Circular to the States, 20 February 1780
Circular to the States
Head Qrs Morris Town February 20. 1780
Sir
Your Excellency will have received I make no doubt, a Copy of an Act of Congress of the 9th Instant, ascertaining the Quotas of non commissioned Officers and privates to be furnished by the Respective States for the ensuing Campaign, and directing all the Men in any of the additional corps—the Guards—artillery and Horse—and the Regimented artificers in the department⟨s⟩ of the Quarter Master General & Commissary General of Military Stores, as well as those of the Battallions in the State lines, whose times of service do not expire before the last of September next, to be counted as part of the Quotas of the States to which they respectively belong.1 The Quota of the state of Connecticut is fixed at 32382—and I have now the honor to inclose Your Excellency a Special Return of the Non commissioned Officers and privates in her Eight Battallions3 and of those belonging to her in Lamb’s Artillery—& Livingston’s—Hazen⟨’s⟩ Sherburne’s—& Webb’s Regiments and Major Gibbs’s Corps of Guards;4 designating in a particular manner, the proportio⟨n⟩ engaged for the War—and by Monthly columns the periods when & in what proportion the services of the Rest will expire.5 Your Excellency will observe by the Act, that the Men whose engagements expire before the last of September, as I have already taken the liberty to mention, are not to be counted as part of the 32386—and therefore, according to the Return inclosed, the deficiency to be7 raised8 is 1569.9 There are however One or Two10 Corps besides those I have mentioned, not acting immediately with this part of the Army in which there may be some Men belonging to the State11—and I consider it as an unlucky circumstance that I have not such Returns of them in my possession as will ascertain the point and the credit to which the State may be entitled in consequence.12 Colo. Sheldon’s is the principal Corps under this description—and I have written both to him & Colo. Moylan, to furnish Your Excellency without delay with a particular state of the Men in their Regiments, which may belong to the State. I also expect Returns of13 One or two more corps14 in the course of a few days, when,15 if there should happen to be any Men in them in which you are more particularly interested,16 I shall take the earliest occasion17 to communicate it and their number.18 I have thought it more adviseable to transmit the present Return than to delay it till those of every little detached Corps could be collected, as the want of these, admitting there should be a few ⟨men in some⟩ of them belonging to the State, can make no material difference with respect to the deficiency to be levied—and as the postponing the business on that account would interfere essentially with the views of Congress and indeed entirely defeat them, as to the time assigned for the Recruits taking the Field.19 At any rate this must be found too short for those of the more remote States, and especially where their Legislatures are to be convened. I would observe before I conclude, that this Return bears the fullest number of Men under every description, that the State can have in20 her Eight21 Battallions and the Other Corps which it comprehends—and they would most probably be found, if an actual inspection could take place, to fall a good deal short of the complement, as there is always a material difference between an Army on paper and it’s real efficient strength. A comparative view between the Total of an Army as borne upon every General Return—and the Column of the present fit for duty and the Absentees that can be satisfactorily accounted for, demonstrates this beyond question. I have the Honor to be with the highest esteem & respect Yr Excellency’s Most Obedt servant
Go: Washington
LS, in Robert Hanson Harrison’s writing, addressed to Connecticut governor Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., Ct: Trumbull Papers; LS (fragment), in Harrison’s writing, addressed to New York governor George Clinton, N-Ar: George Clinton Papers; LS, in Harrison’s writing, addressed to Rhode Island governor William Greene, R-Ar; LS, in Harrison’s writing, addressed to Maryland governor Thomas Sim Lee, MdAA; LS, in Harrison’s writing, addressed to New Jersey governor William Livingston, Nj; LS, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, addressed to Delaware governor Caesar Rodney, offered for sale by Remember When Auctions, 18 July 1998, catalog no. 44; Df, in Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; copy of the circular addressed to Greene, MH; Sparks transcript, addressed to Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council president Joseph Reed, MH; two Varick transcripts, one dated 20 Feb. and one dated 24 Feb., DLC:GW. A note in Trumbull’s writing on the docket of the LS addressed to him reads: “recd 7th March.” There are variations in the wording and phrasing of the several circulars; where these extend beyond minor differences, they are noted below. Notes in Harrison’s writing on the docket of the draft indicate that the circular letters addressed to the executives of Massachusetts and New Hampshire were dated 24 Feb., and that the executive of Virginia had been “written ⟨to⟩ before” on this subject (see the notes below and GW to Thomas Jefferson, 26 Dec. 1779).
