George Washington Papers

From George Washington to Major Lemuel Trescott, 19 December 1778

To Major Lemuel Trescott

Head Quarters Middle Brook [N.J.] 19th Decemr 1778.

Sir

I am favd with yours of the 4th informing me of the date of Major Curtis’s resignation agreeable to which I inclose you a Commn for the Majority of the Regt—from the 20th May last.1

I recd a letter from the Board of War in Sepr respecting those men of your Regt who were confined at Easton. I recommended it to them to employ them upon the Works in Delaware rather than let them rejoin the Army as they had shewn so great an inclination to desert to the Enemy. I have not heard since what they did in the matter but will make enquiry.2 I am &c.

Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; copy (extract), in a letter of 9 Feb. 1780 from Henry Jackson to Henry Sherburne, DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 1979; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.

1See William Courtis to GW, 28 April. Trescott’s letter to GW has not been found.

2See GW to the Board of War, 14 Sept.; the Board of War’s letter to GW on this subject has not been found. Col. Henry Jackson wrote to Col. Henry Sherburne on 9 Feb. 1780 that “The twenty men return’d at Easton belong’d to Colo. Henleys Regiment and when marching on to Join there Corps in the Spring of 1778 they attempted to Desert into New York to the Enemy, but their plan being discover’d they were all confin’d in Easton Goal,” and enclosed an extract copy of this letter from GW to Trescott (DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 1979).

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