From George Washington to Colonel James Wood, 9 April 1780
To Colonel James Wood
Head Quarters Morris Town April 9th 1780
Sir
I have duly received your favour of the 16th of March with its enclosures. The letters from General Hamilton have been sent in.
There are such jealousies prevailing in the country against the British officers in captivity, and they really take so much pains whereever they go to debauch the minds of those they converse with and with so much success, that I do not think myself at liberty to grant the permission requested for the valetudinary officers of the Convention-troops. If you should think the indulgence they ask absolutely necessary, I wish you to address yourself to The Board of war, informing them of my having declined the matter and my reasons for it. Indeed in all cases of a similar kind I would wish application to be made to the Board.
A parole exchange has been agreed upon for Lt Lord Torphicken of the 62d British Regiment and Second Lt Hadden of the Artillery;1 and an actual one for Mr Robert Hoaksley Waggon Master and Nathaniel Collyer As. Dy Commissary.2 You will give these Gentlemen passports to Elizabeth-Town to receive further directions there from the Commissary of Prisoners. A direct route should be marked out to them, avoiding Philadelphia, and the army. I am with great regard Sir Your most Obed. servt.
P.S. When any letters are presented to you which you think exceptionable or too pointed I should be glad you would make the objection on the spot—This will save references which may sometimes be embarrassing.
Df, in Alexander Hamilton’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. In his letter of this date to the Board of War, GW enclosed the letter actually sent to Wood.
1. For the parole exchange of Convention Army prisoners Lt. James Sandilands, 9th Lord Torphichen, and Lt. James Murray Hadden, see GW to Arthur St. Clair, 2 April, and notes 4 and 7 to that document.
2. In a letter to Gen. Henry Clinton written from Long Island, N.Y., on 12 July, Maj. Gen. William Phillips reported “the Arrival from Virginia of Mr Hoaksley Waggon Master General, belonging to the Troops of Convention. This Gentleman was exchanged during the meeting of the Commissioners at Amboy” (DLC:GW; see also both letters from the Commissioners for the Exchange of Prisoners to GW, 26 March [letter 1, letter 2]).
Robert Hoaksley, a merchant in Albany prior to 1775, eventually sided with the British and served as wagonmaster general in Gen. John Burgoyne’s command taken prisoner in October 1777. Hoaksley’s complaints over provisions for the Convention Army reached GW in July 1780 (see Clinton to GW, 19 July, and GW to Clinton, 26 July, both DLC:GW; see also GW to Wood, 27 July, and Wood to GW, 25 Aug., both DLC:GW).
Nathaniel Collyer was a commissary with the Convention Army (see , 2:452). Lord George Germain wrote General Clinton from London on 4 Nov. 1779 with instructions that an exchange be sought for the Convention Army prisoner “Nathan Colbyer” (, 16:207).