To George Washington from Henry Laurens, 26 November 1777
From Henry Laurens
York [Pa.] 26. Novemr 77
Sir
I beg leave to refer Your Excellency to my last trouble unacknowledged of the 22d by Jones.
Your favor of the 23d containing the Six papers refered to I had the honour of receiving in the minute I was Sitting down to pay my present respects, the whole Shall be duly presented to Congress to morrow.1
I am ordered to convey to your Excellency the undermentioned Resolves which will be found covered with this.2
Of the 25th Inst. that Congress will Speedily take under Consideration the merits of Such officers as have distinguished themselves &ca.
the Same date—for removing John Simpers at his own expence from Confinement in this State to the State of Maryland.3
this date—on means for reinlisting Men in the Nine Virginia Regiments whose times are nearly expired.
& for acknowledging the merit of Monsr Fleury. In consequence of the last mentioned Resolution I shall by this opportunity transmit Lt Colonel Fleury a Brevet Certifying his Rank.
this will go by the hand of a Brother of Simpers who was well Spoken of in Congress by Mr Rumsey from Maryland the poor Man so deeply Interested himself in his Brothers Case as leaves no room to doubt his waiting upon Your Excellency with more than the dispatch of our ordinary Messengerss.4 I am with very great regard &ca.
LB, DNA:PCC, item 13; ADf, ScHi: Henry Laurens Papers.
1. On the draft Laurens rewrote this paragraph after striking out one that conveys essentially the same information.
2. For the resolutions referred to in this letter, see , 9:965–67.
3. Laurens apparently confused the names of the two Simpers brothers. On 25 Nov. Congress had considered a petition written by John Simpers, which reported “that his brother, Thomas Simpers of Cœcil county, in the State of Maryland, was taken into custody at the Head of Elk, in the said county, about the 1st week of September last, on suspicion of having dealt with the English army then at Elk, and carried to the American army, then in the Delaware State, put in the provost guard, and sent from place to place, and is now confined in Eastown gaol, in the State of Pensylvania, and praying that he may be returned back to Cœcil county, in order to undergo his trial for the supposed offence” (, 9:966). Thomas Simpers (c.1724–1816) and his brother John Simpers (1722–1806) continued to live in Cecil County after the Revolutionary War.
4. In his letter to GW of 30 Nov., Laurens says that he sent this letter by Levillin Barry.