To George Washington from Lieutenant Colonel Udny Hay, 6 January 1781
From Lieutenant Colonel Udny Hay
Poughkiepsee [N.Y.] 6th Jan. 1781
Sir
Of the five boats which arrived here last night in consequence of your Excellencys orders,1 I have sent four to a mill where there are eighty five barrells of flour about twelve miles above this, the other have sent back with a vessell which I have procured at this place and is now loading with about a hundred barrells, this boats even assists in towing the vessell down should it prove calm, and has orders to call at a mill about eight miles below this where there are twelve or fourteen barrells.
Lett me again request your Excellency will be so good as order some more boats up if the State of the river will permitt, they are for many reasons preferable to vessells.
I have acquainted some of my principal Assistants with what has lately happend in Jersey, on purpose to accelerate their endeavours in getting flour down to the Fort,2 but have endeavoured to do it in a way that will not alarm them too much.3 I am with the utmost respect, Your Excellencys, most obedient and very humble Sert
Udny Hay
Boats enough are this moment arrived to carry one hundred barrells they sett off immediately to Esopus.4
ALS, DLC:GW.
2. Hay refers to Fort Clinton, the main bastion of the defensive works at West Point. Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene changed the name of the fort, formerly known as Fort Arnold, shortly after the discovery of Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold’s treachery (see Greene to GW, 13 Oct. 1780).
3. Hay alludes to the Pennsylvania line mutiny (see Anthony Wayne to GW, 2 Jan., and the source note to the document).
4. No reply from GW to Hay has been found.