Ephraim Blaine to George Washington, 23 March 1781
From Ephraim Blaine
New Burgh [N.Y.] 23rd March 1781
Sir
The information I have received from Philadelphia is very alarming and gives me great concearn, Mr Hazelwood state agent for the City has informed my assistant that he has directions from Council to send no more Provisions to the grand army untill further Orders—the Convention Troops being on their March from Virginia to quarter in some part of that state.1
I have not received Colo. Hays return to know the quantity of Flour I can expect from this state before harvest, but from report I doubt very inconsiderable—Jersey is doing little and I believe the Governor and Council of that state are useing very Indifferent measures to procure the Supplies required.
In this situation what is to be done—my applications are so frequent I believe many of the Executives look upon them Impertinent2—the assembly of Pennsylvania is now siting will your Excellency please to write them3—the whole supplies of flour received from their agents the last and present year do not exceed ten thousand Barrels—a few weeks neglected at this season may loose all the surplush flour in the States of Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania—Mr Phelps agent for Massachusetts assures me sixty stall’d cattle weekly untill the middle of may.4
the Magazine at West Point fish Kill &c. equal One thousand barrels of flour, five hundred barrels of beef, twenty five Hhds of rum, and One hundred and twenty cattle, part of which was delivered yesterday, five hundred barrels of Flour at Ringwood,5 and, About an equal quantity at Morris and Trenton—very few stores at Philadelphia except five hundred barrels of beef, put up by my directions last December.
with your Excellencys’ Permission I wou’d wish to set out next monday or tuesday immediately upon my arival at Philadelphia, Colonel Stewart will return.6 I have the honor to be very respectfully—your Excellency’s, Most Obdt and very Hble Servant
Eph. Blaine C.G.P.
ALS, DLC:GW; copy, DNA:PCC, item 169. Blaine addressed the cover of the ALS to GW at New Windsor. GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman docketed the ALS: “Copy transmitted to Congress the 24th” (see GW to Samuel Huntington, 24 March, and the source note).
1. Congress had designated York and Lancaster, Pa., as potential destinations for Convention Army prisoners whose removal from Virginia had been directed on 24 Feb. (see , 19:229–30; see also JCC, 19:193, and , 12:648, 660). For the decision to send these prisoners to Frederick, Md., and Winchester, Va., see Board of War to GW, 26 March, n.1.
John Hazelwood, commissioner of purchases for the Continental army in Philadelphia, wrote a statement on 11 April to “certify that on or about the 16th Day of March last I received Orders from William Moore, Esqr, Vice President in Council, to inform Mr. Gustavus Risburg that it would be some time before we should be able to make any purchases to be sent forward, and that all we could do would be to supplie this post for some time, and that the money now in the Treasury would be sent to the difft Countys to make provisions for a number of Prisoners daily expected into this State, and to supply the different posts of the Pennsylvania Line & that I did acquaint Mr. Gustavus Risburg and Mr. George Morton and also to Isl Morris on his Application of the same” (, 1st ser., 9:72–73).
Joseph Reed, president of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council, vigorously defended the council’s decision because of financial stringencies when he wrote the Board of War on 5 April. He then censured Blaine: “This is the second Mistake Col. Blaine has made, so that we hope in future due Allowance will be made upon his Communications as it is our Opinion he would have done well to have address’d himself to us immediately rather than have troubled the General & Congress upon a Matter in which we need no Stimulus within the Compass of our Abilities. Upon finding that the whole of the Convention Prisoners were not expected Mr Hazelwood was directed to go on & purchase on Credit as we have not Money. The other Purchasers have had no Countermands but the Reverse. We rely upon the Candour of the Board to represent the Matter properly to Congress & the General & to be assured that we shall do all in our Power to forward the Supplies” (, 1st ser., 9:58–59).
