From George Washington to Colonel Goose Van Schaick, 15 February 1780
To Colonel Goose Van Schaick
Head Qrs Morris Town Feby 15 1780
Sir
I am to request that You will transmit me as soon as possible an exact Return of the number of Noncommissioned Officers & privates in your Regiment; designating in a particular manner1 what proportion of them are inlisted for the war—and the different terms of service of the residue, digested in Monthly columns. You cannot be too expeditious in forwarding me this Return.2 I am Sir with esteem & respect Yr Most Obedt sert
Go: Washington
LS, in Robert Hanson Harrison’s writing, NN: Emmet Collection; Df, addressed to Stephen Moylan, Elisha Sheldon, and Van Schaick, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
On this date, GW sent similar letters to colonels Stephen Moylan and Elisha Sheldon. Except as indicated in n.1, the letter to Moylan contained the same wording as the letter to Van Schaick, but with the following additional text at the end of the letter: “The One transmitted will not answer the purposes for which this is wanted. I have also written to Colo. Sheldon for a Similar Return of his Regiment” (LS, in Robert Hanson Harrison’s writing, owned (1995) by Christie, Manson & Woods, International, Inc.; Df, addressed to Moylan, Sheldon, and Van Schaick, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, addressed to Moylan and Sheldon, DLC:GW). Notations on the draft indicate that the text quoted above and in n.1 was to be included only in the letters to Moylan and Sheldon. The letter sent to Sheldon has not been found.
1. At this point, the LS to Moylan includes the following additional text: “how many belong to this or that State.”
2. This request was prompted by GW’s receipt of Congress’s resolution of 9 Feb. specifying the quota of troops to be provided by each state for the next campaign (see Samuel Huntington to GW, 10 Feb., and n.1 to that document).