To George Washington from Colonel Richard Butler, 13 January 1780
From Colonel Richard Butler
10 OClock P.M. 13th jany 1780
at Ringoes Tavern [Hunterdon County, N.J.]
Sir
In Compliance with your Excellency’s Orders1 I have been Endeavouring to Obtain the Supplies Required in the County of Hunterdon, & am happy to find the Magistrates & Inhabitants Apparantly Disposed to do Ev[e]ry thing in their power, but the Inclemency of the weather is Such that I fear their promises Cannot be performd in the time Specified but I Still hint the Necessity of my laying hand too in Case they do not perform.
I have thot it the most speedy meathod to Call on the Magistrates of the Different Districts which I hope will Ansr the Purpos⟨e⟩; In Col. Taylors Col. Beavers & Col. Chamberlains I am Promisd 2100 Bushells of wheat & 133 Cattle to be Deliverd on Monday Tuesday & Wednesday Next2 being the Sixth day after the Respective Requisitions. Tomorrow I go to Col. Phillipss where I hope to obtain A good many Cattle & A tollerable Supply of wheat—Exclusive of the Above Quantity—the flour of Col. Jno. Taylors District I Expect will go on tomorrow as his & Col. Berrys Mills Can go well & I Assure your Excellency, I am much beholden to Col. Taylor who has Sh⟨ow⟩n himself the Pattron & Publick friend & beg leave to Mention him in A Particular maner to your Excellency.3
I Shall write from maiden head,4 & from that (which is the last District) Proceed to the Place I have Directed the Grain & Cattle to be brot to in order to See that the full quotas are furnishd before I Return to Camp.
I have Set Some of my Party to Clear the Ice from the Mills & Shall Endeavour to dispose of them to the best Advantage in forwarding your Excellencys wishes—& Evry thing in my Power Shall be done to Obtain the Supplies, I have observd A Number of Sledges going on with flour & other Provisions which makes me less Anxious to Send on unground Grain, but if your Excellency thinks it Necessary you will please Signify it pr Bearer & it Shall be Done. I Am Sir with Real Respect your Excellencys Most obedt Hbl. st
R. Butler Col.
ALS, NjMoHP; Sprague transcript, DLC:GW.
1. See GW to William De Hart, 8 Jan., a version of which was sent to Butler; see also Circular to the New Jersey Magistrates, 7 January.
2. The next Wednesday was 19 January.
3. In addition to being magistrates of Hunterdon County, N.J., John Taylor, William Chamberlain (1736–1817), Joseph Beavers (c.1728–1816), Joseph Phillips, and Ebenezer Berry were officers of the county’s four militia regiments. Taylor, Beavers, and Phillips were colonels of the fourth, second, and first regiments, respectively. Chamberlain was lieutenant colonel of the second regiment and Berry was second major of the fourth regiment.
4. Maidenhead, now Lawrenceville, is six miles north of Trenton in what is now Mercer County, New Jersey.