From Alexander Hamilton to Brigadier General Henry Knox, [17 October 1780]
To Brigadier General Henry Knox
[Preakness, New Jersey, October 17, 1780]
Dr Sir,
Mr. Garanger1 has returned from ⟨Philadelphia⟩ with a resolve of Congress ⟨that it⟩ cannot employ him.2 ⟨He⟩ writes me it was because ⟨there was⟩ no testimonial ⟨from the⟩ General or from you. ⟨I assume⟩ the Committee did not transmit your letter. I confess there seems to me something hard in this Gentleman’s case, to be rejected after having taken so much pains and lost so much time to put himself in a situation to be useful. I wish some expedient could be fallen upon to change the footing on which he now stands for a more eligible one. If you really think he may be useful to your corps and will write to The General to that effect, on the supposition that Congress acted on the principle I have mentioned, I dare say The General will interest himself for him in the manner you wish.
Very Affecty
AL[S], RG 93, Miscellaneous Records, National Archives.
1. Captain Lewis Garanger, Continental Artillery.
2. On October 21, 1780, Washington wrote to Knox:
“I have received your letter respecting Mr. Garanger. From the school in which he has been taught, it is probable he possesses a knowledge of Artillery which may render him very useful. Experiment will best decide his knowledge of the practice and it will be the best ground upon which to recommend him to Congress. I request you therefore to send him to West Point to make the experiment, by throwing a sufficient number of shells to make it complete, under your own eye or under the eye of officers on whom you can depend. The sooner this is done the better; and we shall then know whether we ought to recommend Mr. Garanger or not.” (George Washington Papers, Library of Congress.)