George Washington Papers

To George Washington from Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons, 4 July 1780

From Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons

Danbury [Conn.] 4th July 1780

Dear General

I have been through most of the Towns in the eastern Parts of this State since I last wrote you;1 and from present Appearances I am inducd to beleive the Recruits orderd for the continental Army will be furnish’d; the orders were so lately made by the Assembly, that the Recruits will be later in the Field than I could have wishd and their Term of Service in general does not exceed the first of January next.

I have Reason to expect near One Thousand will be ready to be forwarded from Danbury by the End of this W[e]ek and I hope the remaining Number will be on by the 15th or 20th of this Month.

The Governor & Council have reconsiderd the Arrangment they had made of the Levies demanded from this State; and have added One Thousand more to the Continental Army;2 the Disposition now made is 2500 for the continental Army 1500 Militia for three Months & Two State Regiments, cal’d 1000, to the first of January being 5000 in the whole—of this Number so far as I am able to judge 4000 will be in the Field before the End of this Month, perhaps I may not form a proper opinion of the Matter, but I don’t remember to have known fairer prospects of raising the Men than at present.

The Hermoine Frigate is in Rhode Island the Governor & Council are desirous she should come to New London & will write to the Captain on the Subject,3 if this & any other Frigate were in the Sound any Operations your Excellency might direct on the Coast of Long Island would be greatly promoted. I imagine a Request from your Excellency to the Officer of the Frigate would have great weight with him and induce him to come into the Sound;4 we have no certain News of the Fleet, the various Reports of their having been seen renders it probable they are on the Coast.5

The Drafts made from the Troops of Horse for filling the continental Army; I have orderd to join Col. Sheldon’s Dragoons until your Excellency’s Pleasure is known respecting them.6 I am Dr General with the greatest Respect Yr Obedt h. Servt

Saml H. Parsons

ALS, DLC:GW.

2On 28 June, the Connecticut council of safety called for a “full Council” to “attend tomorrow, on account of Genl Washington’s requisition to have one thousand added to the number from this State to serve in the continental army for 6 months” (Conn. Public Records description begins The Public Records of the State of Connecticut . . . with the Journal of the Council of Safety . . . and an Appendix. 18 vols. to date. Hartford, 1894–. description ends , 3:117). The council met on 29 June and resolved to raise the state’s Continental regiments to their full strength of 504 rank and file at its meeting on 30 June. Referring to the assembly’s earlier resolutions to raise 1,500 additional men for the Continental regiments and 2,520 militia reinforcements for the army, the council’s resolution noted that to raise the regiments to 504 rank and file required “one thousand men more to be raised to serve in the Continental Army, than is already ordered, and one thousand less to serve in the militia for three months.” The council then ordered that only 1,520 militia be sent to the army and that an additional 1,000 “able bodied effective Men be immediately raised by voluntary inlistment” to serve in the state’s Continental regiments (Conn. Public Records description begins The Public Records of the State of Connecticut . . . with the Journal of the Council of Safety . . . and an Appendix. 18 vols. to date. Hartford, 1894–. description ends , 3:119–21).

3The Connecticut council’s letter to Captain La Touche-Tréville has not been identified.

4In his reply dated 7 July, GW advised Parsons that the French frigate Hermione had just departed Newport, R.I., on a cruise (DLC:GW; see also Heath to GW, 30 June, postscript).

5Parsons is referring to the squadron escorting the transports of the expected French expeditionary army.

6See GW to Parsons, 29 June, found at Parsons to GW, 24 June, n.7.

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