Charles Thomson to George Washington, 10 May 1781

From Charles Thomson

Philadelphia May 10th 1781.

Sir,

I do myself the honor to enclose you an Act of the United States, appointing Thomas Hutchins Geographer to the southern Army with the same pay and emoluments as are allowed to the Geographer to the main army.1

Mr Hutchins is a native of New Jersey, and was many years in the English service, where he held the rank of Captain and Engineer; But having suffered Considerably for his attachment to the American Cause he, in the begining of the last year ma⟨de⟩ his escape from England & got to France; from whence he brought a letter from Doctr Franklin stating his sufferings & recommending him to the favorable notice of Congress as a good Officer and excellenct Engineer.2

Mr Hutchins is desirous of knowing the pay & emoluments allowed to the Geographer to the main army, and as I do not recollect any resolution of Congress fixing them I take the liberty of applying to you and should be much obliged for information on the subject.3 I am with great respect Sir Your most obed⟨ient⟩ and most humble servt

Chas Thomson

LS, DLC:GW; ADfS, DNA:PCC, item 49. Mutilated material on the LS is supplied in angle brackets from the draft.

Thomson also enclosed congressional resolutions adopted on 8 May and promulgated in the general orders for 30 May (see DLC:GW; see also JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 34 vols. Washington, D.C., 1904–37. description ends , 20:487–89). Thomson enclosed an additional resolution passed on 8 May that does not appear in general orders: “That the State of Connecticut be requested to use every possible exertion to remount Col. Sheldon’s regiment, and to equip them with such Accoutrements as they Can furnish them with to enable them to take the field” (DLC:GW; see also JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 34 vols. Washington, D.C., 1904–37. description ends , 20:490, and GW to Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., 22 May).

1. The enclosed congressional resolution, adopted on 4 May, is in DLC:GW; see also JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. 34 vols. Washington, D.C., 1904–37. description ends , 20:476, and General Orders, 30 May. For the resolution sent Thomas Hutchins, see Samuel Huntington to Hutchins, 8 May (DNA:PCC, item 15).

2. See Benjamin Franklin to Huntington, 16 March 1780, in Franklin Papers description begins William B. Willcox et al., eds. The Papers of Benjamin Franklin. 42 vols. to date. New Haven, 1959–. description ends , 32:121–22.

3. For Simeon DeWitt’s compensation as geographer to the main army and Hutchins’s acceptance of his appointment as geographer to the southern army, see GW’s reply to Thomson on 29 May.

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Source Project: Washington Papers
Title: Charles Thomson to George Washington, 10 May 1781
Author: Thomson, Charles
Recipient: Washington, George
Date: 10 May 1781

Reference

Cite as: “Charles Thomson to George Washington, 10 May 1781,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-32-02-0057. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 32, 6 May–4 July 1781, ed. William M. Ferraro. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2023, pp. 73–74.]

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