a Year within such narrow Limits as scarce to admit more Room than was necessary for ^the^ Encampments & Fortifications they lately abandoned.
Accept therefore Sir the Thanks of the united Colonies unanimously declared by their Delegates to be due to you & the brave officers & Troops under your Command; And be pleased to communicate to them this distinguished Mark of the Approbation of their Country—
The Congress have ordered a ^golden^ Medal adapted to the Occasion to be struck and a golden one, as soon as it can be when finished, will to be presented to You—2 I am &c I have the honour to be with every Sentiment of Esteem, Sir, Your most obedt & very humble servt.
His Excellcy General Washington
Dft, PHi: Conarroe Collection (EJ: 1137). The heading and complimentary closing are not in JJ’s hand. Endorsed in another hand.
1. On 25 Mar. 1776, JJ, John Adams, and Stephen Hopkins (1707–85) of Rhode Island were named a committee of Congress responsible for drafting a letter of thanks to Washington, who had commanded the American forces since June 1775, on the occasion of the end of the siege of Boston and for preparing a “proper device” for a gold medal to be presented to the commander. Their report was made on 2 Apr., and the draft letter was accepted by Congress that day and dispatched to Washington over the signature of John Hancock. As Adams complained bitterly in his Autobiography some twenty-nine years later: “But the Letter a great part of the Compliment of which would have lain in the Insertion of it in the Journal, was carefully secluded. Perhaps the Secretary or the President or both, chose rather to conceal the Compliment to the General than make one to the Member who made the motion [Adams] and the Committee who prepared it.” The version of the letter printed in the modern , 4: 248–49, is taken from the LS version in DLC: Washington Papers, not from earlier editions of the Journals or the manuscript minutes in DNA: PCC. , 4: 234; , 3: 377.
2. The designs for this medal are reproduced in , vol. 3, facing p. 257. The artist was Pierre Eugène Du Simitière (c. 1736–84), a native of Geneva who resided in Philadelphia during the Revolution and executed portraits of many leading political and military figures, including JJ.