Major Benjamin Tallmadge to George Washington, 20 April 1781
From Major Benjamin Tallmadge
Fairfield [Conn.] April 20th 81. 8 oClock A.M.
Sir
By an unfortunate mistake of the Express I was not hond with Your Excellency’s favor of the 8th instant ’till the 15th following,1 immediately after which I repaired to this Place & embraced the first2 Opportunity to go over to Long Island on the business proposed. I returned here this morning & have, by different Persons, procured accurate Drafts of the enemy’s Forts and Returns of their Land & Naval Forces at Loyds Neck and Fort Slongo.3 I shall immediately set out for Rhode Island4 from whence will do myself the Honor to write Your Excellency again.5
The British Fleet have returned to New York,6 & from C. I am informed that the Detachment which lately sailed from New York, under the Command of Genl Philips, was certainly composed of the Corps which he reported in his late letter on that Subject.7 I have the Honor to be, with the most perfect Esteem, Your Excellency’s most Obedt Servt
Benja. Tallmadge
ALS, DLC:GW; ADfS, CtLHi. Underlines signify decoded text from the ALS. For the code, see Tallmadge to GW, 25 July 1779.
2. Tallmadge wrote “favorable” after this word on his draft.
3. Tallmadge wrote “Tredwell’s banks” for this place on his draft.
4. Tallmadge wrote “New Port” for this place on his draft.
6. For this British fleet, see Elias Dayton to GW, 14 April, n.6.
7. GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman noted on the ALS: “These were Light Infantry[,] 76th Regt[,] 2 German Regs.” Samuel Culper (Abraham Woodhull’s alias) had written John Bolton (Tallmadge’s alias) from Setauket, N.Y., on Sunday, 18 March: “Your Several favours of the 28 of February And of the 11 Instant have been received—And observe the contents—I have but little to communicate at this time—Genl Phillips hath embarked Some days ago with all the [Light] Infantry, the Seventy Six Regmt and two German Regmt The Whole Said to amount to Sixteen Hundred Men Generally beleived are bound to the assistance of Arnold They had not Saild last Thursday—And am of Oppinion they will not go, They certainly have not a Sufficient Convoy—A few days past a Small boat arrived from Arnold in forty Eight Hours but nothing could be lernt from her, Thers nothing from any other quarter, save Brittan declareing war against the United Stats of Holland and their takeing St Estatias and one Hundred and Sixty Sail of Ships See the papers Inclosed. The Enemy are very low on the Same account, I think they must make peace Shortly. The Memorial of Prussia mentiond in the News papers is not thought to be Genuine here C. Junr is again in New York City and entering into buisiness as heretofore and you may Soon I hope receve his dispaches” (DLC:GW; Woodhull wrote the place, month, and date in code in the dateline; see the source note above). Tallmadge’s letters to Woodhull dated 28 Feb. and 11 March have not been identified. The Royal Gazette (New York) for 10 March printed “a Memorial presented to the States of Holland by the King of Prussia, March the 3d, 1779” that begins and ends: “UPON reconnoitering Europe, every thing I see occasions the utmost speculation, but nothing surprizes me more than to see the inconsistent part your High Mig[h]tinesses take at this critical time; a time wherein two of the most powerful Catholic Princes in the world are united in a cruel war to destroy the Protestant Religion, with the liberty of Europe; and you appear unconcerned! … And if the echo of Europe sounds true, you are going to seal your ingratitude by forcing a war with Britain. But hear me what I say! I have made a solemn vow, and the Almighty God himself I have called to witness, that if your evil genius forces you to such a step, I will sacrifice all the battles I have won, the countries I have conquered, and center every thing in one point; and that point shall be, to attack you with all my armies, and never leave you till I have taken such revenge, as shall make Holland and Dutchmen examples of ingratitude to all eternity.” For newspaper accounts of formal hostilities between Great Britain and the Netherlands and the British capture of Saint Eustatius, see Dayton to GW, 18 March, n.1, and 14 April, n.9. Only one German regiment went on the expedition with Maj. Gen. William Phillips (see Dayton to GW, 9 March, n.2).