To George Washington from Pierce Butler, 30 November 1794
From Pierce Butler
Hampton,1 State of Georgia, Novbr the 30th 1794
Sir
I feel it a duty incumbent on me, to inform You, that there is a defect in the Arrangement made fo⟨r⟩ geting Timber in this State, to build the Frigates with. I do not observe anything wrong in the Overlooker, Mr Morga⟨n⟩ but there is a deficiency some where; And unless it is timely Corrected, the Ships might as well, were it possible, be Built of Bars of Silver as of Live Oak.2 I have the honor to be, with great respect, Sir, Yr Most Obedient Servant
P. Butler
ALS, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters.
1. Butler’s Hampton Point plantation was located on Saint Simons Island.
2. GW referred this complaint to Henry Knox on 23 Dec. and replied to Butler on 7 Jan. 1795. John T. Morgan, a Boston shipwright, had been given a contract in June to procure timber and supervise the cutting in Georgia. He also was contracted in August to build a frigate at Norfolk, Va., but his duties in Georgia prevented that (Tench Coxe to Morgan, 12 June, and Coxe to Henry Knox, 16 June, DNA: RG 75, Letters of Tench Coxe, Commissioner of the Revenue, Relating to the Procurement of Military, Naval, and Indian Supplies; Knox to Morgan, 8 Aug. 1794, and Timothy Pickering to Morgan, 30 June 1795, DNA: RG 45, Secretary of the Navy Requisitions on Secretary of the Treasury).