To George Washington from Brigadier General Jacob Bayley, 3 February 1781
From Brigadier General Jacob Bayley
Newbury [Vt.] 3rd Febry 1781
Sir
I have r[e]ceived Amonition and Cloathing agreable to your Excelency orders,1 have also applied to the State of N. Hampshire for the men they had Leave of Congress to Raise for the Defence of their Frontiers. to be Sent (or a Part of them) to Coos, but have no Encoragement that they Should be raised, which if they do not we Shall be obliged to rais the men amongst our Selves for the Defence of this Frontier.2 and am afraid we Shall not be able to rais our Purpotion for the Continental Army, as I think It is Impossiable for us to Rais both, our purpotion of men from the Grants East of Conecticut River has been more than three Hundred men which have been Supplied to the Continentall Army Pun[c]tually, besids the Militia who has neve⟨r⟩ failed in any Emergency, and I am bold to Say that Private Persons on the grants have done more for the Publick which they have never Receved any Pay for than any other in the other Part of New Hampr. for which they have no Credit nor have Protection now when they are actually much Exsposed to the Enemy, General Burgoin with his Army would have Returnd to Canada if he had not Proceeded to Albany had it not been Prevented by the Exertions of this People in Conjuntion with the Continentall army, I think it my Duty to Inform your Excelency of our Affairs and that we Shall Endeavour to Defend our Selves against the Common Enemy both Enternal and External and that we will do Every thing in our Power for the Establishment of the Independance and Inleargement of the American States, and Beg leave to Subscribe my Self your Most Humble Servant
Jacob Bayley
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. For the ammunition, see GW to Residents of the New Hampshire Grants, 25 Dec. 1780, found at Newbury, Vt., Committee to GW, 8 Dec., source note.
2. For this resolution of Congress authorizing state authorities to raise 250 men for frontier defense at the expense of the United States, see Samuel Huntington to GW, 3 June 1780, n.4; see also , 17:478.