Captain Thomas Arnold to George Washington, 1 May 1781
From Captain Thomas Arnold
East Greenwich, R-Island May 1st 1781.
Sir
At the battle of Monmouth, on the 28th of June 1778, I was so unfortunate as to loose a leg—I was returned, and drew pay in the regiment until the 1st of November 1779—I have since had a transference to the corps of Invalids in Boston, by Colonel Greene, and joined it the 1st of June last—Soon afterwards, I returned to Rhode-Island and at the particular request of Colonel Greene took a command in his regiment, which had but a small number of officers and was reinforced by levies.1
The capture of a vessel, by the enemy, at the commencement of the War, on board of which I had considerable property made me but little better than on a level with the world—The scanty pittance I had collected since, by my services in the army, was expended during my long and severe sickness in Jersey after my misfortune (no part of which has as yet been refunded) and by my family in my long absence2—together with what remained after my first loss.
I have received no pay from the Continent since that for the month of October 1779—and the little prospect of being able to obtain any soon, constrains me to request Your Excellency’s permission to be absent from the corps for the space of five months next following, with liberty to go on board a privateer for a cruize or a letter of marque or merchant man for a voyage, within that time.
I beg leave to observe that, there are at this time a number of supernumerary officers with the Corps.3 I am Your Excellency’s most Obedient Servant
Thos Arnold late a Capt. in Colo. Greene’s Regt
ALS, DLC:GW. “⅌ post” is written on the cover, which is addressed to GW at New Windsor.
1. For efforts to strengthen Col. Christopher Greene’s regiment, see William Greene to GW, 25 June 1780; see also GW to William Greene, and to William Heath, both 29 June 1780.
2. Arnold had married in 1768, and his family at this time included three children.
3. GW replied to Arnold from headquarters at New Windsor on 12 May: “I have recd yours of the 1st Instant. Although it is my wish to afford every comfort and assistance in my power, to an Officer who has suffered so much in the service as you have done, yet I cannot, with propriety, indulge you in the request you make of being permitted to go for a time into the sea service. It would introduce a practice not warranted in any Army, and would lead to numberless applications of the same nature, tho perhaps not so well grounded as yours appears to be” (Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW; the draft is addressed to Arnold at East Greenwich). Arnold later served as a federal revenue officer in Rhode Island (see GW to the United States Senate, 2 Aug. 1790, in 6:182–85).