George Washington to William Fitzhugh, 25 March 1781
To William Fitzhugh
New Windsor March 25th 1781.
Dear Sir,
A few days ago brought me the honor of your favor of the 7th Instt from Marlbro.1 Your other letter of Jany the 20th came duly to hand, for both, I thank you;2 without offering an apology for suffering the latter to remain unacknowledged till this time—because I am satisfied you will attribute my silence to any ca⟨use⟩ rather than disrespect, a⟨nd⟩ to none sooner than the true one—viz.—the load of business which continually presses upon me.
It was with sincere concern I heard of the injury you had sustained in your property at the mouth of Patuxent—but it is only adding another Specimen to the catalogue of British clemency, & boasted generosity.3
The accession of Maryland to the confederation4—& the relinquishment of the claim of Virga to the Lands west ⟨of Ohio are events which are⟩ exceedingly pleasing to me,5 but I am not sufficiently acquainted with the powers of Civil gove⟨rn⟩ment, under the present Constitutions of the several States, to determine how far they are able to obtain Men for the War, or for three years, by coercian—nor am I enough acquainted with the abilities of them, to declare what Sums they oug⟨ht⟩ to have given to Soldiers under this description in preference to a draft of Men for a short term—this however I am decided in, that the latter is the most expensive, and least effectual mode that ever was devised to carry on a War which is like to become a War of finance. and that no funds within our reach can suppo⟨rt⟩ it long—I speak upon the best ground when I assert this, because no day, nor hour arrives without bringing with it some evidence in support of the truth of the observation—To this caus⟨e⟩ also the prolongation of the War—the wretched state of our finances—and every capital misfo⟨rtu⟩ne that has befallen us may be traced.
I as little scruple to add that, unless the powers of Congress are made competent to all the purposes of War we are doing no more than wasting our time—& spending our treasure to very little purpose; for it is impossible to apply the strength and resources of this Country while one State complys with, another rejects, and the majority ⟨o⟩f them changes or mutilates, the requisition⟨s⟩ of ⟨t⟩hat Body—Hence the willing states are capital⟨ly⟩ injured if not ruined. Hence proceed distrust, jealousy, & dissatisfaction; and the impossibility of either projecting or executing (with certainty) any plan whatsoever. Hence proceed all those delays, which to people at a distance, & unacquainted with circumstances, are altogether unaccountable. And hence it is we incur useless expence—because we do not bring ⟨o⟩ur force⟨, & means, into operation⟩ at the ⟨same time⟩—some being exhausted before others are obtained.
We wait with much sollicitude for advices from the Southern Army—our last accts from that quarter were less gloomy than the former, but not less equivocal and distressing—I have heard nothing from General Greene since the 28th of Feby, nor of him (with precision) since the 2d Instt. Matters were so critically circumstanced at that time, as to add pain to impatience6—Equally ignorant, and equally anxious am I, with respect to the French Fleet under the Command of the Chevalier Des Touches—No accts of whom have I received (but vague ⟨o⟩nes through the channel of Rivingtons Paper) ⟨s⟩ince he left Newport7—At York-town in Virginia there was no intelligence of him on the 15th.8
It is to be lamented, greatly lamented, that the French Commanders at Newport did not adopt the measure of sending the Fleet & a detachment of their land force to Chesapea⟨ke⟩ bay when I first proposed it to them (in the moment I received the first certain information of the damage done to the British fleet at Gardners bay)—had the Expedition been undertaken at that time, nothing could have saved Arnolds Corps during the weakened state of the British ships from destruction—Instead of this, a small detachment only was sent fr⟨om⟩ the fleet; which as I foretold, would have returned as they went had it not been for the accidental meeting of the Romulus, & the Vessels under her Convoy.9 But as there is no rectifying past errors—and as it is our true policy to stand well with friends on whom we so much depend, I relate this in confidence.10
I have heard nothing f⟨ro⟩m Generl Thompson since his release from captivity; & ⟨as⟩ his joining the Army ⟨will⟩ depend on his promotion, & his promotion on Congress, the time of it is uncertain;11 but that your Son may be relieved from his present anxiety—suspence—and all possible censure I will, with much pleasure, Receive him into my family as an extra Aid till Thompson arrives—In the meanwhile, his rank may be ascertained & his Commission procured.12 Mrs Washington makes a tender of her Compliments to Mrs Fitzhugh, to which You will please to add those of Dr Sir Yr Most Obedt & Most Hble Servt
Go: Washington
ALS, NHi: George and Martha Washington Papers; ADfS, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. Mutilated material on the ALS is supplied in angle brackets from the draft.
2. Fitzhugh’s letter to GW of 20 Jan. has not been found.
3. Fitzhugh’s country estate, Rousby Hall, had been bombarded and burned (see Fitzhugh to GW, 16 Nov. 1780, and n.4 to that document).
