George Washington to Lieutenant Colonel Ménonville, 9 May 1781
To Lieutenant Colonel Ménonville
New Windsor 9th May 1781.
As there is a great deficiency of such kind of Artillery as Colo. Menonville applies for, at the disposal of General Washington, he has it not in his power to do more, than to communicate the wishes of His Excell’y Count de Rochambeau (as they are expressed by Colo. Menonville) to Congress; from whom he is perswaded Eight or ten pieces of the Cannon said to be imported for the 70 Gun ship at Portsmouth may be had if they are actually arrived & Congress should despair of fitting that Vessel for Sea1—In the meantime, it lies with the Count d⟨e⟩ Rochambeau (if he wishes to avoid delay) to make application to an individual sta⟨te⟩ for the number of Guns he may want for the defences of Rhode Island; & as far as it is in General Washingtons power to facilitate the loan of them, he will, tho’ candor obliges him to add, that sometime ago he made an ineffectual application himself to the Stat⟨e⟩ of Massachusetts for some of the Guns belonging to the Somerset Man of War (which stra⟨n⟩ded on Cape Cod) when they were much wanted to render the Post at West point more defensible.2
Go: Washington
ADfS, UkLoBM, Additional Manuscripts 22130.
GW probably replied to an undated memorandum from Ménonville: “as I think my self intitled to hope the plainess and Cander his Excellency has seen in my way of transacting bussiness with him has had his approbation—I thought it would not be improper to offer to his consideration some few lines written down in the same way in relation to the artillary to be put in newport from the stores of this kind belonging to the continent or to some particular states and I desire to answer to general chatellux about the matter till I could receive from his Excellency further directions.
“I must in the first place Lett his Excellency know that from some particular notions of mine I am somewhat affraid it could be some mistake about the artillry said to be destined for the ships now building at Portsmouth so it may happen if his Excellency relys entirely on that drop all other means of providing for the works erected a[t] newport with the artilary necessary for their differences we could be exposed to some iretreveable miscount further more as it is necessary to apply to the congress to obtain it the indispensable time to come to an answer can perhaps be too long for the possable necesities of the Circumstance.
“so I Concieve that without laying wholly aside this mean it would be in some degree usefull to apply to the neighbouring states to obtain some [of] them the wanted for artilary and as by what I have heard from his Excellency I am sensible that a pressing and peremptory recquesition on that be half would perhaps not very conveniantly come from hisself could not such recquesition be made by the French general—who on very obvious reasons can be more easily excused for the improprety if any in the demand and may be more effectually operate on the minds of the rulers of the several states speceally if accompaned with some expressions of his Excellency approving of the demand.
“If I am in the right in this my opinion his Excellency can either propose it derectly to general Rochambeau or derect me to advise him of it by the way of general chatellux as all this Business has been till now come to me by this channell” (D, DLC:GW). For earlier discussions with Ménonville, see GW to Ménonville, 6 May.
2. See GW to Horatio Gates, 24 Nov. 1778, and Gates to GW, 27 Dec., n.1; see also Alexander McDougall to GW, 10 December. For another unsuccessful request, see GW to the Massachusetts Council, 19 July 1780, and the council to GW, 31 July. For the grounding of the Somerset, see John Sullivan to GW, 10 Nov. 1778, n.2.