To George Washington from Colonel Francis Johnston, 2 July 1780
From Colonel Francis Johnston
Princeton [N.J.] July 2d 1780
May it please Your Excelly
I this moment arrived at Princeton, where I met Lieutt Hurriman of Colonel Nicholas Regt with 82 of the new Levies,1 wh. Your Excelly order’d me to forward to Camp;2 in addition to this party, Captn Lt McL.Hatten of the same Regt has in charge 50 more on his way to Camp by another Route,3 but I am sorry to say that both these parties are unarm’d & totally unprovided—this however, shall not be the case in future, with regard to the Detachments I shall send on, as I shall insist on their being well arm’d if ’tis possible to procure them.
The offr who carries this to Your Excelly informs me, that the numbe⟨r⟩ of New Levies propos’d to be rais’d by the State, will soon, be compleated—they shall meet with no delay on my part, Your Excelly may be assured I shall forward them to Camp with all possible dispatch. I have the honor to be Your Excellys most Obt Servt
F: Johnston
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. William Honeyman (1759–1788) became a lieutenant in the 2d Pennsylvania Regiment in January 1777. He was wounded in the chin and shoulder during fighting near Iron Hill in Delaware on 3 Sept. 1777. Honeyman transferred to the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment in September 1778 and served there briefly until his transfer to the Invalid Corps, where he remained for the rest of the war.
2. See GW to Johnston, 29 June, found at Joseph Reed to GW, 20 June, n.2.
3. William McElhatton (McHatton; d. 1807) joined the 12th Pennsylvania Regiment as a lieutenant in October 1776. Wounded in a skirmish in May 1778, McElhatton lost use of his arm. He transferred first to the 6th Pennsylvania the following July as a captain lieutenant and next to the Invalid Corps in July 1779. McElhatton served in that corps until the end of the war.