George Washington to Joseph Jones, 24 March 1781
To Joseph Jones
New Windsor Mar. 24th 1781
Dear Sir,
On my return from Newport 4 days since I found your favors of the 21st & 27th ulto at my Quarters.1
I do not see that it is in my power to give any immediate relief to Doctr Lewis—If he is considered as a prisoner of War (and the circumstances of the case only, which are unknown to me, can determine this) you must be sensible that a resolve of Congress and the invariable practice of the Army are opposed to his being exchanged out of turn2—If on the other hand he is viewed in the light of a Passenger and Citizen I know not at this time (but will enquire of the Comy of Prisoners) of any character in our possession who will apply in his Exchange even if priority of Capture, in this case also, should not be opposed to it. Upon a full view of the circumstances, as far as I have knowledge of them, it appears to be one of those cases which come more properly before the State of Virginia than the United States, till the whole business of Exchanges goes through one channel; which is far from being the case at present, as the States individually give up no advantages they obtain by captures to the United States, though they are very frequently applying for them—especially in difficult cases.
It is a much easier matter for Congress, conformably to the wishes of distressed States, to call upon me to afford them aid, than to furnish me with the means of doing it. The report of the Comee alluded to in your letter of the 21st may be adduced in proof of it; I had however, previous to the receipt of the resolve of Congress (consequent of Colo. Harrisons representation of Matters to the Southward, or knowledge of his being at Philadelphia) adopted the temporary relief which is now in operation3—But4—It is a misfortune which seems to attend all our measures to do things unseasonably—or rather to neglect the critical moment to do them. Had the French Commanders at Rhode Island complied (in the first instance) with my request to send the whole Fleet; and a detachment from their Land force to Virginia, the destruction of Arnolds Corps must inevitably have been compleated during the debilitated State of the British Fleet. The enterprize now is bold, and precarious—rendered more so by an unfortunate, and to me unaccountable delay of twenty four hours in their quitting Newport after it was said they were ready to Sail. The wind & weather being as favourable to them, and as adverse to the Enemy in Gardners bay, as the powers of the Air could devise. but—it ought to be our policy to make the most of their assistance without disgusting them by our censures, or reminding them of their mistakes. for this reason it is I inform you, in confidence that upon the first certain advice of the injury sustained by the British fleet I proposed the Expedition to Portsmouth, to consist of the whole fleet and a detachment of Land forces from both Armies; assuring them that nothing could be done to effect without a co-operation by Land & Water—accordingly, that no time might be lost in waiting their Answer I set about the formation of my own detachment, & had marched it off before I knew that a ship & two frigates only without Land Troops had left Rhode Island; & which had it not been for the accidental meeting of the Romulus & the Vessels under its’ Convoy, wd have returned as they went.5
The critical situation of Affairs in Virginia, and North Carolina, produce anxious moments; and we wait impatiently for decisive accts—God grant they may be favourable to us6—but the face of things is much changed since my first proposing the Expedition to Portsmouth; at that time the French were decidedly superior in their Navy—Now they are unquestionably inferior—& should they get first into the Capes, & be able to maintain a position in Hampton Road they will not have it [in] their power to prevent Succours landing at Lynhaven bay—or Willoughbys point; if Clinton can afford such a detachment as will be able (with the cooperation of Arnold to force its way from thence to Norfolk in spite of the opposition which can be given by the French Troops and Militia) for their Frigates will stop all water transportation in the bay; consequently fix the Marquis’s detachmt at Annapolis or compel them to a long & tedious Land March.
I was very glad to hear of Mr Morris’s appointment, & wish he may accept it; but cannot by any reasoning I am master of, acct for the postponing the choice of the Minister of War; which, in my opinion, is of all others the most essential; and ought least to be delayed.7
I was much pleased to hear that Virginia had given up her Claims to the Land West of Ohio—that the confederation was compleated—and that the States seem’d disposed to grant more competent powers to Congress8—Without a controuling power in that body, for all the purposes of war, it will be impossible to carry on the War—the reasons are many, & conclusive—but the want of room will not allow me to enumerate them, at this time—The most importt are obvious—the non compliance with the recomns. of Congress in some States—the unseasonable compliance in time & manner by others—the heavy expence accumulated thereby to no purpose—the injury to some, & the jealousy of all the States, proceeding from these causes; wth the consequent dissatisfaction in people of every class from the prolongation of the War, are alone sufficient to prove the necessity of a controuling power. without it, and Speedily—we shall be thirteen distinct States; each pursuing its local interests till they are all annihilated in a general crash of them. The Fable of the bunch of Rods or sticks may well be applied to us.9 I am sin[cere]ly & affectly Yrs
Go: Washington
ALS, CSmH; copy, DLC: Madison Papers. The copy omits the second paragraph. Virginia delegate James Madison forwarded GW’s letter to Jones, who eventually replied on 16 May (DLC:GW).
1. When he wrote GW on 21 and 27 Feb., Jones reported the capture and parole of Dr. John Lewis, related the difficult military situation in the southern department, announced the election of Robert Morris as superintendent of finance, and discussed the need to improve the Articles of Confederation. For GW’s trip to Rhode Island, see his letter to Alexander Hamilton, 7 March, source note, and to Rochambeau, 16 March, n.1.
2. For rules and practices related to prisoner exchanges, see GW to Thomas Sim Lee, 22 March, and n.2; see also , 17:705–6.
3. GW had directed a detachment under Major General Lafayette to Virginia before he knew that Benjamin Harrison, speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, had traveled to Philadelphia to solicit aid from Congress (see GW’s second letter to Lafayette, 20 Feb., source note). A congressional committee appointed to confer with Harrison reported a need for 10,000 “regular troops” in the southern department and recommended that the Southern army consist of “all the troops from Pensylvania to Georgia inclusive.” The committee also quantified camp equipment and arms required to supply that army. The committee report resulted in a congressional resolution adopted on 20 Feb. (, 19:176–78, quotes on 176; see also Huntington’s first letter to GW, 20 Feb., and n.1 to that document; and Harrison to GW, 16-c.20 Feb.).
4. Following the dash, GW indented the remainder of this paragraph on his ALS (which ran onto the next page) and drew lines along the left margins. He wrote “Private” above each line.
5. For these operations, see GW to Philip Schuyler, 23 March, and notes 5 and 6. See also GW to William Fitzhugh, 25 March; to John Armstrong, 26 March; and to Lund Washington, 28 March.
6. GW soon learned about the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and the Battle of Cape Henry (see Nathanael Greene to Samuel Huntington, 16 March, printed as an enclosure with Greene to GW, 17 March; and Destouches to GW, 19 March, source note).
7. Congress had postponed the selection of a secretary at war (see GW to Schuyler, 23 March, and n.3 to that document).
8. For developments that preceded congressional ratification of the Articles of Confederation on 1 March, see James Duane to GW, 29 Jan., and n.7 to that document; see also Philip Schuyler to GW, 25 Feb., and Samuel Huntington to GW, 5 March, and n.4 to that document. For the impetus to revise the Articles and grant more power to Congress, see William Fitzhugh to GW, 7 March, and n.3 to that document.
9. The fable titled “The Bundle of Sticks,” attributed to Aesop, related how a man’s sons could not break a faggot, or bundle of sticks, that had been tied together. Conversely, when pulled from the bunch and taken individually, each stick broke easily. The popular fable’s moral was strength in union.