George Washington to the Board of War, 30 May 1781
To the Board of War
Head Quarters New Windsor 30th May 1781.
Gentlemen
Inclosed are the Copies of the letters and papers from the Marquis de la Fayette transmitted in yours of the 26th.1
I have recd Mr Carletons letter of the 22d inclosing one from Capt. swan on the subject of what he conceives an injury respecting his Rank. As he states no particulars, I do not know upon what he founds his claim to the Majority of the 1st Regt.2 But of this I am certain, that the date of his present Commission can alone determine the point, as he entered the service a Captain the beginning of the year 1777—and consequently can have no prior claims.3 I have the honor to be &.
Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. GW’s aide-de-camp David Humphreys noted on the draft: “(June 5th Duplicate) The Original was intercepted in the last Mail with the Copies of which it is impossible for the Gentlemen of my family to make out Duplicates, at prest and perform the other indispensable duties of the Office” (see GW to Lafayette, 4 June, n.1, and n.1 below).
1. The Board of War had written GW from Philadelphia on 26 May: “The enclosed Letters were communicated by Congress to the Board for their Information & Copies of them not having been taken either by Congress or the Board I am to request the Favour of your Excellency to order Copies to be taken & sent to Congress” (ALS, by Board of War secretary Richard Peters, DLC:GW). Major General Lafayette wrote Samuel Huntington, president of Congress, from “Camp Wilton” on the James River in Virginia on 18 May: “The Inclosed Letters to His Excellency General Washington Have Been Left oppened for the information of Congress—May I take the Liberty to Request Your Excellency Will please to Order them to Be Sealed up and forwarded to Head Quarters. … I Beg Your Excellency’s pardon for not Sending a Copy of My letters—But thought it Was Better to Send them on for the Sake of dispatch” (DNA:PCC, item 156). Lafayette enclosed his letters to GW dated 17 and 18 May. The British intercepted the copies that GW enclosed when he wrote the board on 30 May (see the source note above).
2. The Board of War had written GW from Philadelphia on 22 May: “The Board beg leave to enclose for your Excellency’s opinion thereon, a Letter of the 2d Instant from Captain swan, respecting his rank in the Army” (ALS, by Board of War secretary Joseph Carleton, DLC:GW; GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman wrote on this letter: “Capt. swans letter returned to the Board”). The British probably intercepted Capt. John Swan’s letter dated 2 May (see the source note above).
3. Disputes persisted over the position of major in the 1st Continental Dragoons (see David Hopkins to GW, 1 Sept. 1782, DLC:GW, and Swan to Nathanael Greene, 10 March 1783, in , 12:499).