4. See Fitzhugh to GW, 7 March, and n.2 to that document.
5. For the Virginia legislature’s resolve that relinquished the state’s lands north-west of the Ohio River, see James Duane to GW, 29 Jan., and n.7 to that document.
6. For GW’s probable reference, see Thomas Jefferson to GW, 8 March; see also GW to Jefferson, 21 March. GW also had received letters from Major General Steuben pertaining to Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene and southern operations (see Steuben to GW, 1 March, and GW to Steuben, 21 March).
7. The French fleet had sailed from Newport to cooperate with Major General Lafayette’s corps against Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold’s forces (see Destouches to GW, 8 March). For the failure of the expedition, see Destouches to GW, 19 March.
GW may refer to items printed in James Rivington’s Royal Gazette (New York) for 21 March. One report came from a captured “rebel” pirate whose “vessel sailed from Newport, Rhode Island, on Thursday night the 8th instant, in company with the French fleet, the whole, including their privateer, amounting to 14.” Another was datelined “NEW-HAVEN, March 15”: “We have an account, that last Thursday [8 March] or Friday, all the men of war, with the French troops, on board, sailed from Newport, and early on Saturday morning, the British men of war, left Gardiner’s-Bay, supposed to be gone in quest of them. It is conjectured they are gone to Virginia.”
8. See Lafayette to GW, and Steuben to GW, both 15 March.
9. For these operations, see GW to Philip Schuyler, 23 March, and n.5 to that document.
10. This paragraph runs onto two pages in GW’s draft. On both pages, he wrote “Private” above a brace drawn along the left margin. For similar sentiments, see GW to Schuyler, 23 March; to Joseph Jones, 24 March; to John Armstrong, 26 March; and to Lund Washington, 28 March.
11. For the exchange of Brig. Gen. William Thompson, a prisoner since June 1776, see GW to Abraham Skinner, 8 Nov. 1780, source note. Thompson subsequently sought promotion to major general and wrote Samuel Huntington, president of Congress, from Philadelphia on 19 March 1781 that Congress now had “an opportunity of doing me that Justice with Regard to my Rank, which, I flatter myself, has been prevented only by an apprehension that promotion during my Captivity would embarrass or retard my Exchange” (DNA:PCC, item 78). The Board of War wrote Huntington on 2 April that “if Congress should think an Appointment of another Major General of the Pennsilvania Line necessary Brigadier Thompson is certainly entitled to the Promotion. If also it should be deemed expedient as it seems to be just that he should have his Rank in the Line of General Officers in the same Manner he would have had if he had not been captivated he will take Rank next to General Greene. But in neither of these Heads do we presume to give an Opinion conceiving that Congress are best able to determine & that it is only our Duty to furnish the Means of Information” (DNA:PCC, item 147; see also , 19:346–47). Thompson wrote Huntington from his farm near Carlisle, Pa., on 8 May that because of “a heavy reluctanc⟨e⟩ (from what cause arising I can’t determine) to give me my Rank in the Army,” he had decided “to retire which I Request you will be pleased to signify to Congress” (DNA:PCC, item 159; see also , 20:508). Congress postponed a report related to Thompson on 23 Aug. and took no further action prior to his death on 3 Sept. (see 21:898, 903).
12. What appears in this paragraph to this point was written as the fifth paragraph in GW’s draft, where it precedes the paragraph pertaining to Greene and southern operations.
Lt. Peregrine Fitzhugh wrote GW from “Near Lower Marlbro’ [Md.]” on 24 April: “My Father will have the honor to acknowledge by this conveyance the favor of your letter of the 24th Ulto & to return his thanks with which mine are tendered for the signal mark of your Excellency’s Friendship notified thro’ a paragraph of it, an additional one to the many I have experienced and shall ever retain a proper sense of.
“Having been led to believe (tho’ only from report) that Genl Thompson would find difficulty in obtaining from Congress the rank he had reason to expect from his seniority in Commission when made Prisoner, and fearful of incurring censure by waiting over for the settlement of a Matter which I thought had every appearance of meeting delay in its decision I was preparing to join my regiment with the southern Army and previous to the arrival of your Excellency’s letter proposed setting off the last of the Month for that Purpose but am diverted by it from those intentions & spurred to make all possible expedition in repairing to Head Quarters ’till his arrival where I shall embrace the opportunity of acknowledging personally your Excellency’s kindness & testifying my sense of the honor conferred by my constant exertions in the punctual execution of such commands as I may from time to time receive—in the mean time with my most respectful compliments to Mrs Washington and the Gentlemen of your Family” (ALS, DLC:GW; see also n.11 above). In the general orders for 2 July, GW appointed Fitzhugh as his extra aide-de-camp.