The circulars addressed to Lee and Reed have a postscript. The postscript of the letter to Lee reads: “According to an Abstract Return obtained from the Muster Master General in October—The German Battallion amounted in the whole to 208 Men—out of which number the Inlistments of 66 expire before September. There will then be, supposing all the Men alive, 142 engaged for the War; but I cannot determine what proportion of these belong to Maryland or pennsilvania. In December there were 53 Men of the late Rawlins’s Corps at pittsburg; but the terms of their inlistments are not known; nor can I say whether they are now in service.
“I have this minute received a State of the pennsilvania part of the German Battallion, by which it appears that 116 of the 142 Men inlisted for the War belong to her. Hence it seems that Maryland is only entitled to a credit of 26 in this Corps.” GW signed the postscript.
The postscript of the letter to Reed is similar, except that it does not include the sentence regarding Col. Moses Rawlings’s regiment and the sentence regarding the crediting of the twenty-six Maryland men enlisted for the war in the German Battalion. It also adds the following paragraph: “By a common regimental return in December the 8 Pennsylvania (Brodhead’s not in the State transmitted) amounted in the whole to 189 non commissioned officers and privates and Morehead’s Independent Corps to 18; but how their enlistments stand I cannot precisely tell. I have been informed however, that they are generally for limited and short periods.” A draft of these postscripts follows the draft of the 20 Feb. circular in DLC:GW.
The first part of the circular addressed to the Massachusetts Council, dated 24 Feb., is similar in most respects to the circulars dated 20 Feb., but after the location identified by n.5, the text of that circular has significant variations and reads: “This Return so far as it concerns the Fifteen Battallions of the State, is rather old, being copied from One made the [ ] of December last, and possibly may not be entirely accurate, on account of some changes that may have happened since that period but I think it probable that it is substantially so. I have however called upon General Heath or the Commanding Officer of the Highland posts to send me a New One—and also, to prevent delay, to forward Your Honorable Board a Duplicate, after the receipt of which I shall take the earliest occasion to transmit You a Copy besides, in case I find that it materially varies in the instance of Men inlisted for the War from the present One. There are Two or Three small detached Corps in the Army—of which I have not obtained Special Returns—and in which possibly there may be a few Men belonging to the State: if this should be the case when they are procured, I shall do myself the Honor of communicating it and their number. Your Honourable Board will observe that by the Act, as I have already taken the liberty to mention, the Men whose engagements expire before the last of September, are not to be counted as part of the 6070 and therefore according to the Return inclosed, the deficiency to be raised is [3,704]. At the time the Return was made of the 15 Battallions— it bore the fullest number of them under every description that they could contain—as it now does of All the Men belonging to the State in the Corps which it comprehends besides, and they would most probably be found, if an actual inspection could take place, to fall a good deal short of the complement, as there is always a material difference between an Army on paper and it’s real Strength. A comparative view of the Total amount of an Army borne upon every General Return and of the Column of present fit for duty and the Absentees that can be satisfactorily accounted for, demonstrates this beyond question” (Df, in Harrison’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW; both dated 20 Feb.; the number in square brackets, where Harrison left a blank space on the draft, is taken from the notes following the draft of the 20 Feb. circular in DLC:GW).
The circular to New Hampshire Council president Meshech Weare, dated 24 Feb., is similar to the 20 Feb. circulars except for minor variations in wording and phrasing. For the one significant variation in this circular, see n.11 (LS, in Harrison’s writing, enclosed in GW to Jeremiah Powell, 24 Feb., Nh-Ar: Weare Papers).
On 24 Feb., GW wrote to Massachusetts Council president Jeremiah Powell from headquarters at Morristown: “From the state of incertainty in which I am, with respect to the post’s going to Exeter, or as to the place where the Honorable the president of the Council of New Hampshire resides, I take the liberty to tran[s]mit a Letter for him to your care, which I request You will be so obliging as to have forwarded by the first safe conveyance that offers. It contains a Return of the New Hampshire Troops. I rely on your indulgence to excuse this freedom” (Df, in Harrison’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).
