Major General William Heath to George Washington, 29 March 1781
From Major General William Heath
West point March 29th 1781 2 oClock P.M.
Dear General
I have this moment received the enclosed from Major Trescott, I think the information given mr Cushing by the British Officer, if true, is a circumstance from which we may conclude, that the British have met with a handsome drubbing.1 I have the honor to be with the greatest respect your Excellencys most Obedient Servant
W. Heath
ALS, DLC:GW. GW acknowledged this letter when he wrote Heath on 30 March.
1. The enclosure from Maj. Lemuel Trescott to Heath, written at Crom Pond, N.Y., on 28 March, imparts intelligence from Lt. Thomas Humphrey Cushing, who “left the British Lines the morning of the 27th and was informed the evening before by a British Officer, that one of Arburthnots fleet had that afternoon arived from the Chesapeak with information that the British and French Fleets had an Action in or near the Chesapeak, this Britian concludes, by saying that it was a drawn Battle” (DLC:GW). For the Battle of Cape Henry, see Destouches to GW, 19 March, source note.
Thomas Humphrey Cushing (1755–1822) served as sergeant in the 6th Continental Infantry in 1776 and became lieutenant in the 1st Massachusetts Regiment in January 1777. He was captured in May 1781 and remained a prisoner until spring 1783. Cushing returned to the army in 1790 and ascended the ranks to become a brigadier general in 1812.