Colonel Timothy Pickering to George Washington, 12 May 1781
From Colonel Timothy Pickering
Newburgh [N.Y.] May 12. 1781.
Sir,
I was at Fishkill this morning, & from Mr Stevens’s account of provisions received from Connecticut, compared with Mr Josiah Pomeroy’s, I am apprehensive your Excellency has been informed of larger quantities of salted provisions being put up in the towns westward of Connecticut river than were in fact provided. By Mr Stevens’s acct it appears, that from the 6th of February to the 11th inst. there have been received at Fishkill 799½ barrels of beef, and of pork 204½ do.1 By Mr Pomeroy’s acct there remained on the 8th instant, in the towns towards the sound (as they were called in the list I inclosed to your Excellency)2
| 1038 | |||
| deduct Stamford (the meat being issued) | 16. | ||
| Ridgefield the part forwarded | 24 | ||
| Reading ditto | 9½ | ||
| 49½ | |||
| 988½ | |||
| 1992½ bbls | |||
| Of the quantity mentioned in the other list, viz. 660 bbls, as on hand in March, it appears by Mr Stevens’s acct that all has been forwarded, except | 130 bbls | ||
| 2122½ | |||
So that the whole quantity of meat sal[t]ed in the towns westward of Connecticut river falls short of two & twenty hundred barrels; and of this, but about a thousand barrels remain to be forwarded: for by Mr Stevens’s note at the bottom of his return (a copy of which is inclosed) it appears that he has recd 64 barrels of meat from Mr Pomeroy & 64 from the assistant commissary at Danbury, besides the quantities mentioned in the return as recd from the towns.
On this view of the matter, I beg leave to inquire whether it may not be expedient to order a certain quantity of the provisions raised eastward of Connecticut river and deposited at Hartford, to be brought on by the ox-teams hired for the service of the army.3
Part of the meat (I think 64 bls) Colo. Hughes started from Danbury is arrived at Fishkill, and was transporting to the Landing this forenoon. A vessel lay ready to take it on board to carry to West Point.
This moment an express from Warwick is arrived with letters from Mr Anderson Q.M. at Sussex, & Capt. Mitchell Q.M. whom I sent from hence to forward the flour from Warwick. Neither had engaged any teams to come to New Windsor. Their letters I beg leave to inclose.4 The bearer is an express going this night to Warwick to Capt. Mitchell, with orders to offer to the nearerest owners of teams what he shall judge a reasonable hire, & if they will not accept it, to impress them instantly, & set some of the flour in motion to-morrow without fail.
My instructions to Mr Anderson stinted him to no price,5 tho’ I mentioned what had been given in the same money by Colo. Hatch in Massachusetts, where teaming has ever been high. I urged him to engage his teams to come thro’ to New Windsor, to save the time & expence of unloading storing & loading again at Warwick. The quantity of flour in the four brigades mentioned in his letter, & which probably arrived there this evening, added to the 209 barrels mentioned by Capt. Mitchell, will make about four hundred barrels now at Warwick.
At Colo. Stewart’s request an active conductor was sent this afternoon to Warwick, with a letter to his assistant, and orders to hurry on the provisions at that place.6 I have the honour to be your Excellency’s most obedt servt
T. Pickering Q.M.G.
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. An enclosed undated “Account of Provisions received from Connecticut from the 6th of February to the 11th May 1781” gives these amounts along with 1,824 pounds of “Salt Beef” from 23 Connecticut towns. A note at the bottom of the return reads: “Also 64 Barrels of Beef received from Mr [Ralph] Pomeroy D. Q. Master and 64 [barrels of beef] from Mr Pratt A. C. Issues at Danbury.” An additional 56 barrels came from Goshen and 168 barrels from “several Towns” shown in a list with marginal figures next to eight towns that differ from numbers on the return (DLC:GW).
2. See Pickering to GW, 9 May, and n.3 to that document.
3. GW replied to Pickering from headquarters on 13 May: “The quantity of salted provision in the western part of Connecticut, being by your representation much less than was expected, it will certainly be expedient to bring forward that from Hartford, by the hired Teams, which you will be pleasd to order accordingly” (Df, in David Humphreys’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW). For ox teams to transport provisions, see Ralph Pomeroy to GW, 8 April, and n.2 to that document.
4. The letters to Pickering from Thomas Anderson, assistant deputy quartermaster at Sussex Court House, N.J., and Uriah Mitchell, assistant deputy quartermaster at Newburgh, have not been identified.
5. These instructions have not been identified.
6. Charles Stewart, commissary general of issues, traveled to Warwick, N.Y., to facilitate flour transportation (see his letter to GW, 23 May). The letter to Stewart’s assistant has not been identified.