1. See Mercereau to GW, 8–9 July.

2. New York printer Hugh Gaine wrote in his journal on 1 July: “Weather pleasant, but a Report of Ethan Allen being in Town from the Rebel Lines.” The next day he recorded: “Report of Allen being here prevails and I believe there is some Truth in it” (Ford, Journals of Hugh Gaine description begins Paul Leicester Ford, ed. The Journals of Hugh Gaine, Printer. 1902. Reprint. [New York] 1970. description ends , 2:92).

William Smith, royal chief justice of New York, wrote in his diary entry for the evening of 1 July: “While walking on the Bridge near the Coffee House, John Griffith shewed me a Man sauntering at the End of it, who said Ethan Allen was in Town. … He is Simon Stevens who … was some times a Messenger for Government up the Country. He wanted to carry a Message from Allen to the General. I took him to the Governor, where he revealed that Allen is now at Fowler’s, 3 Miles beyond Kings Bridge, that he came from him to Day. The General gave him a Pass to bring him in to Morrow.” In his entry for 8 July, Smith wrote: “Simon Stevens was at the Provost yesterday. The Mistery is unravelled. The Commander in Chief has seen Ethan Allen. He was exasperated that General Robertson and I knew of his Arrival. To cast a Blind he (Stevens) was sent to Provost. He reveals this to John Griffiths to Day, who reports it to me” (Sabine, Smith’s Historical Memoirs [1971] description begins William H. W. Sabine, ed. Historical Memoirs from 26 August 1778 to 12 November 1783 of William Smith. . .. New York, 1971. description ends , 291, 299).

3. The enclosure has not been identified.

4. For the report on French and Spanish naval operations, see William Heath to GW, 2 July.

5. Mercereau was at GW’s headquarters on 28 July (see General Orders, that date, source note). He may have delivered several intelligence reports from his spies that appear to answer requests GW presented in the unidentified document enclosed with this letter.

On 16 July, Abraham Bancker, signing with his alias “Amicus Reipublicae,” wrote Mercereau from New York City: “They have not yet paid any Attention to Fire Ships or Rafts—The New fort on the East River is built on the Estate belonging to Anthony Rutgers & the other at the Water Works on the North River is on the ground belonging to the Church of England[.] No late Accts from the Southern Army—It is whisper’d that there has arrived here a Vessel from the West Indies with a demand for 4,000 troops to reinforce Genl Vaughan: it is also Said by Some, that they are Soon to embark: if So their chief dependence will be by Sea—I believe they are under no Apprehension of Canada’s being molested, All was Peace there by the last Accts but None have lately come to hand. A Small Fleet Sailed for that Place abt two Months ago, but no troops to Signify only a few Scattering Men that belonged to the Conventi[on] Army—The Ships to be Sunk are 24 in Number & lie between the Tail of the East & West Banks.

“Be Sure always to Send us a late Paper, with it give us the Satisfaction to know how the ⟨Intelli⟩gence is approved of at Head Quarters” (DLC:GW).

