To George Washington from Major General William Heath, 21 June 1780
From Major General William Heath
Providence June 21. 1780
Dear General
The General Assembly of this State have passed a resolve to raise the number of men required to compleat their Battallions; and have, I am informed, directed that they be Sent to me to be mustered, and ordered to their destinations.1 I shall immediately order two or three officers from Colonel Green’s Regiment, with Some Serjeants to receive them here, and put them to the drill. It is probable that they will be Some time collecting, As the first attempt is to enlist them if possible by the first of July next. I request your Excellencys directions how they are to be forwarded to the Army, and what proportion of them. I do not know that there is one officer here belonging to the regiments with the Army to receive and march the recruits on.
This morning a number of Officers belonging to the Continental Frigates taken by the Enemy at Charles town, arrived here in a Cartel. they inform me that Major General Lincoln, and Capt. Whipple are gone to Philadelphia.2 from whence they are going home, and will probably be at Head Quarters before this reaches you. General Clinton is said to have gone to Some part of Virginia with a principal part of the Brittish Army—a principal part of their Ships of war are Supposed to have gone to New York. Lord Cornwallis had march’d from Charlestown with about 2000 men towards North Carolin⟨a⟩.3
Captain La Touch of the Frigate Hermione has just now been here. He is very desirou⟨s⟩ that a Captain Peter Duville (a native of Canada & well acquainted with the Sea Coast at the Eastward, who was a Lieut. in the Continental Frigate Queen of France and is now a prisoner on Parole) may be exchanged as soon as possible—as Captaine La Touch wishes to have him on board his ship.4 I have the honor to be With the greatest respect Your Excellencys Most obedient Servt
W. Heath
LS, DLC:GW; ADfS, MHi: Heath Papers. GW replied to Heath on 29 June.
1. In its June session, the Rhode Island legislature passed “An Act for raising, and sending into the field, six hundred and ten men, to recruit the Continental battalions raised by this state, under the command of Colonel Christopher Greene, and Col. Israel Angell.” The act called for each town to raise specified numbers of men by voluntary enlistment. The new enlistees were to rendezvous at Providence by 1 July and “continue in service until the 1st day of January next, unless sooner discharged.” The men were “to be mustered and received by the Continental officer” then commanding at Providence (, 9:101–4).
3. British general Henry Clinton and the troops with him sailed directly to New York after leaving South Carolina (see David Forman’s second letter to GW, 17 June, n.2, and GW to George Clinton, 20 June, n.11). Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis, who commanded the army remaining in South Carolina, sent troops to occupy posts throughout that state, but he did not immediately invade North Carolina.
4. Peter (Pierre) Deville (Douville), formerly master of the merchant vessel Amiable Maria, served as a lieutenant on the Continental warship Alfred from later 1776 to March 1778, when British warships captured the ship off Barbados.