George Washington Papers

To George Washington from Brigadier General Mordecai Gist, 15 December 1780

From Brigadier General Mordecai Gist

Annapolis 15 Decemr 1780

Dear sir,

Yesterday the General Assembly of this state pass’d an Act to call in the Continental & states money at Forty for One, and an order to give a better circulation to the New Currency no Continental money is to be issued in payment for any contract after the 20th March Next.1

The Tender Law is repealed2—a Bill from the House of Delegates for the Confiscation of British property is now before the senate and is generally believed will pass.3

They have Authorizd an Officer of Major Lees Legion to purchase sixty Two Horses for that Corps on the Credit of the state.4 Measures for compleating their quota and granting Supplies for the Army, I expect will be adopted Next Week.5

The post is Just setting out from this place wch Obliges me to write in haste.6 I have the Honor to be With perfect Respect & Esteem Yr Excellency’s Mo. Obdt Servt

M. Gist

ALS, DLC:GW.

1See “An ACT for calling out of circulation the quota of this state of the bills of credit issued by congress, and the bills of credit emitted by acts of assembly under the old government and by the resolves of convention” (Md. Laws, October 1780 description begins Laws of Maryland, Made and Passed at a Session of Assembly, Begun and held at the city of Annapolis, on Tuesday the seventeenth of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty. Annapolis, [1781]. description ends , chapter 5).

2See “An ACT relating to loans in specie, tenders for debts and contracts in future, and the establishment of a bank for public purposes” (Md. Laws, June 1780 description begins Laws of Maryland, Made and Passed at a Session of Assembly, Begun and held at the city of Annapolis, on Monday the twelfth of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty. Annapolis, [1780]. description ends , chapter 28).

3This legislation eventually passed as “An ACT to seize, confiscate, and appropriate, all British property within this state” (Md. Laws, October 1780 description begins Laws of Maryland, Made and Passed at a Session of Assembly, Begun and held at the city of Annapolis, on Tuesday the seventeenth of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty. Annapolis, [1781]. description ends , chapter 45).

4The resolution adopted on 2 Dec. authorized the purchase of “sixty dragoon horses for major Lee’s legion with the utmost dispatch” (Md. House Proc., 30 Oct. 1780–2 Feb. 1781 description begins Votes and Proceedings of the House of Delegates of the State of Maryland. October Session, 1780. Being the First Session of this Assembly. [Annapolis, 1781]. description ends , pp. 41, 43; see also Md. Archives description begins Archives of Maryland. 72 vols. Baltimore, 1883–1972. description ends , 45:232).

5The Maryland legislature eventually passed “An ACT to raise the supplies for the year seventeen hundred and eight-one” and “An ACT to procure recruits” (Md. Laws, October 1780 description begins Laws of Maryland, Made and Passed at a Session of Assembly, Begun and held at the city of Annapolis, on Tuesday the seventeenth of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty. Annapolis, [1781]. description ends , chapters 25 and 43).

6GW expressed concern that recruits for the next campaign would fall short when he replied to Gist on 2 Jan. 1781 (MdHi: Gist Papers).

Index Entries