George Washington Papers

Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., to George Washington, 10 May 1781

From Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.

Hartford 10th May 1781

sir

In my Letter of 27th ulto I was obliged to leave Your Excellency undecided on the Proposal you was pleased to make me in yours of the 16th.1

I have now the Honor to inform that I have determined to accept the Offer—provided your Excellency can dispense with a Delay which unavoidable Appointments of Public Business will occasion—these Appointments, made previous to your Excellencys Call with the necessary Preperations for joining—will take my Time to the first Part of June2—If this Delay is admissible—your Excellency will be so good as to inform me,3 & in the Mean Time I shall be takg my Arrangements to attend your Commands as early as possible.4 With every Sentiment of Respect & Esteem—I have the Honor to be Your Excellencys most Obedient & Obliged humble Servant

Jona. Trumbull Junr

ALS, DLC:GW. Trumbull addressed the cover to GW at New Windsor.

1For the offer of appointment as military secretary, see GW to Trumbull, 16 April, and Trumbull to GW, 27 April.

2Trumbull may allude to his recent service as a commissioner to a convention of states and his responsibilities as justice of the peace for Windham County, Conn. (see his letter to GW, 27 April, and n.1 to that document; see also Conn. Public Records description begins The Public Records of the State of Connecticut … with the Journal of the Council of Safety … and an Appendix. 23 vols. to date. Hartford, 1894–. description ends , 3:10, 375).

3GW replied to Trumbull from New Windsor on 14 May: “In answer to your favor of the 10th, which came to my hands last night, I have to assure you, that your joining my family in the first part of June will be very convenient for me, and that I shall be happy in the event” (ALS [photostat], NjP: Armstrong Collection; ADfS, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW; an advertisement for the ALS appears in Christie’s, New York, 5 Dec. 2006, sale no. 1770, item 325).

4For Trumbull’s arrival at GW’s headquarters on 7 June, see Trumbull to Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., 13 June, in Trumbull Papers description begins The Trumbull Papers. 4 vols. Boston, 1885-1902. In Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 5th ser., vols. 9–10; 7th ser., vols. 2–3. description ends , 3:229; see also General Orders, 8 June.

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