Blaine wrote Reed from Philadelphia on 12 April: “I have had the perusal of a letter from your Excellency in Council to the Honorable Board of War, and must confess I was astonished at the expressions made use of against me—they are ungenerous and I do not deserve them from the Executive Council of Pennsylvania. You may look upon the information of assistant Commissaries of Purchases in what light you think proper, but those of my acquaintance and appointment are Gentlemen of probity, Character and reputation, and I presume if your Excellency compare them with the different characters of men in general you will find them such as I represent. My Information to the Commander in chief has ever been Impartial and founded upon Just representations, and I shall make it appear from your superintendants returns and the report of Mr. Hazelwood, your agent, that I have facts to support every information given had they been three fold.
“When the Magazines are nearly exhausted, and it is evident no state have comply’d with the order of Congress, and the state of Pennsylvania which was our principle dependance for bread notoriously defficient, thousand[s] depending upon me for their daily support, my representations to the General became necessary and an Incumbent duty, and your Knowledge of Military Operations if impartial must undoubtedly determine in my favour—however I have made them and am Conscious of the Justice of my assertions, and those and every other which I have made shall support” (, 1st ser., 9:72–73). Blaine’s letter prompted complaint (see Reed to GW, 17 May, DLC:GW).
2. Blaine had written Maj. Gen. William Heath from Newburgh on 20 March: “The trifling supplies of Provisions in our magazines gives me much real concern and there is not a week that I do not write Circular letters and make repeated applications to the state agents for aditional supplies—the slow and tedeous means they have of Executing and a general want of money will subject us to great difficulty, and we shall be continuaaly scarce of Provisions.
“I expect Colo. [Udny] Hay agent for this state has a considerable quantity of flour to deliver, three or four thousand barrels of salt Provisions I have reason to hope is coming forward from the state of Connecticutt, we shall have weekly some small supplies of live cattle, be assured I shall pay every posible attention and use every endeavour to Keep up a regular supply, but the means of execution lay with the states.
“Congress have never thought proper to answer my letter to them respecting you, had I any money I shou’d think it my duty to procure you rum coffee and Sugar but be assured I have not a Shilling, I have wrote the state agent to make you some Provision in Mutton and Vegatables and shall direct him to send them to the Commissary at New Windsor to be delivered to your order” (MHi: Heath Papers).
Blaine wrote Samuel Huntington, president of Congress, from Philadelphia on 9 April with “an Account of State supplies so far as in my power to procure them, I wrote the Executives and beged them to order their Agents to make me Monthly returns of all Provisions furnished. I have frequently wrote their superintending Agents but to no purpose. Jersey has not furnished me with a single return since the appointment of their Commissioners in February 80. The present mode of procuring supplies will never answer the Expectations of the Honble Congress & Commander in Chief, and the uncertain methods of furnishing has never put it in my power to have one Months compleat supply, at any one period since the States undertook to furnish, and I have often been days without a single ration to Issue.
“Now is the time to procure and lay up Six months supplies of Flour, if delay’d this and next month it will be impossible to procure it. Our public Magazines empty, the prospect of an Active Campaign, be assured without ten fold Exertions of the States your Army will undoubtedly starve. …
“The delay which Mr Buchanan and Mr Wadsworth Commissary’s General will meet with in the settlement of their Accounts owing to the Death of some of their deputies and neglect of others, gives me much uneasiness, and as I wish to be discharged from those incumberances beg directions may be given the Treasury Board to order the settlement of my Accounts as deputy to those Gentlemen” (DNA:PCC, item 165; see also Blaine to GW, 21 March, and n.1 to that document).
3. GW eventually responded to Blaine’s request (see his letter to Reed, 5–7 May; see also the source note above).
4. Oliver Phelps, superintendent of purchases for the army in Massachusetts, encountered difficulties furnishing these cattle (see Phelps to GW, 2 May).
5. A “Return of Provisions and Stores on hand and the Number of Rations Issued daily on an Average for the preceeding Week at West-Point, Posts, & Brigades in its Vicinity,” dated 4 March, shows 1,343 barrels of flour, 315 barrels of salted beef, 14 cattle, and 40 hogsheads of rum. A supply of hard bread, salt, pork, and beans, along with 315 barrels of flour, remained at Ringwood, N.J., on 1 March (MHi: Heath Papers).
6. Blaine refers to Charles Stewart, commissary general of issues. The following Monday was 26 March. Blaine reached Philadelphia by 9 April (see n.2 above).