Bancker, again signing as “Amicus Reipublicae,” wrote another intelligence report, this one addressed to GW and most likely dated 19 July: “In answer to your last Request we hereby Assure you that the British Admiral Greaves arrived at the Mouth of thus Port on Thursday Morng Last with 6 Sail of the Line, viz., The London of 90 guns, on board of which his Flag is hoisted & the remaining) 5 (whose Names we know not) are each of 74 Guns [.] They lay abt 15 Miles East of Sandy Hook in the Offing, that they ma⟨y⟩ proceed to Sea without any Obstruction—Admiral Arbuthno⟨t⟩ has joined him, with all the Force he can muster, which is 3 or 4 Sail of the Line, 4 Ships of 40 & 50 Guns & Several frigates—Adml Greaves brought with him from Europe 9 Sail, but it is Said, has detached 2 to the West Indies on hearing of the Arrival of the Spanish Armament & concerng the other can give no Acct, Adml Arbuthnot on Adml Greaves appearing, Sent a Letter to the Chamber of Commerce here petitioning their immediate Assistance to furnish him with a Number of Seamen to Supply the deficiency on board their Ships of War & as a promptitude to a Compliance Asserted, that if they would exert themselves, he expected the War in these Parts, will Soon be terminated—They, I am told, returned for Answer, that if he Saw proper to lay an immediate Embargo on all the trading Vessels, they would ⟨stri⟩ve to furnish the Number wanted, Upon which they immediately beat up for Volunteers, who flock’d together in ⟨gre⟩at Numbers, & are hourly increasing—You may judge ⟨th⟩e Spirit which Animates all Ranks, by this Single Instance—Captn Coulthard of the Ship Watt, a Letter of Marque, that fought so gallantly with the Trumbull frigate has offered his Service on the Occasion, with all Surviving Men belonging to the Ship—The most Mo⟨der⟩ate alledged that 400 have already gone on board & all the British Adherents are very much exasperated with the French & Seem determined to pursuit them Shortly & either dash their Hopes or perish in the Attempt—The Particulars we learn from Brooklyn are the following[:] At Brooklyn are Stationed 4 British Regts one comple⟨te⟩ & the rest rather weak & at Lloyd’s Neck, are Fannings ⟨illegible⟩, which is all the regular forces on Long Island[.] Between 3 & 500 of the 4 Regts are on fatigue every day, & are diligent to enlarge the grand Fort, which when finished, will be exceeding Strong, tho’ not Bomb proof, neit⟨her⟩ that on Bunker’s Hill—There are now mounted on the Walls of Brooklyn Fort 17 Pieces of Cannon, all 18 and ⟨2⟩4 pounders, but when compleat will mount 60 P[iece]s & contain 5,000 Men. It is encircled by a large Ditch of 40 Feet in breadth with Picquets in the Middle—There are 3 Redoubts beside, one Situated on an height called Pun⟨k⟩ie’s Barrack, one near the noted Tulip Tree by the East River, & the other near the Center—The first is Constructed for 4 Pieces of Cannon & the two last for two each. The above is from a Person dwelling on the Spot—The troops on Staten Island are the Same as pr last Acct. One Hessian Regt lying in the Huts at the Glebe the 82d Regt which occupy the Height at the Narrows Barton’s Battaln which lie in their old Station, and Buskirk’s [battalion] which removed Yesterday from their Qrs along the Hills to the Huts, built & formerly occupied by the 57th just below the first Redoubt—Governour’s Island is uninhabited entirely, tho’ at Powles Hook one Regt is continually Stationed—Can give no certain Acct of the troops at the Hook or the Nature of their Works as yet, And to procure an exact & concise Acct of all the Troops in this Garrison is next to an impossibility, As our Connection, does not extend much among the Military ⟨th⟩ere. Nor durs We put the Question to those who are fully acquainted with these Matters, ⟨and⟩ if it should come to our knowledge at any Time, y⟨ou m⟩ay rely on being made acquainted therewith—We made a diligent & Secret Enquiry into the State ⟨of⟩ their Provisions, Forage & Fuel—In regard to the former find they are well Supplied with every Kind, So that ⟨it⟩ will be a difficult Matter to Starve them out, Of Forage There is little collected as yet—On Long Island there ⟨is⟩ none at all, but whatever is there exacted from the Inhabitants, which is ⅔ of their Crops, is ⟨brought⟩ to New York & lodged in the Magazines here—At ⟨illegible⟩ Market is (upon a moderate Computation) about 200 Tons of fresh Hay, & we are told abt 100 more at ⟨illegible⟩ ton’s Wharf—At the Forage Yard on Staten Island there is not more than 6 Ton, tho’ Large Quantities depleted in a little Time—The Crops are very light & th⟨ose who brought⟩ last year 10 tons cannot produce this Year above ¼—As to Fuel, they have large a⟨mounts⟩ throughout the different Barrack Yards—I cannot venture to say how many Cords, but their am⟨ounts⟩ are great, I never knew them half so well Supplied ⟨in⟩ that Article” (ALS, DLC:GW). GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman, apparently referring to this letter and to Bancker’s letter of 16 July above, docketed this report “16th and 19 July 1780.”

