To George Washington from John Beatty, 23 February 1780
From John Beatty
Commissy Prisrs Office Febry 23d 1780
sir,
The declining State of my private family Concerns, renders it a duty incumbent on me to pay a Stricter attention thereto, than is compatible with a continuance in the Public Service. I am to request therefor that your Excellency will please to conceive of me as ⟨r⟩esigning the office of Commissary of Prisoners and am to entreat that some Person may be Authorized to receive such information and papers from me as immediately respect the office.1
Mr Skinner with your Excellency’s permission, will attend and do the usual Duty until such appointment shall take place, and I am further to inform your Excellency that by appointment I am to meet the British Commissaries on Wensday the first day of March next, then to adjust and settle all accounts which respect the Exchanges of Privates and Seamen, in this case it will be necessary I should have your Excellencys permission and Passport.2 I am with the highest respect Your Excellency’s mo: Obt and most Hume Servt
Jno. Beatty Com: Gen: Prisrs
LS, DLC:GW.
1. No permanent appointment of a successor to Beatty took place until 15 Sept., when Congress appointed Abraham Skinner as commissary general of prisoners (see 18:828).
2. No reply from GW has been found, but in a letter to Samuel Huntington, dated at the office of the commissary of prisoners on 25 Feb., Beatty informed Congress of GW’s reply. The letter reads: “Inclosed I have the honor to transmit you a duplicate of a Letter a few days since presented to His Excellency the Commander in Chief who was pleased to return for answer that as my appointment was immediately from Congress he did not conceive himself Authorized to accept of my resignation without their privity and Concurrence I am now therefore to request that your Excellency will please to lay my Letter before that Honble Body and that I may be favoured with your Answer as soon as it may be decided on” (DNA:PCC, item 78). The duplicate of Beatty’s letter to GW of 23 Feb. has not been found. Congress accepted Beatty’s resignation on 31 March (see 16:319).