George Washington Papers

To George Washington from Colonel Richard Humpton, 21 February 1781

From Colonel Richard Humpton

philadelphia 21st Febry 1781.

Sir

I take the liberty to inclose the memorial of Mr Thos Dewes likewise the request of the President & other members &c. of the Genl Court Martial in his behalf; soliciting that Your Excellency in consideration of his Family Conditions would please to remitt the latter part of his Sentence.1

He is fully Sensible of his Crime and has told me it was Committ’d from an error in his judgement & not with any bad intent to injure the Public—As I was his prosecut⟨or⟩ (thro’ the intercession of his friends) on my part have no objection—and on Account of his Brother who lived at Vally Forge2 I could wish that Your Excellency would order the Sentence not to be publish’d—I mean the latter part. I am with the highest regard & esteem You[r] Excellency’s Most Obedt Humb. Sert

Rich. Humpton Col. 6th P. Regt

ALS, DLC:GW.

GW replied to Humpton on 27 Feb. from headquarters at New Windsor: “I have received your favor of the 21st in answer to which I beg leave to inform you that the sentence of the Court Martial upon Mr Dewees has been long since approved by me and published in General orders” (Df, in William Colfax’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW). For the publication of the sentence against Thomas Dewees, see General Orders, 28 Dec. 1780.

1See Dewees to GW, 20 Feb. 1781, and the source note to that document.

2For intelligence received from William Dewees, Jr., see his letter to GW, 4 Dec. 1777.

Index Entries