John Hurlbut to George Washington, 12 April 1781
From John Hurlbut
Westmoreland 12th April 1781
sr
your Excellency will remember that you received a letter by me from his Excellency Governor Trumbull: at Litchfield in Connecticut the begining of last march; Inclosing the Coppys of Two Memorials from this place in the name of Thomas McCluer & Others; John Ryan and Others; praying for a discharge from the Service as also the resolves of the assembly thereon1—upon my return home I found that the men had most of them marched out, and Others have Since marched, Some few Still remaining who have Large Expensive familys have been Indulged by Colo. Durkee to Continue untill further Orders.2 and by letters from Camp am Informed that they have received no Orders from your Excellency respecting the Subject of their Discharge—Altho these men weigh but little in the Grand scale of the American Interest—yet their property and family Connections are Dear to them as Induviduals—I would therefore in behalf of those men Intreat that their Case may not be Overlooked as of small Consequence but that they may have an answer as soon as may be Consistant with the publick Good, the state of their case need not be again represented only this much the Season of the year is Such they need Soon to know their Destiny as they must Expect to Support themselves and familys those that have.
The Case of John Ryon &c. Differs from the Others as they are and were Counted for the State Quota I Should think the resolve of Congress with respect to them was not Necessary but we Submit all to your Excellencys Great Goodness.
Sr you will Excuse my thus writing as they have applyed to me for to assist them by personally applying to your Excellency—the applycation to the Assembly of Connecticut has already Cost them a Considerable Sum Length of Service and badness of pay has reduced them to a low State as to Interest.3 I am Sr with the Greatest Esteem & respect your Excellencys most Obedient & very humble Servt
John Hurlbutt
L, DLC:GW. Connecticut officials controversially had created the jurisdiction of Westmoreland in northeastern Pennsylvania.
John Hurlbut (c.1730–1782) moved in 1778 from Groton, Conn., to Wyoming Valley, Pa., where he served in the Connecticut militia. Hurlbut asserted his state’s claim to that region as a member of Connecticut’s legislature from 1779 to 1781, and he also became a justice of the peace and county judge. A notice in The Connecticut Gazette; and the Universal Intelligencer (New London) for 29 March 1782 called his death “after a long and wasting Sickness … a great loss to the State of Connecticut in general, and to this Town of Westmoreland in particular.”
1. GW traveled through Connecticut in early March 1781 on a visit to Rhode Island (see GW to Alexander Hamilton, 7 March, source note).
Connecticut governor Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., began a letter to Samuel Huntington, president of Congress, from Hartford on 7 March: “I herewith transmit you to be laid before Congress for their Consideration the Memorial of the Continental Troops Inhabitants of Westmoreland, with the Resolve of our Assembly thereon—their Request appears so reasonable, that I doubt not Congress will do needfull thereon” (DNA:PCC, item 66). Congress read Trumbull’s letter on 5 April and referred the memorial to the Board of War (, 19:353). The petition and legislative resolution are in DNA:PCC, item 41.
Hurlbut apparently sent copies of the same documents to GW in one composite document (DLC:GW). Col. Zebulon Butler, Capt. Simon Spalding, and Lt. John Jenkins certified a petition from nearly fifty Connecticut soldiers to state officials, written at Westmoreland on 23 Jan., to claim that they had enlisted in 1776 “by Special Order of the Contl Congress for the Defence of this Place & the Frontiers, but Contrary to our expectations were in a few Months after our Engagements called away to join the Contl Army under His Excellency General Washington where we continued almost two years which was so great a Trouble to us in Leaving our families exposed to be ravaged by the Savages that one half of our Companies Died in the Service, in the time of our being in the Contl Army the Enemy Made an Incursion & in a most Barbarous & Inhuman Manner killed Numbers of our Parents & Friends & distroyed all our Effects & left our wives families friends & Parents in the Most distressed Scituation. His Excellency General Washington hearing of the Indians being on the Frontiers ordered us back to this Place where the Enemy were in Actual Possession when we marched in on the 3rd of August 1778 (same time we could get no other Troop[s] to assist us) Attacked the Enemy and drove them off where we have continued since thro a series of troubles on account of Different Incursions from the Indians, where we have with our wages & some little help from the Continent supported our families if we could stay here we might support them without expence to the State, But we are again ordered to March out & the Garrison to be Releived with other Troops, yet what releif can we expect as we must leave our families exposed to be again Ravaged by the Indians & Probably all Murdered, therefore Your humble Petitioners humbly Pray a Discharge from the Service and Pray your honors thro your great Wisdom to Advise Some other way to support them” (see also Nathan Denison to GW, 1 Jan. 1777, and n.2 to that document). For the troops sent to ease political friction between Connecticut and Pennsylvania claimants in Wyoming Valley, see GW to Alexander Mitchell, 30 Dec. 1780; see also Huntington to GW, 16 Dec., and Joseph Reed to GW, 19 December. For raids into the Wyoming Valley, see GW to Philip Schuyler, 22 July 1778, and n.2 to that document.
