Ephraim Blaine to George Washington, 14 May 1781
From Ephraim Blaine
Philada 14 May 1781
Sir
I have return’d some days from Maryld and the Delaware State and find the Supplies procured for public use very triffling and that the State Contractors have done but little1—I could not obtain permission to seize private property, indeed the Governor & Council had not the power of giving it, altho a very large quantity of Flour and an immensity of Indian Corn might have been procured2—the Flour chiefly in the hands of Millers and Speculators—All the Provisions upon the Eastern shore I have Order’d to be collected at the Head of Chester, from whence it’s to be transported to Duck-Creek Landing where Craft are waiting to take it in3—The whole Eastern shore Supplies now purchased will not exceed twelve hundred barrels of Flour and two hundred and fifty Barrels of Beef and Pork—those of the Western shore are more considerable and I have given Directions to have them collected as near to George Town4 as will Admit of safety.
The State of Delaware have done little in the purchase of Flour, and have procured no Meat altho great Things are in their power—had the Assembly laid the Millers under small Contribution they might have had all their Quoto of Flour procured and deliver’d into the public Magazines some time ago5—I have collected from the Agents in that State six hundred Barrels of Flour and eight thousand Bushels of Corn, which will all be at Trenton in a few Days provided no accident happens in the Bay.6
There are little or no Magazines in this State—the Governor and Council have furnish⟨ed⟩ their Commissioners with large Sums of Money to expedite their purchases of Flour (which is very plenty) but the Villainy which prevails in this City amongst the Mercantile and speculating Interest, and the measures daily pursued by the disaffected People in the Barter of hard Money, Counteracts every Public Measure and has depreciated and ruined the Circulation of all paper Currency, indeed the Contractors can buy nothing, and no person can subsist in this place without hard Money to procure the Necessaries of Life7—this has induced the Council to call a special Meeting of the Assembly on the 24th Instant to endeavour to adopt some certain plan to procure the Supplies required, and comply with other public Demands.8
The Board of War have ordered me to proceed to York Town and see that proper Provision is made to supply General Waynes Detatchment from that place to Fredericks’burgh9—I have procured a pipe of Wine and some necessaries for Your Excellency & Family which shall be forwarded in two Days from this place.
Upon my return from York Town shall give your Excellency every further information in my power respecting Supplies. I have the Honor to be with every sentimt of Esteem & regard—Your Excellencies Most Obedient & most Humble Servant
Eph. Blaine C.G.P.
LS, DLC:GW; ADfS, DLC: Ephraim Blaine Letterbook. The draft is dated 15 May.
1. Blaine had traveled to Maryland and Delaware to secure public stores and provisions from a potential enemy raid (see Blaine to GW, 13 April).
2. Blaine had written Isaac Carty, assistant commissary of purchases for Delaware, from Philadelphia on 10 April: “Information has been made Congress of ten or twelve thousand Barrels of Flour being in the neighbourhood of Wilmington I wish to God your Governor and Council would impower you to seize it for the United States.” Blaine added that returns of supplies from Delaware “for the last and present year are much wanting” (, 3:1356; see also Blaine to GW, 13 April, n.4, and n.6 below).
3. Duck Creek enters the Delaware River approximately eight miles northeast of Dover. A landing—later named Smyrna Landing—had been established for the coastal trade a few miles inland at the limit of the creek’s navigation.
4. “Potomack” appears on the draft following this word, indicating Georgetown, Maryland.
Blaine wrote Robert Morris, superintendent of finance, from Philadelphia on 23 June, and he enclosed a return that showed 400 barrels of flour at “Head of Chester and Duck Creek X Roads” as well as 1,200 barrels at Georgetown (, 1:173).
5. Congress had requisitioned 3,471 barrels of flour from Delaware and 800 barrels of pork (see Samuel Huntington to GW, 12 Nov. 1780, and n.1 to that document)
6. Dover merchant Peter Fury had written Blaine on 6 May about substantial anticipated deliveries of flour, corn, salt, and oats and to obtain “directions whether to Hawl it to the Delaware or Ship it there” (DLC: Ephraim Blaine Papers).
7. John Hazelwood, commissioner of purchases for the Continental army in Philadelphia, had written Joseph Reed, president of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council, on 11 May to report inflated prices “for Flour & other articles that are so much wanted for the immediate use of the Army. I have used every endeavour to keep the prices Low, but find it is impossible to obtain any more without giving such prices that I shall be ashamed to charge. I have not been able to purchase Flour, or any other article, for paper Money this six or seven days past” (, 1st ser., 9:133). For a similar report, see William McCalla to Reed and the Supreme Executive Council, 15 May, in , 1st ser., 9:136.
8. When he wrote Samuel Huntington, president of Congress, in a letter endorsed 22 May, Reed explained efforts to procure provisions and added: “With Respect to compulsory methods which are recommended to us by the Commander in Chief, we beg Leave to observe that the Laws for this Purpose being temporary have expired by their own Limitation & the present Assembly has not deemed it expedient to renew them so that we have no legal Authority whatever to use coercive modes or Power to carry them into sufficient Effect. The Gen. Assembly of the State are summoned to meet on the 24 Inst., when we hope some suitable Steps may be taken to remedy these great & alarming Evils” (, 1st ser., 9:162–63). The Pennsylvania assembly passed laws in June related to money and supplies for the army (see , 10:326–44, 351–54).
9. For the detachment being sent to Virginia under Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne, see Wayne to GW, 7 and 26 May.