George Washington to Major General Arthur St. Clair, 8 April 1781
To Major General Arthur St. Clair
Head Quarters New Windso⟨r⟩ April 8th 178⟨1⟩
Dear Sir
The dispersed and broken situation of the remaining Troops of the Pennsylvania Line, after the unhappy affair of the 1st of January, rendered the unwearied attention, and greatest exertion of the Officers of every rank indispensably necessary, to reassemble the scattered remains, and restore discipline among them; for on this, and the success of the recruiting Service, depended all our hopes of that Line for the ensuing Campaign.1
I am extremely anxious, to know with certainty, the present state and strength of the several Corps, the numbers that are in readiness to march, or shall march at any time, the prospect of compleating the Battalions, and in general, every thing that may be interesting to the Service.
At present I am totally ignorant of these Matters, not having received any Official Report, or seen any Returns. I must request that these may be made with as much precision as possible, and regularly transmitted in future.2
The near approach of the season, for opening the Campaign, in every quarter, would make the completion of the Regts an object of the greatest importance; but especially the operations now carrying on in the South, require the United exertions of every Officer, of every Citizen, of every friend to his Country to have the men collected, and forwarded as early as possible to succour the States, which are now the Theatre of War, & reinforce the Southern Army.3 I am Dear Sir Your Most Obedient Humble Servant
Go: Washington
LS, in David Humphreys’s writing, PPRF; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. GW signed the cover of the LS, which is addressed to St. Clair at Philadelphia. Humphreys also wrote on the cover: “Recommended to the care of the Board of War.”
1. For the mutiny of the Pennsylvania line that began on 1 Jan. and ended in the discharge or furlough of its soldiers, see Anthony Wayne to GW, 2 and 28 January.
2. See St. Clair to GW, 6 April.
3. St. Clair replied to GW on 15 April.