The circulars to Powell, Reed, and Lee likely were sent on 26 February. On 25 Feb., Harrison wrote to Brig. Gen. Henry Knox, chief of artillery: “Will you be so obliging as to send in to day, Returns of Harisons Crane’s & proctors Regiments, made out as requested by the Order of the [ ] Instant. For want of these His Excellency’s Letters to the States of Massachusett’s bay— pennsilvania & Maryland are delayed on the subject of raising Levies in consequence of the late Resolution of Congress. The General is very anxious to transmit them at least, by Tomorrow morning’s post, accurate Returns of the Men they respectively have in the Field. The Maryland Artillery will be comprehended” (DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 29221). Harrison is referring to the general orders of 16 February.
In DLC:GW, extensive notes in the writing of Tilghman and Harrison follow the draft of the circular of 20 February. In addition to specifying the quota of each state and calculating their deficiencies for inclusion in the circulars, these notes contain data and calculations, apparently compiled after the circulars had been sent, on the strength of each state’s regiments. Some of this data is dated 10 March and seems to relate to letters GW sent on that day to several of the chief executives (see his letters to Livingston [NN: William Livingston Papers] and Lee [MdAA] of that date. Notes on the docket of the draft of GW’s letter to Livingston indicate that similar letters of that date were sent to Powell and Reed [DLC:GW]).
The notes include revisions to each state’s deficiencies, based on returns received since the circulars were sent. After recalculating these for the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, Harrison wrote: “Total of deficiencies to be provided for by the above States according to the Returns transmitted—8,114.
“present efficient force—(subject to diminution by expiration of Inlistments)[:] 8,000 [Total:] 16,114.”
The notes also contain information on Virginia’s troop quotas and deficiences.
1. For this resolution of Congress, see Samuel Huntington to GW, 10 Feb., n.1. Huntington transmitted the resolution to the states in a letter of 10 Feb. (see 14:405–6).
2. The circular for each of the other executives substitutes the number of his state’s particular quota, which Tilghman and Harrison had calculated in notes accompanying the draft of the 20 Feb. circular. The quotas for each of the other states were: Rhode Island, 810; New York, 1,620; New Jersey, 1,620; Pennsylvania, 4,855; Maryland, 3,238; Delaware, 405; Virginia, 6,070; Massachusetts, 6,070; and New Hampshire, 1,215.
3. The circular addressed to Greene has, in place of the previous three words, “Colo. Angell’s Regiment”; that addressed to Rodney reads merely: “her Battalion.” The circular for each of the other executives substitutes the number of his state’s Continental battalions. These numbers are: New Jersey, three; Maryland, seven; Pennsylvania, ten; New Hampshire, three; and Massachusetts, fifteen. The circular addressed to Reed specifies that the ten battalions referred to were those “with this army.” The circular addressed to Clinton gives no number of battalions and adds the following text at this point: “(except Van schaicks ⟨of⟩ which I have not got a particular ⟨state)⟩.” For this and the other notes referring to the circular addressed to Clinton, the text in angle brackets, where the LS is mutilated, is taken from the printed copy in 5:503–5.
4. The list of these units was tailored to each state. The circular addressed to Clinton reads: “Lamb’s Regiment of Artillery & Webb’s—Sp⟨encer’s,⟩ Livingston’s & Hazen’s Regiments—and ⟨Major⟩ Gibbs’s Corps of Guards.”
The circular addressed to Greene reads: “Jackson’s—Sherburne’s— Livingston’s & Hazen’s Regiments & Major Gibbs’s Corps of Guards.”
The circular addressed to Lee reads: “Spencer’s & Hazen’s Regiments— serving with Harrison’s Regiment of Artillery—in the late Gale’s Artillery Company—Lee’s Corps and the Artillery Artificers.”
The circular addressed to Livingston reads: “Lamb’s Artillery—Spencer’s & H⟨azen’s⟩ Regiments—Major Gibbs’s Corps of ⟨Guards and⟩ Artillery Artificers.”
The circular addressed to Rodney reads: “Hazens and Spencers Regiments and in Major Lees Corps.”
The transcript of the circular addressed to Reed reads: “the German battalion—Spencer’s, Hazen’s & Webb’s regiments—Lamb’s and Procter’s regiments of artillery, and Jones’s and Coren’s companies—artillery artificers— Lee’s partizan corps and Von Heer’s marachaussé troop.”
