To George Washington from Major General Charles Lee, 30 December 1777
From Major General Charles Lee
New York Decr the 30th 1777
Dr General—
As I have the strongest reason to flatter myself that you interest yourself in whatever concerns my comfort and welfare I think it my duty to inform you that my condition is much better’d—it is now four or five days that I am on my parole, have the full liberty of the City and its limits, have horses at my command furnish’d by S’r Henry Clinton and General Robinson—am lodg’d with two of the oldest and warmest Freinds I have in the world—Colonel Butler and Major Disney of the 38th Regt—with the former I was bred up from the age of nine years at school—the latter is a Commilito from the time I enter’d the service in the 44th Regt1 in short my situation is render’d as easy comfortable and pleasant as possible for a Man who is in any sort a Prisoner—I have nothing left to wish for but that some circumstance may arise which may make it convenient for both Parties that a general exchange may take place, and I amongst the rest reap the advantage—I have or can have no request at present, My Dr General, to make but that you will commission some proper Person to recommend the care of my Farm and affairs to Mr Nourse and to Mr White of Winchester2 to give my love to all My Friends, particularly to Green Miflin Reed and Moyland and to be persuaded that I am most sincerely and devotedly yours
Charles Lee
ALS, DLC:GW. Jacob Morris forwarded this letter with a packet of other letters and papers to GW on 21 January.
1. William Butler (d. 1796) served as major of the 65th British Regiment from May 1766 to August 1775, when he became lieutenant colonel of the 38th Regiment. Daniel Disney, who had been captain of the 44th British Regiment since September 1764, was promoted to major of the 38th Regiment in March 1777.
2. Alexander White (1738–1804) of Woodville near Winchester in Frederick County, Va., a longtime business and legal associate of Charles Lee, was an executor and beneficiary of Lee’s will upon his death in 1782. White later served as a delegate to the First Congress from 1789 until 1793, and in 1795 GW appointed him a commissioner of the District of Columbia.