George Washington to Major General Lafayette, 8 March 1781
To Major General Lafayette
Newport 8th March 1781. ten oClock P.M.
Dear Marquis
I have the pleasure to inform you that the whole Fleet went out with a fair Wind this Evening about sun set1—You may possibly hear of their arrival in Chesapeak before this letter reaches you—should you not—You will have every thing prepared for falling down the Bay at a moments warning—We have not yet heard of any more of the British in Gardiners Bay—should we luckily meet with no interruption from them, and Arnold should continue in Virginia till the Arrival of Mr des touche—I flatter myself you will meet with that success which I most ardently wish, not only on the public but your own account.2 I am with the sincerest Esteem Dear Marquis Yr &.
Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. Tilghman noted on the draft: “This letter was put under cover to Colo. Miles with directions to send it to the Head of Elk, with orders to the Qr Mr there to destroy it should the Marquis have sailed.” For Samuel Miles, who presumably forwarded the recipient’s copy, see John Armstrong to GW, this date, source note; see also GW to Miles, 6 April.
On this date, GW wrote French minister La Luzerne from Newport at 10:00 P.M.: “I do myself the honor to inform Your Excellency that the Fleet set sail this Evening about Sun set, with a fair Wind—We have not yet heard of any movement of the British in Gardiners Bay—A few days must determine whether they intend to give us any interruption” (LS, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, FrPMAE).
1. For the sailing of the French fleet, see Destouches to GW, this date, and the source note to that document.
2. The British fleet did not sail until 10 March. Vice Adm. Marriot Arbuthnot wrote the Earl of Sandwich, first lord of the admiralty, on 30 March: “On the 9th I dispatched two frigates to look into Rhode Island, who returned the next day and informed me that the enemy were sailed; but we were at this time out of Gardiner’s Bay in pursuit of them.” The British fleet consisted of seven ships of the line, plus the 50-gun Adamant and four frigates, an equal match for the French, but the British had lost two days. As Arbuthnot explained to Sandwich, his “only hope consisted in arriving at the Chesapeake so close after them as to put it out of their power to accomplish their machinations, and therefore did all that in me lay to lose no time to this end” (, 4:166–70, quotes on 167–68). Being copper-bottomed, Arbuthnot’s warships sailed faster and overtook the French fleet at daylight on 16 March. For the resulting Battle of Cape Henry, see Destouches to GW, 19 March.
GW again wrote Lafayette from Newport on 11 March: “I informed you on the 8th in the Eveng that the French Fleet had put to sea. By advices from New London the British did the same yesterday morning with their whole force. They gave out publicly that they were bound for Chesapeak—I think the F⟨re⟩nch had so much the start that they will first reach that Bay, but as there is no accounting for the delays and accidents of the sea I have given you this notice, lest you, upon hearing that a Fleet had arrived below, might take it for granted that it was a friendly one and fall down—You will now see that precaution on that head is more than ever necessary—That success may attend you is the sincere wish” (Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).
GW wrote La Luzerne on the same date: “I did myself the honor to inform your Excellency that the French Fleet put to sea on the evening of the 8th: By advices from New London, the British in Gardine⟨r’s⟩ Bay, did the same yesterday morning. They took their sick on board and departed with th⟨eir⟩ whole force—They gave out that they were destined for Chesapeak.
“From appearances, a meeting of the two Fleets seems unavoidable—Their force nearly equal—and the issue of a naval combat was perhaps never more interesting. I will, however, hope that the good fortune, which has hitherto attended our Allies, will not desert them on the present occasion” (LS, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, FrPMAE; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).