Hurlbut and two other “Select Men” acting “in behalf of the Inhabitants” also signed a petition at Westmoreland on 23 Jan. 1781 “to Request that the foregoing Petition may be granted as these men are Inhabitants of this Town & make a considerable part of our present strength being Acquainted with the Country & able to meet the Enemy in their own way, and many of them having Families & Helpless Parents whose dependance are on them for their support which must be burthensome to the few Inhabitants that are left if these Men be called out, and as these Men were not Raised at the expence of the State so they cannot be reckoned to the credit of any Town except Westmoreland.”
A related petition signed at Westmoreland on 23 Jan. came from Sgt. John Ryon and five others to Connecticut officials. It similarly asked for a discharge “from our Enlistments that we may without expence to the State support our Selves & families or that in Wisdom your Honors Interpose in our behalf or some way grant releif.” Hurlbut and two other “Select Men” then endorsed this petition at Westmoreland on the same date, “at the particular request of the Inhabitants,” as “a true representation of facts & we the Subscribers Beg leave to Request your Honors that this Memorial may be granted as these men are good Inhabitants being Industrious men & much wanted in this exposed part of the Country & serve to strengthen the particular Interest of This State for if this Town be not again Distroyed by the Enemy We hope in a few years to be able to throw a Considerable sum of cash into the Treasury of this State & make s[o]me returns for your Honors great goodness in granting so many of our Requests.” An undated report on these petitions from a committee of the Connecticut legislature issued an opinion that “the Memorialists ought to be Discharged from the service that His Excellency the Govr be Requested to write to the Delegates of this State in Congress to represent the State of the Memorialists to Congress & apply for their Discharge & if they cannot obtain a Discharge that they obtain Liberty for them to be continued in service at said Westmoreland & that the Govr also be requested to write to General Washington Informing him of the Application which is made to Congress in favour of the Memorialists and requesting him to give Liberty to them to remain at Westmoreland under the Command of Capt. Mitchel untill the pleasure of Congress may be known thereon.” The Connecticut legislature then adopted a resolution closely based on this report (see also , 3:336–37).
Thomas McCleur (McClure; b. 1733), born in Boston, appears to have moved to the Wyoming Valley before he enlisted in January 1777 for the war and served as sergeant in the 4th Connecticut Regiment.
John Ryon (Ryan; 1748–1832), a shoemaker from Elkland, Pa., joined the 5th Connecticut Regiment in October 1776. He became sergeant in January 1778 and continued at that rank in the 2d Connecticut Regiment from 1781 until the end of the war.
2. GW wrote Col. John Durkee from headquarters at New Windsor on 20 April: “I was surprised to find by a Letter from Mr John Hurlbut of Wyoming that you had given permission for the Men belonging to the Army, who were Inhabitants of & now are at Wyoming to continue at that place until further Orders—You must be sensible such interference is very improper; & in future you will not presume to contravene the Resolutions of Congress, or Orders of Your Superior officers” (Df, in David Humphreys’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).
Durkee replied to GW from camp on 22 April: “Receeived yours of the 20th instant, am sorry to find myself under your Excellencys Displeasure respecting the Men at Wyoming—when Colo. Butler was in Camp in January he represented to General Pa[r]sons that several Men of the independent Company commanded by Capt. Spaulding had Families & were not likely to be of any Service to the public if called to do Duty in a marching Regiment as they would be oblieged to bring their Families with them—General Parsons proposed he would represent the Matter—& as Colo. Butler could not join immediately that those Characters should wait the last till his Waggon came on—soon after & before Capt. Spaulding joined in the Absence of General Parsons I wrote to & reminded Colo. Butler of the Proposal by General Parsons; find that Capt. Spaulding left Seven of his Company & that four of the other Men detached from the Connecticut Line were retained by Colo. Butler—but that Colo. Butler & the whole of the Men were expected on before this Time—know not from whence Mr Hurlbut got his Information, as your Excellency may depend on the above Representation to be true” (LS, DLC:GW; see also Samuel Holden Parsons to GW, 10 Jan., and Butler to GW, 24 Feb.). Durkee’s letter to Butler has not been identified.
3. GW replied to Hurlbut from headquarters at New Windsor on 19 April: “I have received your favor of the 12th. Congress have not to my knowledge come to any determination upon the matter respecting the Wyoming Companies which has been referred to them by the Assembly of Connecticut—I can therefore do no more at present than to permit those Men who are peculiarly circumstanced as to their families to remain where they are untill the final pleasure of Congress shall be known—I have written to this effect to Colo. Butler” (Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).
GW wrote Butler on the same date: “Upon the receipt of this, you will instantly set out for the Army, and join your Regt as expeditiously as possible—This Order you will consider as explicit and peremptory—and not to be dispensed with, on any pretext whatever—No permission, for further absence can be of any avail, from any authority inferior to that of Congress.
“It is represented to me that there are some few of the Inhabitants of Wyoming belonging to the Continental service now at home, the circumstances of whose families are very peculiarly distressing, those under this predicament, may remain until the pleasure of Congress is known, but the remainder must be forwarded to the Army, without delay—And you will be pleased to report to me upon Your arrival the number & circumstances of all these men” (Df, in David Humphreys’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW). Butler sent the desired information (see his letters to GW, 8 and 10 May, both DLC:GW).