To George Washington from Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Diriks, 9 February 1781
From Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Diriks
Philadelphia February 9th 1781.
Sir;
Having been informed by Major General Sullivan that the arrangement of the Partizan Corps and Colonel Hazen’s Regiment was left to your Excell:1 I therefore take the liberty to write and represent to your Excellency, that it is now upwards of four Years since I first entered into the Service of the United states as a Captain in the 9th Regiment of the Pensylvania Line, joyned the army and was in the Battles of Trenton & Princeton I was from my Infancy instructed in the art of artillery, and for that Reason was taken out of the Infantry, and had the honor to be appointed first Captain in Col: Proctors Regiment I recruted my Company, but unfortunately I accepted the office of D.Q.M.G. with rank of Lt Colonel in Lord sterlings Divission which was offered to me by General Mifflin, and not being then acquainted with the arangement of the army of these States wherein I then was a stranger I thought that my Rank in the Line went on as is Usual in my Country in Simelar Cases, and in the year 1778 I found my Self left out of the line in the then new arrangement, to Comfort my self in this unexpected disappointment I served as a volunteer in the Expedition against Rhode Island, and was rewarded with a Brevet Commission of a Lieut: Colonel2 at the time when Governors Trumbull & Livingston proposed to the Hon: Congress a Plan of Negotiating a loan in Holland the place of my nativity, and to write letters of thanks to the Baron van der Capellen a Member of the states General, for his attachment to America, and I being intimate with the Baron was desired to Carry and I did accordingly Carry their Letters to holland, and returned with satisfactory answers,3 on my return from holland I applied to the Hon: Congress to be put in actual Military service again, but could not be employed to my wishes;4 I now address my self to your Excellency in hopes that you will be pleased to take my Case into Consideration and to place me agreable To my Rank in Command, in Coll: Hazen’s Regiment or in such other Military Capacity as your Excellency shall think proper, for it would be very disagreable to me to retire with half pay at a time when there is a prospect of having an opportunity of displaying my talents in the art of war to which I was brought up; I humbly beg your Excellency to grant a favorabel answer to this my request,5 and have the honor to be with the greatest Esteem Your Excellency Most Humb: and obedt Servant
Diriks Lt Colonel
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Diriks refers to the new establishment of the Continental army (see General Orders, 1 Nov. 1780).
2. GW had received notice of the brevet commission for Diriks (see Henry Laurens to GW, 6 Nov. 1778). Maj. Gen. John Sullivan had conducted unsuccessful joint operations with French forces against Rhode Island in late summer 1778.
3. For GW’s minor role in this correspondence, see William Livingston to GW, 7 Dec. 1779, and n.2 to that document.
4. Diriks had petitioned Congress on 9 May 1780 (see , 17:416). On 12 July, Congress referred the portion involving his commission to the Board of War (see , 17:608).
5. GW replied to Diriks from headquarters at New Windsor on 21 Feb. 1781: “I have received your letter of the 9th instant. I feel for the disagreeableness of your situation; and should be happy the circumstances of the service would enable me to make it better—but you are sensible of the difficulties in the way of employing officers not attached to corps, in our service.
“It is true that the arrangement of Col. Armands legion has been left to me; but it is now fully officered. With respect to Col. Hazen’s corps the following extract from the act of Congress of the 3d of October, respecting it will inform you on what footing it now stands. It is there resolved ‘That the Regiment commanded by Col. Moses Hazen be continued on its present establishment, and that all non commissioned officers and privates being foreigners, belonging to any reduced regiments and corps be incorporated therewith, and all volunteers from foreign states, who are now in the service or may hereafter join the American army be annexed to the said regiment’ By this you will perceive that you cannot be incorporated with that regiment as an officer of it with your present rank; because its former establishment is still in force. Though the natural construction of the last clause of it does not comprehend you, yet if it could be desireable to you to serve with that corps merely as a volunteer, it certainly could not but be agreeable to me.
“If any thing should occur in which you can be employed consistent with the establishment and tranquillity of the army, it would give me pleasure to promote it” (Df, in Alexander Hamilton’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW). For the quoted congressional resolution, see , 18:896.
On 17 May 1781, Congress resolved that although it had “received the most satisfactory proofs of his zeal and capacity,” Diriks could not be employed in the service of the United States “consistent with the arrangement of the army,” and it directed the Board of Treasury to settle his accounts (, 20:514–15).