George Washington to James Wilkinson, 24 March 1781
To James Wilkinson
Head Quarters New Windsor 24th March 1781.
Sir
I have so repeatedly, but without effect, called upon you to attend the business of your department, near Head Quarters, that I have been under the disagreeable necessity of representing the matter to Congress1—It is with them therefore to determine whether your general place of residence shall be at Philada or with the Army.2 I am &.
Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; copy, DNA:PCC, item 78; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. For the copy, see n.2 below.
1. See GW to Samuel Huntington, this date; see also GW to the Board of War, 23 March.
2. Congress accepted Wilkinson’s resignation as clothier general on 27 March (see , 19:313, and Wilkinson to Huntington, same date, DNA:PCC, item 78; see also GW to John Moylan, 23 Feb., and Huntington to GW, 29 April).
Wilkinson wrote Samuel Huntington, president of Congress, from Philadelphia on 10 April: “The inclosed Copy of a Letter from his Excellency General Washington will Apologize for my Intrusion at this Time, and will I hope justify me to Congress in making application for a Copy of that Part of his Letter to your Excellency which Interests me: I should be highly insensible of the sacred respect I owe my Character if I suffered my Official Conduct to be called in question unanswered, for I cannot but consider it will on the severest Scrutiny redound to my Honor—as I know it to have been beneficial to my Country” (DNA:PCC, item 78; see also the source note above).