Major General William Heath to George Washington, 26 March 1781
From Major General William Heath
West point, March 26. 1781.
Dear General,
I am honored with your’s of this date. I ordered the gun-boat fitted some ten or twelve days since and sent her to the water guard, with instructions to Capt. Pray to make use of her where she would be most serviceable for the protection of the guard boats—to keep a look-out, &c. I do not know particularly how she was employed or stationed the last year; if differently from what I have ordered, an alteration shall be made when I know your pleasure.1
The inoculation of the troops shall be pursued agreeable to your direction.2 The recruits come on but very slowly—not more than sixty have as yet arrived from Massachusetts.3
Mr John Austin, the man I mentioned in a former letter, will proceed to head quarters in the morning. The officer of the water-guard was mistaken in some particulars respecting him; viz. his being employed by your Excellency or having a pass from you—it was Colo. Livingston. He has been employed by Lieut. Edes, Capt. Welles, Lieut. Heart,4 &c. and to him we have been principally indebted for the intelligence received from the water guards. His mother, where he conceals himself when he goes down, lives a little below Philips’s.5 I have the honor to be With the greatest respect, Your Excellency’s Most obedient servant,
W. Heath
LS, DLC:GW; ADfS, MHi: Heath Papers.
1. Heath had written a sergeant from West Point on 13 March with orders “to proceed as far as Kings ferry,” N.Y., “in the Gun Boat” and report upon arrival to “Capt. Sumner and take his directions” (MHi: Heath Papers). Heath wrote Capt. Job Sumner on the same date that if a British force approaching Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., “should retreat or be repulsed,” Sumner should order the gunboat back to West Point (MHi: Heath Papers; see also General Orders, 13 March, source note).
Heath wrote GW’s aide-de-camp David Humphreys from West Point on 15 March at 8:00 A.M. and enclosed a letter that Capt. John Pray had written Heath at Nyack, N.Y., on 13 March (see MHi: Heath Papers). In his letter, Pray reported the British retreat from near Dobbs Ferry and the “Very Leaky” condition of the gunboat (DLC:GW). Heath replied to Pray from West Point on 15 March: “The Gun Boat is to be considered as one of your Squadron, but as She is a dull Sailor assign her a Station up the River and not far below Kings ferry perhaps it may be well for her to ply between Tellers point, Kings ferry and Haverstraw … Care must be taken that the Boat does not lie too near the Shore in any place where She will be exposed to a Sudden attack from enemy parties on Shore” (MHi: Heath Papers).
Heath wrote Pray on 18 March in a postscript that if he “should be of opinion that the Gun Boat will not be of Considerable Service, below the Ferry I would have her Sent up and shall order her to take Station near Fort Montgomery” (MHi: Heath Papers). Heath began another letter to Pray on 4 April: “His Excellency the Commander in Chief has been here this Day has expressed his pleasure, that the Gun Boat should take a Station Near Fort Montgomery, for the purpose of preventing Boats passing up or down improperly in the Night time &c. you will therefore please order it up immediately” (MHi: Heath Papers; see also Heath to GW, 5 and 7 April, the latter document found at GW’s second letter to George Clinton, same date, n.1).
2. A letter from Heath to Col. Alexander Scammell written at West Point on 27 March begins: “His Excellency is not willing that inoculation should be introduced in any of the Quarters of the Troops except those of the New Hampshire Line and would have Intercourse or doing duty by detachment together avoided as much as possible, while infection remains in the Quarters and that as many undergo the opperations at once as can be accommodated for this reason” (MHi: Heath Papers). Heath again wrote Scammell on 29 March: “You may put your men and those of Colo. Greenes Regt under inoculation the moment you are ready The others shall be Sent to morrow or next Day, great care must be taken to prevent the infection being Spread among the other Troops or Inhabitants for which purpose limits must be assigned beyond which the Patients must not be allowed to pass … It will be best to keep the men at moderate exercise as long as the Doctors think it advisable, which will be killing Two Birds with one Stone” (MHi: Heath Papers; see also Heath to GW, 25 March).
3. See Heath to GW, 3 May, and n.1 to that document.
4. Heath likely refers to Capt. Jonathan Heart, who had joined Capt. Roger Welles in a failed attempt to capture enemy generals, but Ensign John Heart had taken temporary command at Dobbs Ferry (see Bernard Hubley to GW, 28 Dec. 1780, and n.3 to that document, and John Heart to Heath, 21 and 27 Feb. 1781, MHi: Heath Papers).
John Heart served as sergeant in the 2d Connecticut Regiment and rose to ensign in August 1780 with his commission dated August 1779. He temporarily commanded at Dobbs Ferry in February and March 1781 (see GW to Heath, 27 Feb., n.7). Heart continued serving into the spring of 1783.
5. John Austin’s mother apparently lived south of Philipse Manor, New York. For Austin, see Heath to GW, 23 March (second letter); see also GW to Heath, 24 March, and Heath to GW, same date.
GW replied to Heath from headquarters at New Windsor on 28 March: “I have no objection to Austin’s having permission to go to Morris Town, if nothing unfavorable has been discovered of him, while employed as you Mention” (LS, in David Humphreys’s writing, MHi: Heath Papers; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).
Heath subsequently wrote Pray from West Point on 2 April that “John Austin returned yesterday he will probably be able to obtain Some intelligence for you before he goes to Morristown” (MHi: Heath Papers).