To George Washington from Lieutenant Henry Willis, 25 June 1780
From Lieutenant Henry Willis
White House1 near Kings Ferry [N.Y.] June 25th 1780
Sir
By the last Expresses from Captain Lawrence2 who commands a company of State Troops now stationed [at] a Place called the Sloat3 20 Miles below Kings Ferry I am inform’d the Enemies Shipping have all retired down to Fort Washington—they landed a Party of Refugees and Negroes at Cloaster Dock four Miles below the Sloat on Saturday Afternoon4 and burnt 6 or 7 Houses, and did other Mischief to the Inhabitants of that Vicinity—The Shipping that lay opposite to Tallers Point also about Sun Rise yesterday Morning fell down with the rest so that the Navigation at Kings Ferry is now clear and uninterrupted5—There is nothing further within the Compass of my Knowledge worthy of your Excellencies Notice—I hope your Excellency will excuse my making Use of such Paper as this—It is a very scar[c]e Article here—I have the Honour to be your most Obedient huml. Sert
Henry Willis
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. “White House” refers to William Smith’s country home (see Anthony Wayne to GW, 27 July 1779, n.2).
2. Jonathan Lawrence, Jr. (1759–1802), of New York, joined Col. William Malcom’s Additional Continental Regiment as a lieutenant in March 1777. He served as an assistant adjutant general at West Point from September to December 1778. Lawrence retired from Continental service when Malcom’s regiment merged with Col. Oliver Spencer’s Additional Continental Regiment in April 1779. He subsequently received a commission as a captain in Lt. Col. Albert Pawling’s regiment of New York state troops in May 1780 and rejoined the Continental army in June 1781 as a captain in the corps of sappers and miners. Lawrence left the army in November 1782.
3. Willis is referring to Tappan Slote, New York.
4. The previous Saturday was 24 June.
5. British general Henry Clinton had gone to Teller’s Point, N.Y., on 23 June (see Nathanael Greene’s second letter to GW, this date, n.4).