Major General William Heath to George Washington, 12 April 1781
From Major General William Heath
Westpoint, April 12. 1781.
Dear General,
The officer whom I sent down the river with the families in the flag sloop, was not permitted to proceed lower than Fort Washington1—He procured a New York paper of the 9th which is enclosed.2 He could not ascertain what troops were doing duty at fort Washington—but saw at the Commandant’s, orderly serjeants from the 38th and 57th regiments of foot, and a dragoon from the 17th. The officer could not discover any shipping at any place within his view down the river.3
The state of our magazine of provisions grows more and more alarming on account of flour, meat and rum. 5 tierces, 105 barrels & 70 keggs, was all the flour in store here yesterday.4 The state of the meat, your Excellency will see on the Commissary’s return.5 At present every other post in this quarter depends on this for supplies.
The laying of the chain has been completed without the least accident or damage of boats or otherwise.6 I have the honor to be With the greatest respect Your Excellency’s Most obedient servant
W. Heath
p.S. The enclosed from Sir Henry Clinton, to General Schuyler, this moment came to hand.7
W.H.
LS, DLC:GW; ADfS, MHi: Heath Papers; copy (extract), enclosed in GW to Timothy Pickering, this date (found at GW’s second letter to William Heath, this date, n.4), DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 35437. The postscript appears only on the LS and is in Heath’s writing. The extract contains the second paragraph of the LS.
1. Heath refers to Lt. Joseph Shaylor (see Heath to GW, 7–8 April, and n.6 to that document).
2. Heath probably enclosed The New-York Gazette, and Weekly Mercury for 9 April.
3. Heath struck out sentences at this point on his draft: “I had given him a very particular Charge, to observe the Shipping. Capt. Pray of the Water Guards writes me that a British Field Officer he was informed was up at Sing Sing yesterday morning, with a Flag.”
Capt. John Pray had written Heath from Nyack, N.Y., on 11 April with intelligence and added a postscript: “I am inform’d that there was a Field Officer from york yesterday as a flag, had a Spye glas was this morning taking a view of Stoney & Verplanks points the Serjt who I Sent to Sing Sing with the flag Saw him” (MHi: Heath Papers; see also Heath’s first letter to GW, 14 April, and n.4 to that document).
4. These figures replicate those in a “Return of Flour on hand at West point April 11th 1781” (MHi: Heath Papers).
5. The return has not been identified, but see Heath to GW, 17 April, n.2.
A letter from Nathaniel Stevens, deputy commissary general of issues at Fishkill, N.Y., to Heath written on 8 April may have been enclosed. It reads: “The Express I sent to the agent of Massachusetts State, respecting his sending on beef Cattle, has returned, a copy of the answer I inclose you.
“We have received but twelve barrels of meat from Connecticut, in the Course of the preceeding week.
“I really am much concerned with regard to a future supply of meat, my whole dependance, for some months, was upon the Salt meat put up in Connecticut, & the Sixty Head of Cattle which Col. Blain informed me Mr Phelps had engaged to send on weekly” (DLC:GW; see also Ephraim Blaine to GW, 23 March, and n.2 to that document).
John C. Williams had written Stevens from Granville, Mass., on 6 April with news that he might receive “a drove of Cattle” at Fishkill “some day the next Week—the drove is expected to Consist of 40—You must place some dependance on the Neighbouring States, for it is not possible for 80 head to be procured weekly here, Yet you may depend that Mister Phelps will do every thing for You which possibilities can enable him to perform” (DLC:GW).
6. See Heath to GW, 11 April, and n.2 to that document.
7. The enclosed letter from Gen. Henry Clinton to New York state senator Philip Schuyler has not been identified, but Maj. Amos Morrill had written Heath from Crom Pond, N.Y., on 11 April with “a sealed letter from Sir, H. Clinton, Which was brought up yesterday by a Flag of truce, sent for that purpose” (MHi: Heath Papers; see also Heath’s first letter to GW, 14 April).
For GW’s reply, see his second letter to Heath on this date.