1. GW had been in Philadelphia from 23 May to 4 June 1776. For GW’s previous dealings with Calbiac, see GW to Hancock, 9 May, Calbiac to GW, 22, 30 July, and GW to Calbiac, 23 July. McKean wrote on 9 Aug. to John Adams at Philadelphia: “Yesterday I received a Letter from General Washington respecting the Baron de Calbiac, wherein he wishes to know whether any promotion in the military line is intended for him by Congress, and begs that the Letters and Credentials belonging to this Gentleman may be immediately forwarded to him, that he may restore them to the Baron, who complains loudly of their long detention from him.

“These letters and credentials came to my hands as one of the Committee of Qualifications, and upon the establishment of the war-office were delivered to Mr. Secretary Peters. If you recollect, I frequently mentioned the desire of the Baron to have them again to you, Mr. [James] Wilson &c. If the credentials are not with the letters, Mr. Samuel Adams must have them. Be so good as to send all the papers to General Washington, and endeavour to get an answer from Congress respecting the Baron. He seemed to expect the Rank of a Lieutenant Colonel, and I suppose the pay too. He did not appear to me to understand any thing of the business of an Engineer, having been a Captain in a marching Regiment in France” (Taylor, Papers of John Adams description begins Robert J. Taylor et al., eds. Papers of John Adams. 17 vols. to date. Cambridge, Mass., and London, 1977–. description ends , 4:440–42).

Adams replied to McKean on 15 Aug. that “Mr. Secretary Peters, upon my reading your Letter to him, immediately inclosed all the Barons Papers, to General Washington, the Board of War not being inclined from any thing they could learn of the Baron to give him the Rank and Pay to which he aspires. It is impossible for me to know whether all the Barons Letters and Papers are sent, as my Friend Mr S. Adams, before I recd your Letter, was gone to Boston. Mr Peters has inclosed all that were in his Custody” (Smith, Letters of Delegates description begins Paul H. Smith et al., eds. Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774–1789. 26 vols. Washington, D.C., 1976–2000. description ends , 4:682–83).

On 13 Aug. Calbiac wrote Richard Peters: “I received from you, through the hands of General Washington, part of some papers I left with Colonel McKean. There are other very material ones, which I left at the same time, which have not been transmitted to me. I should suppose Colonel McKean sent to your office the whole of the papers together. I have written to him on the subject; but in case you may not hear from him soon, should esteem it a great favour that you would examine in the office if there are no other papers of mine, which have been overlooked. The papers which are wanting are my passport from France, and two letters of service from the French Court” (Force, American Archives description begins Peter Force, ed. American Archives. 9 vols. Washington, D.C., 1837–53. description ends , 5th ser., 1:934).