The circular addressed to Weare reads: “Jackson’s & Hazen’s Regiments and Lamb’s Regiment of Artillery.”
Harrison left blank this portion of the draft of the circular to the Massachusetts Council.
5. The circular addressed to the Massachusetts Council varies considerably after this point in the text; for the text of the remainder of that circular, see the source note.
6. This number varies on the individual circulars as indicated in n.2.
7. From this point, the remainder of the circular addressed to Clinton varies substantially from the copy text; it reads: “⟨levied⟩ would be 321; but the Men of ⟨Van Schai⟩ck’s Regiment who are to serve ⟨after⟩ the last of September being to be ⟨added⟩ to the Return, will make a ⟨very⟩ material difference—if not the ⟨State’s⟩ complete quota. I consider it as an ⟨unluc⟩ky circumstance that I have not ⟨got⟩ this Return to ascertain the point—and ⟨re⟩quest that your Excellency will call ⟨u⟩pon the Colonel to furnish it. There are one or Two Corps besides, of which I have not such Returns as I could wish, and in which possibly there may be a few men belonging to the State. If I find this to be the case when I receive them, I shall take the earliest occasion to communicate it and their number. I write to Colo. Vanschaick by this conveyance to give Your Exce⟨llency a particular⟩ state of ⟨his Regiment, by which⟩ You will be able ⟨to determine whether there⟩ will be any and ⟨what deficiency in the⟩ state’s quota to ⟨be provided for⟩.”
8. At this point, the circular addressed to Lee has the following additional text: “crediting also the 26 in the German Battallion.”
9. The circular for each of the other executives substitutes the number of his state’s particular deficiency of troops, which Tilghman and Harrison had calculated in notes accompanying the draft of the 20 Feb. circular. The deficiencies for each of the other states were: Rhode Island, 567; Maryland, 1,047; New Jersey, 547; Delaware, 31; Pennsylvania, 1,422; and New Hampshire, 695. For Massachusetts’s deficiency, see the source note; for New York’s, see n.7.
In place of the next two sentences in the text, the circular addressed to Greene substitutes the following: “but Colo. Greene’s Regiment is to be added to the Return, of which I have not got a particular state, which will make a material alteration in the deficiency to be raised. I have written to him to furnish Your Excellency with it without delay.” GW is referring to his letter to Christopher Greene of 22 February.
10. In place of the last three words, the circulars addressed to Lee, Reed, and Rodney have “a few.”
11. The circular addressed to Rodney does not include the remainder of this sentence or the next sentence. The circular addressed to Weare ends the sentence at this point and then adds the following sentence: “When I procure these if this should be the case, I shall take the earliest occasion to communicate it and their number.” The circular addressed to Weare leaves out the next four sentences.
12. The circulars addressed to Lee, Livingston, and Reed do not include the next sentence. Instead, the letter to Lee has the following text: “The principal one is the German Battallion.” The letter to Livingston substitutes the following text: “Major Lee’s Corps is the one in which it is most likely that there are some men under this description—and I have written to him or the Commanding Officer of his Corps, to furnish Your Excellency without delay with a particular state of them, if it should be the case.” GW is referring to his letter to Maj. Henry Lee, Jr., of 21 February.
13. In place of the next four words, the circular addressed to Reed has “these.” In the place of the next thirty words, the circular addressed to Rodney has the following text: “those Corps in a few days—when, if there should be any.” The circular addressed to Lee adds the following words at this point: “this and of.”
14. The circular addressed to Lee does not include the next seven words.
15. The circular addressed to Lee does not include the next seventeen words.
16. In place of the previous thirty-five words, the circular addressed to Greene has the following text: “If in any future Returns I obtain, it should appear, that there are any more Men belonging to the State.” In place of the last seven words, the circulars addressed to Livingston and Reed have the following text: “belonging to the State.”
17. The circular addressed to Lee does not include the next six words; in their place, it has the following text: “after obtaining them, to advise Your Excellency of the number of Men in them belonging to the State.”
18. The circular addressed to Rodney ends with this sentence. The circular addressed to Greene does not include the next two sentences.
19. The circulars addressed to Lee and Reed do not include the next sentence.
20. In place of the next seven words, the circular addressed to Greene has “the Corps.”
21. For the circulars that include this portion of the text, this number varies as indicated in n.3.