From George Washington to Brigadier General Anthony Wayne, 12 March 1778
To Brigadier General Anthony Wayne
Head Quarters [Valley Forge] 12th March 1778
Sir,
You will see by the inclosed Letter that your presence in Camp is essential to settling matters of importa⟨n⟩ce.1 you will therefore leave pr⟨oper⟩ instructions with the next in com⟨mand⟩ and return as speedily as p⟨ossible⟩ to Camp. I am Sir Your most obedt Servt
Go: Washingt⟨on⟩
LS, in John Laurens’s writing, anonymous donor. Where the document has been mutilated, the conjectured characters are supplied in angle brackets.
1. The enclosure was a letter to GW, which was docketed, apprently by Wayne, “12th March 1778 Genl Reed” and read: “I fear the Arrangement of the Pennsylv. Battalions will be very inconviniently delayed if Gen. Wayne should stay out of Camp much longer—as he is the only General Officer of this State whose Assistance we can expect. If his Stay in Jersey is not very important I submit it to your Excelly whether it would not be best to call him into Camp as the whole Business of the Arrangement &ca now waits for him” (PHi: Wayne Papers). The congressional camp committee evidently was considering the arrangement on 19 Mar., when GW transmitted “a list of the Field Officers in the Pensylvania line” to it. On 27 Mar., Wayne reported to Thomas Wharton, Jr., president of the state’s supreme executive council, that “It’s at last Concluded to throw the Pennsa Troops into one Division after Reducing them to ten Regiments” (PHi: Wayne Papers).