1. GW conveyed only a portion of largely mistaken intelligence, which he quickly realized (see n.3 below). For the movements of the British embarkation that eventually departed for Virginia, see Elias Dayton to GW, 9 and 15 March, and the notes to those documents.

Maj. Gen. William Heath had written GW’s aide-de-camp David Humphreys from West Point on 15 March, 8:00 A.M.: “The enclosed Letters from Capt pray came to hand this moment Heaven grant the News of the Capture of the Traitor Arnold may be true please forward this Intelligence to His Excellency” (MHi: Heath Papers). The enclosed letters to Heath from Capt. John Pray were written from Nyack, N.Y., on 13 (Tuesday) and 14 March (both DLC:GW). The earlier letter transmitted a report from an informant “that the fleet that Sail’d with Troops last Wednesday has Return’d to the Wartering place with the Troops on board, and while he was there had news from York that the Traytor, Arnold and his Army was taken Prisoners, the report being So current in York, that he puts the greatest confidence in it—I have had the same, other ways.” Pray’s later letter communicated “from certain Authority that the fleet that saild on Wednesday, last, Returnd on Sunday Morning on loaded Some heavy Cannon the Same day, that Sir Harry Clinton was on board himself it is said that he met a packet which Brought inteligenc that Arnold with the Tr⟨oops⟩ was all taken, which was the Occasion of his Return, it is said that they are in great Confusion in New York, on account of Some News lately receiv’d, we have not been able to collect any papers, but expect some to morrow.” Heath began a letter to Pray from West Point on 15 March: “Your very agreable favors of the 13th and 14th came to hand this morning, Heaven grant the news respecting the Capture of the Traitor Arnold and his Troops may be true, please exert your Self to obtain the certainty of it and all the other intelligence and news papers you can collect” (MHi: Heath Papers; see also the entry for 15 March in Wilson, Heath’s Memoirs description begins Rufus Rockwell Wilson, ed. Heath’s Memoirs of the American War. 1798. Reprint. New York, 1904. description ends , 292).

2. A French fleet had left Newport for the Chesapeake Bay (see Destouches to GW, 8 March, source note).

3. See GW to Rochambeau, 21–22 March.

Rochambeau replied to GW from Newport on 21 March: “I received this last night, your Excellency’s Letter of the 18th instant dated from hartford; The Intelligence your Excellency gives me of the return of the fleet of Transports on the 11th makes me believe that this convoy will wait for Arbuthnot’s fleet to sail afterwards under its protection, and I hope that this will occasion a delay Long enough to give to our Expedition a great advance, I wait with the greatest impatience to hear from your Excellency, of your happy return at New-Windsor, in a good State of health, And some days after to have good news from Chesapeak bay” (LS, DLC:GW; LB, in French, DLC: Rochambeau Papers, vol. 7; LB, in French, DLC: Rochambeau Papers, vol. 8).

GW replied to Rochambeau from New Windsor on 29 March: “I have been honored with your Excellency’s favor of the 21st: I have not received any intelligence from the Southward since the letter of the 15th from the Marquis de la Fayette, the substance of which I communicated to your Excellency in my last. I cannot but look upon this as very unaccountable; for, I think, had either Fleet reached the Chesapeak by the 20th, I should have heard of it, unless a dispatch should have miscarried. I can judge of your Excellency’s anxiety by my own, and shall therefore make you the most instant communication of what I may receive.

“The transports with troops at New York had sailed twice and twice put back, and were yet within the Hook on the 24th instant. This accounts for the seeming inconsistence of the intelligence which I have heretofore transmitted respecting them—Colo. Dayton, an Officer on whom I much depend, thinks it probable they sailed again on the 25th” (LS, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, CtY-BR:R; Df, DLC:GW; Rochambeau’s French translation, CtY-BR:R; LB, in French, DLC: Rochambeau Papers, vol. 7; Varick transcript, DLC:GW). Rochambeau replied to GW on 3 April; see also Lafayette to GW, 15 March, and Elias Dayton to GW, 26 March.