George Washington to Meshech Weare, 12 March 1781
To Meshech Weare
Newport 12th March 1781
Sir
Having lately been obliged to make a very considerable detachment from the troops in the vicinity of West point,1 I have been under the necessity of calling upon the neighbouring States to send forward the new Levies which have been raised, and of urging them to compleat their Quotas as expeditiously as possible.2 The same reasons urge me to make the same requests of your State, and to desire that the Recruits may, if possible, be sent forward cloathed; for such have been our repeated disappointments in the Cloathing expected from Europe, that our Magazines are nearly exhausted.3 If the proper Uniform for the troops of the State could be procured, it would be a very desirable circumstance; for we are more deficient in Coats than any other Article.4
I shall be glad to hear from you on the subject of the foregoing5—Your letter will find me at New Windsor, for which I set out tomorrow.6 I have the Honor to be Sir Yr most obt and humble Servt
Go: Washington
LS (photostat), in Tench Tilghman’s writing, NjP: Armstrong Collection; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. GW signed the cover of the LS.
1. For this detachment sent to Virginia, see GW’s second letter to Lafayette, 20 February.
2. A congressional reorganization of the Continental army had set new quotas for troops from each state (see General Orders, 1 Nov. 1780). For similar calls to supply troops, see GW to Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., 21 Feb. 1781, to William Greene, 12 March, and to John Hancock, 17 March.
3. For the clothing scarcity and the failed efforts to transport uniforms from France, see Circular to State Executives, 10 Nov. 1780, and n.1 to that document.
4. For the type of uniform coats designated for Continental infantry from New Hampshire, see Peter Scull to GW, 25 May 1779, and n.1 to that document; see also General Orders, 2 Oct. 1779.
5. Weare replied to GW on 2 April.
6. GW returned to New Windsor on 20 March (see GW to Rochambeau, 16 March, n.1). For GW’s visit to Newport, see his letter to Alexander Hamilton, 7 March, source note.