Colonel Timothy Pickering to George Washington, 18 May 1781
From Colonel Timothy Pickering
Newburgh [N.Y.] May 18. 1781.
Sir,
The return of boats of which your Excellency has a copy, is dated the 2d of April. At that time there appeared to be 60 batteaux at Wappen’s creek that were repairable.1 On the 29th of April there were eight batteaux there under repair, & fifteen more repairable, but very old. The residue, of consequence, of the 60, had been repaired & taken away. But I do not know of any repaired elsewhere; tho’ materials have been collecting for repairing boats at West point, where also those at King’s ferry are to be repaired; and these repairs are begun, or ready to commence.2
By a memorandum made the same day (April 29th) from Colo. Hughes’s personal information, it appears there were 150 batteaux building at Albany;3 and a day or two afterwards, when we visited West point & King’s ferry, finding flat boats wanting, it was agreed that a number should be built at Wappen’s creek immediately, and Colo. Hughes said he would give orders accordingly. The precise number was not fixed; but the object of the order was a full supply of those boats for Kings ferry, West Point, & Newburgh ferry. I have the honour to be with the greatest respect your Excellency’s most obedt servant
T. Pickering Q.M.G.
ALS, DLC:GW. Pickering addressed this letter to GW “On his Way to Connecticut” and noted on the cover: “Should the Genl have gone from the Landing, Mr Fisher is desired to forward this by an express to overtake his Excellency” (see The Wethersfield Conference and Aftermath, 14 May–16 June 1781, editorial note).
1. Richard Platt, deputy quartermaster general of the main army, had written GW’s aide-de-camp David Humphreys on 3 April: “The enclosed is a copy of the return of Boats—It remains only to observe that those at Brunswick are not included, and that the number ordered from the Wappens Creek by me is not so great as has been ordered. Capt. Nevin had about 30, and Genl Heath had 8 or 10. … The oars have been thot of and the needful work done” (DLC:GW). Capt. Daniel Niven had repaired the defensive chain across Hudson River (see General Orders, 30 March, and n.1).
The enclosed “Return of all public Craft and Boats on Hudson’s and the Mohawk River,” dated 2 April, gave the quantity, size, and condition of various types of craft—including barges, flat-bottomed boats, bateaux, skiffs, gunboats, whaleboats, sloops, schooners, and pettiaugers—and where they were “Employed” and “laid up.” The return showed 60 bateaux at Wappinger’s Creek that were “to be repaired.” Three “Repairable” bateaux were at the same location, in addition to 2 “Irrepairable” bateaux, 1 irreparable flat-bottomed boat, and 3 reparable flat-bottomed boats. The return showed 233 craft (195 being bateaux) employed at West Point and other locations in the New York Highlands (DLC:GW).
2. Twelve craft at King’s Ferry, N.Y, were used as ferry and guard boats. Eight were described as either good or repairable, but four were considered “Bad” (see n.1 above).
3. The memorandum has not been identified.