Bancker, again signing with his alias, wrote another report dated 19 July that duplicates some information in the other 19 July letter. The spy may have addressed it, like most of his reports, to Mercereau for delivery to GW. Bancker appears to have written it before his letter of the same date to GW. The report reads: “There has not the least Syllable been published of Adml Greaves’s Arrival—It is Said for a truth that this Day his Squadron is to Sail in Pursuit of the French who, we learn, are at Rhode-Island, with 7 Sail of the Line, lying in a direction from Point Judith to Conanicut Island. very dull going Vessels, & a Number of Transports, who had landed their Men, amounting to 5,000 French Naturalists, dwelling on the Confines of France & Germany—Yesterday learnt that Transports are to be Sent from hence up the North River to embark the Army under Sir Henry Clinton, but cannot learn where they are bound, Various Conjectures, but nothing certain. Yesterday was brought to Town a Major Hays from New Ark & one of the Commissrs for forfeited Estates & lodged in the Provost Guard—They were taken by a Party under the Guidance of Major Wards Son[.] Some Vessels arrived from England, with a Quan⟨tity⟩ of Merchandise on board & a large French East India Man, taken by Adml Greaves in crossing the Atlantic, is hourly expected in Port ⟨here⟩.

“By one of the aforesaid Vessels we have Accts ⟨of⟩ the Death of Sir Chas Hardy, who is Succeeded by Adml [Sir Francis] Geary as Commander in the [English] Chan⟨nel⟩ Great expectations from Adml Greaves’s Squadron[.] I Cannot learn their Names but their force is ⟨1⟩ of 90, 5 of 74. Adml Arbuthnot has two or three of ⟨74⟩ & one of 64, two or three forty Gun Ships & a Num⟨ber⟩ of Frigates—The Pearl rated at 32, mounts ⟨illegible⟩ By Some English Prints which I am in hope to procure & Send you early Next Week, you ⟨will⟩ acquire a more distinct Idea of the distracted State of the British Empire” (DLC:GW).

Mercereau visited GW’s headquarters again in August (see Mercereau to GW, 25 Aug.). While there, he evidently delivered to GW more reports from Bancker. Two reports written in late July and early August are in DLC:GW. The first letter, only a portion of which contained relevant intelligence, reads in part: “My last to you was the beginning of the Week, when I forwarded all that came within my knowledge, Since whi⟨ch⟩ Nothing Material has occurred excepting the debarkation of the troops on Long Island—Which are the whole force that was destined for Rhode Island, they extend from White Stone to Jamaica—They are waiting for a reinforcement from Chas Town, which are Sent for by an dispatch Vessel—The Packet is to Sail the first of Next Week, it is Supposed our Commandant will go with her as he is to review the Militia on Monday who exercised Weekly & are to be disciplined, that in Case of Need, they may be able to Stand on the defensive—We have Accts from the West Indies that Commodore [Robert Boyle] Walsingham has effected a junction with Adml Rodney, by which they are enabled to act offensive⟨ly⟩ against the French and Spaniards” (DLC:GW). The mention of a British debarkation on Long Island dates this report to c.31 July (see GW to Rochambeau, 27 July [second letter], n.3).

The second report from Bancker, signed “Amicus Reipublicae” and dated at New York on 1 Aug., is badly faded with large portions illegible, but under the signature, Bancker wrote: “Beware of one Pool who goes out ⟨from here⟩ as a Spy” (DLC:GW). For more on Thomas Pool and his activities, see Benjamin Tallmadge to GW, 12 Aug., and n.4 to that document.