1. Tallmadge enclosed an undated and untitled report from “S.G.” that begins by listing “Lusboks” [Lossberg’s] and “Crauhas’s” [Koehler’s] as “Hessian Regts” posted “from Kings bridge about 4 miles on the road to N.Y. And Several Companies detachd from British Regts with them.” The “57th British regt lie Just above” Fort Washington (Fort Knyphausen), New York. The 38th Regiment of Foot “lie at Harlem at a Place Called Laurel Hill.” The 22d Regiment of Foot and the 42d Regiment of Foot were doing “duty at Horns Hook and in and about Town” along with “Two Hessian regts.” Forces that “Went with the Fleet for the Delaware or Chesapeak” came from the 43d Regiment of Foot, two Anspach regiments, and the 86th Regiment of Foot. Additionally, “150 Hessian Jagers went with the Fleet.” The total amounted to “2000” troops. The “1st Regt British Granadiers lie at New Town on Long Island,” and a second granadier regiment was at Jamaica, New York. Lieutenant Colonel Wurmb’s “Hessian Jagers about 600 or 700 lie at” Herricks, N.Y., “on the North Side” of Hempstead Plains. The 17th Regiment of Light Dragoons, under an unknown commander, “Lye at Heampstead[.] At Loyds Neck Detatchments from Several New raisd L[oyalist] Regts to the Amount of 600 perhaps Seven hundred[.] On Staten Island 2 Regts Amount on the Island 1200.” The report concludes: “2 Frigates only in New York Harbour excep. the Confederacy Whole troops in & about N.Y. not to exceed 4500. … N.B. General Robinson is Going to the Southwart to take Genl Phillips’s place who it is Said died of Sickness. Arnold cannot it Seems be trusted alone.

“An Expedition from K. bridge may Soon be expectd perhaps after Forriage. Last Tuesday 22 May All the Troops on the Island were Marching for N. York; at 11 oClock at Night they were ordered to return to their quondam Quarters They had got as far down as Howards on wednesday they marchd back” (DLC:GW, filed under 27 May). GW summarized the report in his diary entry for 31 May (Diaries description begins Donald Jackson and Dorothy Twohig, eds. The Diaries of George Washington. 6 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1976–79. description ends , 3:374–75; see also n.2 below).

Tallmadge also enclosed a letter from Samuel Culper (Abraham Woodhull’s alias) to John Bolton (Tallmadge’s alias) written at Setauket, N.Y., on 27 May: “Your favour of the 13th Instant hath come to hand—And note the contents—I have proposed the affair to the person mentiond in your last but can only Send him down at times, he cannot reside there at present—And cannot procure any person at yet to do it—Austin Roe hath Just returned from New York but brings nothing material Pensacola is taken by the Spaniards And thers a Fleet prepairing to Sail for Urope, probaby will be ready in about ten days, their Said to be Conveyd by five Ships of war—The Troops were all orderd to leave Long Island a few days past but before they got to Brooklin were orderd to return to their quarters—again what this menover was for cannot Say—It is reportd that the Second division of French have arrived at Boston—You desired to know the State of the Enemy at Kingsbridge—I have direcd an enquire there most certainly very weak there. But I think you cannot Surprise them and were you to make any movement there you may depend they could move their Whole force there in twelve hours: Their regular Troops certainly doth not much exceed four Thousand. And I am assured that the Millitia and others that they could muster on an emergency would amount to five Thousand more Some Say Six—I have forwarded the papers regular—And have expended the ten Gines A few days past Several Men from New Haven were at Setauket—Two of them were named Thompson and Brother, further cannot describe, They Brought on Shoes and Flower and other necessairies of life Thers a person bene to New York this week, I Suppose you are not unacquainted with his errand—hope he hath renderd a good account. I am in hast. … General Phillips is dead and General Robinson Commonly Called Old Jimmy Goes to take the Command in Virginia” (DLC:GW; underlines signify decoded text; for the code, see Tallmadge to GW, 25 July 1779). Tallmadge’s letter dated 13 May 1781 has not been identified, but see Tallmadge to GW, 6 May. Spanish forces took Pensacola from the British earlier in May (see Rendon to GW, 24 April, n.5). For the British fleet that sailed for Europe, see Tallmadge to GW, 6 June, n.2. British major Frederick Mackenzie, stationed in New York City, recorded in his diary entry for 22 May: “The Jagers ordered to return from Jamaica to their former quarters” (Mackenzie Diary description begins Diary of Frederick Mackenzie Giving a Daily Narrative of His Military Service as an Officer of the Regiment of Royal Welch Fusiliers during the Years 1775–1781 in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. 2 vols. Cambridge, Mass., 1930. description ends , 2:527). The second division of the French expeditionary force never left France (see GW to James Bowdoin, 28 Aug. 1780, and n.2 to that document). GW summarized Culper’s letter in his diary entry for 31 May 1781 and noted agreement that British forces around New York City could not exceed “4500 men including the New Levies” (Diaries description begins Donald Jackson and Dorothy Twohig, eds. The Diaries of George Washington. 6 vols. Charlottesville, Va., 1976–79. description ends , 3:374–75; see also GW’s first letter to Lafayette, 31 May).

Another letter Culper wrote Bolton, from Setauket on 19 May, reads: “Your very pressing letter of the 3 came to hand. And it is a matter of Greif to me that I cannot compleatly execute your request when at New York myself togather with C. Jur almost racked our invention to point out a proper person and made several attempts but failed no person will write—The Enemy have got Some hint of me for when passing at—Brooklin Ferry was Strictly examined And told Some villan Supportd a Correspondence from this place—I do assure you am greatly alarmed—And wished to be releived from my prent anxiety—I Shall not think it Safe for me to go to New York very Soon—And can only Supply you with verbal accounts as hath bene the case for Some time if tha⟨t⟩ ⟨mutilated⟩ answer let me know Shall continue as here ⟨to⟩ fore until hear from you—Austin Roe came from New York—yesterday. who Saith C. Jur informed as is the following—Admiral Arbuthnot togather with the Troops mentioned in my last Saild on Sunday last Supposed to Stop up the Dellaware—and is Something expectd that Adml Arbuthnot will Soon appear at Block Island—The Enemy have impressd 300 of your prisoners and put then on board of the Ships of war—this is fact—Nothing material from any other Quarter except a late arival from Urope and brings a prospect of peace See the paper” (DLC:GW; underlines signify decoded text). Tallmadge’s letter dated 3 May has not been identified. British admiral Marriot Arbuthnot’s fleet returned to New York City after escorting an expedition that sailed for Virginia on Sunday, 13 May (see William Heath to GW, 1 May, n.1). For British naval impressments, see Tallmadge to GW, 6 May, n.13. The Royal Gazette (New York City) for 12 May reported the arrival on 11 May of “the Letter of Marque Ship Eleonora, Capt. Hamilton, in 8 weeks from England.” The same newspaper for 16 May related that the Eleonora brought news about Lord North’s speech in Parliament on 7 March, which speculated on “a rumour of pacification, and not a rumour founded merely on conjecture; there certainly appeared a great probability of peace taking place, and negociations had commenced; but then it was nothing determinate, no certainty, but a matter liable to many accidents and miscarriages.”

2. Tallmadge probably refers to George Smith, a former Continental officer who continued to collaborate with Tallmadge and the Culper ring (see Tallmadge to GW, 18 Aug. 1782, DLC:GW).