Colonel Stephen Moylan to George Washington, 22 March 1781
From Colonel Stephen Moylan
Lancaster [Pa.] 22d March 1781
Dear Sir
Major Bull arrived here last week and Major Fauntleroy a few days after him, the former says a Letter he forwarded from your Excellency containd orders for Major Fauntleroy to join the first Regiment, it did not reach his hands and he is averse to leave the Regiment in which he holds his Commission, as one part of the reason why Major Bull prefferd the 4th to the 1st does not longer exist, perhaps it may be indifferent to which Regt he is annext—both now composeing a part of the Southeren Army.1
We get Some men, but no prospect of horses or Accoutrements yet in view, Congress have resolved that they Shall be got, and there it rests2 I will return to Philadelphia to morrow, and if my public duty will not prevent it, propose bringing Mrs Moylan from Jersey to this place, Where I shall be happy in receiveing your Excellencys Commands.
My brother James has Sent you a Case of Claret which I deliverd to the D.Qm.G. to be forwarded—he prayd your Excellency woud pardon the Liberty, and accept of it, as a Small mark of the veneration he has for your exalted Character these Sir are his words, which I know to be correspondant to his Sentiments,3 a report prevails here that the two fleets were in Sight of each other on tuesday last of[f] the Capes of Virginia I do not credit it, as I think it impossible for the account to reach this in So Short a time.4 I have the honor to be Dear sir Your Most Obliged H. St
Stephen Moylan
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. See Moore Fauntleroy to GW, 21 March (see also n.3 below).
2. Moylan refers to a congressional resolution adopted on 23 Jan. that directed the quartermaster general to procure cavalry horses (see , 19:76–77; see also Samuel Huntington to GW, 27 Jan., n.3, and GW to Timothy Pickering, 5 Feb.).
3. GW replied to Moylan from headquarters at New Windsor on 4 April: “I have recd your favr of the 22d ulto from Lancaster—As the reasons for which I directed Majr Fauntleroy to make an exchange of Corps with Major Bull no longer exist I have now ordered him to remain with you and Bull to join the 1st.
“I have written both to the Congress and to the Board of War and used every Argument to induce a speedy completion of the Regiments of Cavalry—They will be more than ever useful now the active scene is, in a measure, transferred to the southward.
“You will be good enough, the first opportunity you have of writing to your Brother in France, to thank him for his present of Claret—It has not yet come to hand.
“Be pleased to make Mrs Washingtons Compliments and mine to Mrs Moylan” (Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW; see also GW to the Board of War, 31 Jan. and 23 March, and to Huntington, 8 April).
James Moylan (d. 1784), brother of John and Stephen Moylan, came to Philadelphia as a Catholic immigrant from Cork, Ireland. He went to France in 1775 and became a commercial agent for the United States at L’Orient, where he died.
4. The previous Tuesday was 20 March. The French fleet had sailed for Newport a day after engaging British warships at the Battle of Cape Henry on 16 March (see Destouches to GW, 19 March, source note).