To George Washington from Charles Stewart, 22 October 1777
From Charles Stewart
Burlington [N.J.] 22d Octr 1777
Sir
Since I wrote from Haddonfield I have seen Mr Saml Clements who was Guide to the enemy he is a man of business Says they consist of at least 2500 Men mostly Hessians he heard the Word Donnop often mentioned & thinks he commands[.]1 Coll Blaine was at Fort Mercer at 8 OClock this morning and got in Sixty head of Cattle, & Near one thousand Gallons of Spirits are in the neighbd of Gloucester which Col. Ellis with his Militia & Boats which he is collecting will throw into the Fort or on board our Vessells of War next tide2 We have flour plenty on the way from Bordentown & expect to get it in safely by water from Gloucester if the communication by land be cutt off—your Excellency may be assured the Forts Shall not suffer for Supply. Mr Blaine or my Self will tarry in this quarter untill a sufficiency is got in—Col. Ellis has daily and good intelligence from Philada. I wish one of your Aids had a Conference with him. they might meet at Dunks ferry & his information prove of use. I am yr.
ADf, MHi: Stewart Papers.
1. Samuel Clement, Jr. (1737–1784), lived in Newton Township, Gloucester County, N.J., near the headwaters of Cooper’s Creek.
2. Joseph Ellis (d. 1796), who had declined an appointment as a brigadier general of the New Jersey militia in February 1777, was at this time colonel of a Gloucester County militia regiment, and although he took command of Brig. Gen. Silas Newcomb’s New Jersey militia brigade in January 1778, Ellis remained a colonel. In October 1778 he was elected a member of the New Jersey general assembly.