To George Washington from Lieutenant John Stagg, 26 June 1780
From Lieutenant John Stagg
[Tappan] Sloat, opposite Tarry town [N.Y.]
June 26th 1780. 6 o’clock P.M.
Sir
I have nothing material, to transmit your Excellency, respecting the enemy’s movements up the North River—this I can say, that a fleet of 55 Sail (a list of which is inclosed)1 lay at anchor directly opposite to Philips’s, about six miles above Kingsbridge—yesterday, between eleven and twelve, they landed some of their troops, not exceeding seven or eight hundred, but took no tents ashore.2
Your Excellency may rely on having the earliest intelligence of any movements on the river.
I have communicated the purport of the above to Genl Huntington, agreeable to yr Excellency’s instructions.3 & have the honor to be, your Excellency’s Most obedient Servt
Jno. Stagg.
ALS, DLC:GW. The cover reads: “⅌ Express.” The letter is addressed to GW at Pompton, New Jersey.
1. Stagg enclosed a document with this date that reads: “Fleet in Hudson’s River … 5,000 Troops said to be on board” (DLC:GW). The shipping consisted of thirty-eight transports (twenty-seven ship-rigged vessels, four brigs, two schooners, and five sloops), fourteen small craft, one sloop of war, one armed snow, and one armed privateer.
2. These ships had carried two British corps from Staten Island to Philipse Manor, N.Y. (see Henry Willis to GW, 24 June, n.1, and Nathanael Greene’s second letter to GW, 25 June, n.3). The transports disembarked “all the Troops” on 25 June (, 234).
3. GW probably gave Stagg, the assistant adjutant general at headquarters, verbal orders. Stagg’s letter to Lt. Col. Jedediah Huntington, this date, 6:00 P.M., is similar to the one he sent GW (DLC:GW).