To John Jay from George Washington, 22 October 1781
From George Washington
Head Quarters near York in Virginia
22d October 1781.—
Sir
As the Transmission of the inclosed paper1 through the usual Channel of the Department of forreign Affairs, would, on the present Occasion, probably be attended with great Delay—and recent Intelligence of Military Transactions, must be important to our Ministers in Europe, at the present period of Affairs:— I have tho’t it would be agreeable both to Congress and your Excellency, that the Matter should be communicated immediately by a French Frigate dispached by Admiral de Grasse. annexed to the Capitulation is a summary Return of the prisoners and Cannon taken in the two places of York & Gloucester—2
I have added, upon the Principles abovementioned a Copy of Genl Greene’s last Action in South Carolina—3 I have the Honor to be Your Excellencys Most Obedient and most humble Servant
Go Washington
His Excellency John Jay Esqr4
LS, UkWC-A (EJ: 18). Endorsed: “ . . . Recd 7 Decr 1781”. LS, marked “Duplicate,” NNC (EJ: 7235). Endorsed: “ . . . Recd 7 Decr 1781”. Dft, in the hand of John Laurens, DLC: Washington, ser. 4 (EJ: 10385). Tr, DLC: Washington, ser. 3A (EJ: 12654). Similiar letters were sent to BF and JA (, 35: 637; , 12: 39).
1. A marginal note identifies the paper as “The capitulation of Ld: Cornwallis.”
2. Neither enclosure has been found, but see Howard C. Rice Jr. and Anne S. K. Brown, eds., The American Campaigns of Rochambeau’s Army, 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783 (2 vols.; Princeton, N.J., and Providence, R.I., 1972), 1: 144–47, 148–49.
3. Enclosure not found, but it was probably a copy of Greene’s letter to the president of Congress of 11 Sept. 1781, describing his victory at Eutaw Springs, a copy of which Greene had enclosed in his letter to Washington of 17 Sept. 1781. See , 9: 328–38, 362.
4. JJ acknowledged receipt of this letter on 7 Dec. in his letter to Washington of 9 Dec. 1781, ALS, PHi (EJ: 1120). He also noted receipt of it in JJ to the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 1782, below. He replied to a similar letter from Henry Knox of 21 Oct., Dft, NNGL (EJ: 90518), on 10 Dec. 1781, below.