Lieutenant Colonel Udny Hay to George Washington, 10 April 1781
From Lieutenant Colonel Udny Hay
Poughkeepsie [N.Y.], 10th April 1781
Sir,
On my return from Albany I was honored with your Excellency’s letter, relative to the supply of the Indians;1 I imagine the Commissioners of Indian Affairs, previous to their commencing Business, would wish to have a letter from you on the subject.2
In the absence of the Commissary General,3 I must request your Excellency’s determinations on some Questions, respecting which, I shall, in Person, have the Honor of giving you more particular Information in a few days.
May Salt (of which there is a large Quantity on hand) be exchanged for Fish? should this Exchange be approved of, I must request your Excellency’s Order, on the Quarter Master, for Casks.4
If a stock of Flour can be procured, at Albany and Esopus, shall a quantity of Biscuit be baked at each of those Places for the use of the Troops on the Frontiers?
The extreme distress of the Army, in the Northern part of this State, for want of Beef,5 constrains me to ask your Excellency if there is any Quarter from whence I can, with a probability of success, apply for their relief on that Score?
The Legislature of this State, from a sincere desire that their Officers, employed in purchasing for the Army of the United States, might render them every possible Service, having thought proper, by an Act of the 26th Ulto to make these Officers amenable to Military Law; I do myself the Honor to enclose the Act for your Excellency’s perusal.6 I have the Honor to be, with every sentiment of Respect, Your Excellency’s Most Obedt & very Humble Servant,
Udny Hay
LS, DLC:GW. GW’s aide-de-camp David Humphreys docketed the letter: “Ansd verbally the 14th.”
1. See GW to Hay, 27 March, found at Hay to GW, 25 March, n.3.
2. No evidence has been found that GW acted on Hay’s suggestion.
3. Ephraim Blaine, commissary general of purchases, had traveled to Philadelphia to address provision shortages (see Blaine to GW, 23 March, and n.6 to that document).
4. GW later ordered the exchange of salt for fish (see Hay to GW, 29 April, and Nathaniel Stevens to GW, 3 May; see also Stevens to GW, 20 April and 1 May, and George Clinton to GW, 26 April). Richard Platt, deputy quartermaster general of the main army, subsequently sought casks (see Stevens to GW, 3 May, n.2).
5. For provision shortages at frontier posts, see New York Legislature to GW, 30 March.
6. “An Act for the further Direction of the purchasing Agent of this State, in the Execution of his Office, and for other Purposes therein mentioned,” adopted on 26 March 1781, authorized the purchasing agent, with the approval from the commanding officer in the department, “to deliver one Species of Supplies in Lieu of another Species, having due Regard to the respective Value of each Species” (, 183–84). The extract that Hay enclosed consisted of the third section of the law, which allowed the agent and his assistants to “be proceeded against, tried, Convicted and punished for Neglect or Malpractice in the Execution of their respective Offices, as Agent, or Assistant Agent under this State, by and at the direction of a General Court Martial, consisting of Officers of the Continental Army, or of the Militia of this State, to be convened by order of the Person administring the Government of this State for the time being, or the Officer commanding in a Department, in like manner as Officers of the Continental Army, may by the Articles of War.” A qualification prevented execution of a court-martial sentence until “approved by the Person administring the Government of this State for the time being” (DLC:GW).