George Washington Papers

From George Washington to John Sullivan or the Continental Congress Committee on the Pennsylvania Line, 21 January 1781

To John Sullivan or the Continental Congress
Committee on the Pennsylvania Line

New Windsor Jany 21. 1781

Dr Sir

I am honored with your letter of the 15th1—I have just received the disagreeable intelligence of the Jersey line having followed the example of the Pensylvanian2—This spirit will spread itself through the remainder of the army, if not extinguished by some decisive measure. I shall as quick as possible, at all events, march a detachment to compel the mutineers to submission, and I beg leave strongly to recommend that no terms may be made with them.3 I have the honor to be &.

Df, in Alexander Hamilton’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. The draft has no addressee, but the docket of the draft reads: “To General Sullivan or Committee of Congress Jany 21st 81.”

1. See Continental Congress Committee on the Pennsylvania Line to GW, 15 January.

2. GW refers to the Pennsylvania line mutiny (see Anthony Wayne to GW, 2 Jan., and the source note to that document).

3. See Israel Shreve to GW, 20 Jan., and the source note to that document, and GW to Frederick Frelinghuysen, 21 Jan., and n.2 to that document.

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    Washington Papers
    Title
    From George Washington to John Sullivan or the Continental Congress Committee on the Pennsylvania Line, 21 January 1781
    Author
    Washington, George
    Recipients
    Sullivan, John
    Continental Congress Committee on the Pennsylvania Line
    Date
    21 January 1781

    Reference

    Cite as
    “From George Washington to John Sullivan or the Continental Congress Committee on the Pennsylvania Line, 21 January 1781,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-30-02-0203. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 30, 1 January–6 March 1781, ed. Benjamin L. Huggins. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2022, pp. 231–232.]