Ezekiel Cheever to George Washington, 10 March 1781
From Ezekiel Cheever
Springfield [Mass.] March 10th 1781
Hond Sir
In obedience to your Excellencys orders Signify’d to me by Colo: William Sheppard, to prossecute Mr John Collins Alias John Collins late depy Comry Miltr. Stores, before the Court Marshall held at this post for his Trial.
I have attended that duty & hope treated the Cause with Justice and the Court with honour.1
When I Caused Collins to be arrested I determined notwithstanding his late Insolent & insidious practices to treat him as an Officer, and with all the Generosity Justice & duty would permit me.
After he deserted Some Contentious dispositions diligent Observers of Others business altho’ Scandalously negligent of their own, by detraction & ill natured interpretations, of my Innocent & kindly meant intentions, laboured to prejudice the minds of others with an Idea that I did not Cause a guard to be Sett over him purposely that he might Run off. Otherwise he would bring me out for Peculation.
When I directed Commissary Barber at Boston to Send Collins to me at this Post, pursuant to your Excellencys Commands2—I directed him to apply for a proper guard to Escort him to this place, He and his Confedrates then Complained that I was his Cruel and malicious enemy for advertizing & ordering Collins to be brought from Boston to Springfield under Guard innocence is no defence against Envy & malice, Consious of my honest & well meant designs I despise their malevolent & insidious practices.
I take the liberty Sir, to enclose Copy of my letter to Mr Chester, relating the account he was pleased Voluntarily to give me of his Oppinion, Concerning Collins after he deserted. I notify’d Mr Chester a Court Marshall was ordered for Collins Trial, and pray’d he would attend, Otherwise Send me his Written Affirmation which the messenger Sayes He told him he would do, and desired him to Call at the appointed Time for his Letter, which he Sayes he did and was informed Mr Chester was rode out of Town.3
May it please your Excellency, I presume the Slightest examination will Shew the Falsities Contr[a]dictions & absurdities, Collins offer’d in Vindication of his Villainous Conduct.
This Department Sir, Is in a deplorable Scituation for want of Money & other necessary Supplys which I have repeatedly Represented to the hon. board War & Ordnance and Comry Genl.4 My last advise from Mr Hodgdon dated Feb. 5th gives flattering hopes we Shall have Some Relief5—We have n[e]ither Leather to Work or Coals to Burn at present However expect in a few days shall have a Couple Load Coal, to be paid for in the old Way as Country people Term it That is to pay in Work out of the Smiths Shop Vizt an Ax plough Share &c. which must do Otherways Can’t Obtain a single bushel (I have apply’d to Qmr Tuckerman he has transmitted my request to Dep. Q.m.G. Hatch at Boston,6 I have Sent to the Qmr at Hartford, but not any Can be had)7 Frequent demands are made for Articles which it’s not in my power to Comply with for want of necessary Supplies—Colo. Shelldings Corps want their Pistols repaired,8 which Occasioned me to Engage a Trifle of Coal at any rate to Serve the purpose and if furnished with Leather would have had their Saddles repaired &C.
The neglect Shewn this department has Stagnated business rendered it Contemptable and Discouraged all Concerned. I am informed the best workmen are determined to quit the Service, as Soon as the Time they are Engaged for expires, which in a general way will be in Six weeks or two months and apprehend it will be Difficult in Case they are needed to Supply their places—I hope when Collins affair is determined Jealousies & prejudices will Vanish and Justice be had to this Injured & destitu[t]e Department—Ever Solicitious to make my Services acceptable to your Excellency9—I have the honour to be with the most Respectful Zeal, Your Excellencys, Most humble, most Obedient and most devoted Servant.
Ezekl Cheever D.C.G.M.S.
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. In his letter of 5 Feb. to Col. William Shepard, GW had ordered a court-martial to try John Collins, deputy commissary of military stores. For more on the charges against Collins, see Cheever to GW, 2 Dec. 1780 and 13 Jan. 1781; see also Shepard to GW, 7 March. Collins was found guilty (see General Orders, 23 March).
2. See GW to Cheever, 17 Dec. 1780, found at Cheever to GW, 2 Dec. 1780, n.2.
3. Along with others, Leonard Chester, a former merchant of Wethersfield, Conn., had supplied a favorable character reference for John Collins (see Collins to GW, 16 Feb. 1781, and n.3). Cheever’s enclosed letter to Chester, written at Springfield on 17 Feb., reads: “You may remember when I was favoured last with Dineing with You at Your house, we Conversed Concerning Collins Male Conduct, You asked me if I did not know Collins was a Convict: You Said he Certainly was, I Reply’d I am Ignorant of the matter and untill Latley esteemed him not only Capable, but belived him an honest clever Young man, and was prejudiced in his favour by hearing he had kept Your Store, and have aimed to serve him, but was now Convinced he was my Ungratful adversary—You Sir, then was pleased to relate an Extraordinary Instance of his Conduct while in Your Service.
