From George Washington to Major General Robert Howe, 1 June 1780
To Major General Robert Howe
Head Quarters Morris Town 1st June 1780
Dr Sir,
We have received advice from New York, published by authority, of the surrender of Charles Town.1 As I dare say you will have seen the hand bill and as I am pressed for time, I shall not go into particulars.
A person from Amboy reports that he saw the day before yesterday One hundred sail of vessels enter Sandy Hook.2 This if true can be nothing else than Sir Henry Clinton returned with the whole or a part of his force.3 There is every reason to believe, that encouraged by his success to the Southward and by the distresses of the garrison he may resolve on an immediate attempt upon West Point. You ought to be prepared for it by collecting your force and redoubling your vigilance especially towards the water.
We shall immediately impress a number of waggons to forward you a considerable supply of flour from this place4—I have also written to The Governor of Connecticut to interpose the authority of government for forwarding with all possible dispatch a quantity of salted meat from Connecticut, and for keeping up supplies of fresh.5
To give you however a temporary aid, I would have you immediately collect principally in the Counties towards the enemy a number of cattle in the manner least distressing to the inhabitants. This will enable you to spare your salted provision—You can have the cattle in your neighbourhood. With the greatest regard I am Dr Si[r] Your most obed. ser.
Df, in Alexander Hamilton’s and Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
2. GW received this intelligence from Brig. Gen. William Maxwell, who wrote GW’s secretary Robert Hanson Harrison from “The West farms” on this date: “a Sergt of ours yesterday informs that he was on the top of a House in Amboy the day before yesterday in the afternoon, and saw above one hundred sail of vessels come into the Hook, and they were still coming in at the close of the day” (DLC:GW).
3. On 2 June, Col. Elias Dayton wrote Harrison in part: “I received yours of yesterday respecting the arrival of a fleet in N. york, had such a thing hapened I should certainly have known it in twelve hours, since receiving your favour I have two seperate accounts from N. York am positive no fleet had got into that yesterday” (DLC:GW). Harrison docketed the letter “Two letters from Col. Dayton,” indicating that it probably was accompanied by a letter from Dayton to Maxwell of the same date that reads in part: “Last night when the horseman arrived with your letter from Lt Col. Conway I found nothing could be positively determined from it respecting the fleet, therefore I omitted forwarding it until this morning that I might be able to say with some degree of certainty whether your accounts were true or not—I am now authorized to say that nothing more than one or two vessels have arrived in N. york within the last three days” (DLC:GW).
4. See GW to Howe, 3 June.