Major General Samuel Holden Parsons to George Washington, 4 May 1781
From Major General Samuel Holden Parsons
Redding [Conn.] 4th May 1781
Dr General
I was favor’d Yesterday with your Letter of the 30th of April & shall as soon as possible send the Men you direct.
I find an Uneasiness arises among the Officers respecting the Appointment of several Field Officers in the Light Infantry under the Command of the Marquis;1 if there shall be any alteration in that Command, I would request your Excellency to appoint Lt Colo. Gray of the Connec[ticu]t Line to the Command of the Battalion from that Line.
Cpt. Hunter is now with me respecting a Number of Persons taken when I had a Command to West Chester in January; who are not inlisted with the Enemy & whom they will not exchange; Six of which viz: John Shaeldon, Elijah Williams, Edward Bugbee, Abraham Lent, William Ryer, and Nathl Conkling on Conversation with Capt. Hunter I am satisfied it will be best to parole Home to return When cal’d for; if your Excellency should be of that Opinion I shall wish the Necessary Orders to be given for the Purpose.2 I am with great Respect your Excellency’s Obedt Servt
Saml H. Parsons
ALS, DLC:GW. GW’s aide-de-camp David Humphreys docketed the letter: “Recd 16.”
1. For the light infantry sent to Virginia under Major General Lafayette, see GW to Lafayette, 20 Feb. (second letter). Significant concerns arose over officer appointments in that detachment (see William Heath to GW, 2 March, and GW to Heath, 21 March; see also GW to Lafayette, 6 April).
2. GW wrote Abraham Skinner, commissary general of prisoners, from headquarters at New Windsor on 16 May: “You will give permission to John Shaddon, Elijah Williams, Edward Bugbee, Abraham Lent, Willm Ryer, & Nathaniel Conckling, (who were taken Prisoners when Genl Parsons was at West Chester last Winter) to go within the Enemy’s Lines, on their Paroles to return when called for” (Df, in David Humphreys’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).