“That one evening Settling with Your Workmen According to Your Usual Custom, you treated them and Supposed Collins did Make too free with the Liquor Circulating—But that he was so haughty and Insulting, You was Constrained to call for a Couple of Your Negro Servants to put him out of Your Storehouse, that he Screamed and Hallowed, in Such a manner You thot he would raise the town … that after this You did not Care to employ him any further—and that soon after he Inlisted in the Continental Service in the Army—You added as You did not hear any thing to his Disadvantage, You thot best to let the matter dye—but Belived he was a Tory, for when General Washington was on his way to take the Command of the Army at Cambridge—Stoped at Weathersfield or Hartford, in Conversation You Observed that You Supposed that Military rules or laws, would soon take place, upon which Collins Expressed himself with great Vehemence, and Damned General Washington and Said if he Should order any Such thing he would be the first man to take him off, or Quiet him, and You knew Collins was an Intimate with——Who Suffer’d at N. York for Conspiring to take the Life of General Washington. You may Sir, Remember my Suprize, and Your Observation that Collins knew Your Eagle Eye, which made him warry when in Your Service.
“I am Informed he has Rec’d a Letter from You and Others in his favour. I dont want or aim to Depericate his real merrit; only prove facts, and am perswaded You Would not Willingly Reperesent any thing to Anothers Injury, Unless You were fully Satisfy’d in the matter—When Collins is brought to Tryal, Shall give You notice And Expect and Depend You’l Confirm the Above Narration” (DLC:GW). A notation at the bottom reads: “Copy Sent Mr Chester by the Hands of Capt. Barton.” The carrier likely was William Barton, captain of the armory at Springfield. For the alleged Loyalist conspiracy in New York that led to the execution of Thomas Hickey, a member of GW’s guard, see General Orders, 27 June 1776.
4. Cheever had complained about shortages of leather in his letter to GW dated 20 Jan. 1781, which GW transmitted to the Board of War on 19 February.
5. The letter of 5 Feb. to Cheever from Samuel Hodgdon, deputy commissary general of military stores, has not been identified, but see n.9 below.
6. Cheever engaged with Abraham Tuckerman, an assistant quartermaster general in Massachusetts, and Jabez Hatch, deputy quartermaster general for New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
7. Cheever refers to Ralph Pomeroy, deputy quartermaster general for Connecticut.
8. Col. Elisha Sheldon commanded the 2d Continental Dragoons.
9. Cheever again wrote GW on 31 March from Springfield: “Monday 26th inst., I was honor’d with your Excellys Commands thro’ the hands of Colo: Shelding to do all in my power to get the arms & accoutrements belonging to his Regt repaired.
“Sir, the destitu[t]e State of this Department for want of proper regard & encouragement, particularly money to pay wages & purchase necessaries and the want of Coal & Leather (which I have remonstrated to the honble board War & ordnance and to the Commissary Genls office) renders it under present Circumstances impracticable, The Asst Comry Genl mr Hodgdon Writes me Feb: 5th, last past, the next weeks post Would bring me an order on Comry Lamb at Boston for Leather Since which I have heard no more of the matter—Colonel Shelding is anxiously Concerned and pressing to have his Saddles & accoutrements repaired which I was Studiously Concerned to have had done last Winter, and might have been effected, if by any means materials for the purpose could have been obtained, in order to Comply with Colo: Sheldings urgent & pressing request, I have engaged Seven hundred or a thousand bushells Coal to be deld in ten days or a fortnight (for which must pass my note for payment in three months); hope then to have the arms & Waggons repaired as expeditiously as possible, May it please your Excellency it’s hardly Concivable the difficulties & unceasiness attending this post for the want of money to pay wages & to answer any pressing Occasions, the quarter master is in the Same predicament with my Self. the expediency of those Evils being Soon remidied is obvious: my best abilities to get Colo: Sheldings demands accomplished, Shall not be wanting, alway’s earnestly Concerned to have my attempts for the Service meet your approbation” (ALS, DLC:GW). The promised order on Robert Lamb, commissary of hides for Massachusetts, has not been identified (see also n.5 above).