George Washington to Major General William Heath, 26 March 1781
To Major General William Heath
Head Quarters New Windsor March 26th 1781
Dear Sir
I recollect there was a Gun Boat employed on the River, which was withdrawn at the setting in of Winter, and which is again necessary for the same service, I wish therefore you would have it refitted, & stationed as formerly, for the same purposes.1
In answer to your Letter of the 25th respecting inoculation, you will be pleased to observe; it was under the idea of the New Hampshire Troops being continued at West Point, that I consented to have the Huts of that Line made use of as Hospitals, because I was unwilling to have any other Troops mix with those under inoculation, so as to spread the infection by ordinary duty, or in case of Detachment; and because I wished to be able to put a stop to it, at any period: If it can be done, in this manner, I still think it adviseable, and that the greater Number can be accomodated, at one time, the better.
In the mean time, I have instructed the Director of the Hospitals, to make the necessary preparations, as perfectly, and as soon as practicable.2 I am Dear Sir With very great esteem Your Most Obedt Servant
Go: Washington
LS, in David Humphreys’s writing, MHi: Heath Papers; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. See Heath’s reply to GW on this date, and n.1.
2. GW presumably conversed with John Cochran, director general of Continental army hospitals (see Malachy Treat to GW, 27 Jan., source note; see also GW to Heath, 2 Feb., and n.4).
Heath wrote Col. Alexander Scammell from West Point on 2 April: “I am exceedingly Sorry to hear that the patients who Are inoculated [against smallpox] have nothing to eat but Flour and Salt Beef, I took the earliest opportunity to have proper Supplys provided, and requested his Excellency to give the necessary orders also, In his answer of the 26th ulto he is pleased to observe ‘I have instructed the Director of the Hospitals, to make the necessary preparations as perfectly and as Soon as practicable.’” Additionally, “Mr Stevens has written me that Colo. Hughes had delivered a Quantity of Corn to Docr McKnight to be prepared for the patients” (MHi: Heath Papers; see also Heath to GW, 25 March, and Scammell to Heath, 1 April, MHi: Heath Papers). Nathaniel Stevens, deputy commissary general of issues at Fishkill, N.Y., wrote Heath on this date that “Col. Hughs informs me that a hundred bushels of Indian Corn have (some time since) been delivered to Doctr McKnight to be manufactured for the support of the Innoculated Soldiers; and that their department has not any of that Specie now on hand” (MHi: Heath Papers). These troops received some Indian meal (corn) in April (see GW’s first letter to Heath, 12 April, postscript and n.6; see also Heath to Stevens, 2 April, and Heath to Scammell, 8 April, both in MHi: Heath Papers).