Address to the New York Provincial Congress, 26 June 1775
Address to the New York Provincial Congress
[New York] June 26.1 1775.
⟨Gentlemen⟩
At ⟨the same time that with you I deplore⟩ the unhappy Necessity of suc⟨h an Appointment, as that⟩ with which I am now honoured, ⟨I cannot but feel sentiments⟩ of the highest Gratitude for this af⟨fecting Instance of⟩ Distinction & Regard.
May your warmest w⟨ish2 be realized in⟩ the Success of America at this importa⟨nt and interesting⟩ Period; & be assured that, every Exertion ⟨of my worthy Colleagues⟩ & myself, will be equally extended to ⟨the re establishment⟩ of Peace & Harmony between the Mother ⟨Country and the⟩3 Colonies. As to the fatal, but necessary Opera⟨tions of War.⟩4 When we assumed the Soldier, we did not ⟨lay aside the⟩ Citizen, & we shall most sincerely rejoice ⟨with you in⟩ that happy Hour, when the Establishment ⟨of American⟩ L⟨iber⟩ty on the most firm, & solid Foundat⟨ions, shall enable us⟩ to return to our private Stations in ⟨the bosom of a⟩ free, peaceful, & happy Country.
Go: ⟨Washington.⟩
LS, in Joseph Reed’s writing, N: New York Provincial Congress, Revolutionary Papers; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. The LS was badly damaged in the New York State Library fire of 1911. Missing portions of the text are supplied within angle brackets from the Varick transcript.
President Peter Van Brugh Livingston informed the New York provincial congress, when it reconvened at 5:00 p.m. today, “that to prevent mistakes he had obtained a copy of the answer of General Washington to the address of this Congress.” It was read, filed, and ordered to be published with the provincial congress’s address (, 1:56). For the appearance of both documents in the New York newspapers, see Address from the New York Provincial Congress, this date, source note.
Soon after replying to the provincial congress, GW left New York City “attended by the several New-York Military Companies, and likewise by a Troop of Gentlemen of the Philadelphia Light Horse, commanded by Capt. Markoe, and a Number of the Inhabitants of this City” (New-York Gazette: and Weekly Mercury, 3 July 1775). GW lodged this night at King’s Bridge at the northern end of Manhattan Island. Philip Schuyler remained with him until ten o’clock the next morning when the two men parted company at New Rochelle, Schuyler returning to New York City to begin his new duties there. The Philadelphia Light Horse also returned to New York City that day and left for Philadelphia on 29 June. Charles Lee, Thomas Mifflin, and Joseph Reed continued with GW to Cambridge.
1. Joseph Reed wrote “25,” but the date was corrected by someone, possibly GW, writing a “6” over the “5” in heavy ink.
2. The Varick transcript reads “every wish.” Printed copies of the document in the , 1:56 and 2:1, and the three New York newspapers cited above read “warmest wishes.”
3. The wording in the , 1:56 and 2:1, and the New York newspapers is “mother country and these.”
4. Whether the phrase “As to the fatal, but necessary operations of War” was intended to be part of the preceding sentence or the following one is not clear. In the Varick transcript and the , 1:56, the phrase is attached to the preceding sentence with a comma after “Colonies” and a period after “War.” In ibid., 2:1, and Rivington’s New-York Gazette, 29 June 1775, “Colonies” is followed by a period, and “War” by a comma, making the phrase part of the following sentence. The New-York Gazette: and the Weekly Mercury, 3 July 1775, also shows the phrase as part of the following sentence with a colon and dash after “Colonies” and a comma after “War.” The New-York Journal; or the General Advertiser, 29 June 1775, is vague on this point, having a colon and a dash after “Colonies” and a very long dash after “War.”