George Washington to Major General Nathanael Greene, 1 June 1781
To Major General Nathanael Greene
Head Quarters New Windsor June 1st 1781
My Dear Sir
I have received your favors of the 22nd and 27th of April enclosing Copies of your Letters to Congress.1 The difficulties which you daily encounter and surmount with your small force, add not a little to your reputation, and I am pretty well assured, that should you be obliged finally to withdraw from South, and even from North Carolina, it will not be attributed to either your want of abilities or of exertion, but to the true cause, the want of means to support the War, in them.
I feel for your mortification at the loss of the day before Campden, after it seemed so much in your favor, but I hope you will have found that the Enemy suffered severely, as in their publication of the affair in the New York Paper they confess the loss of 200.2 The reduction of Fort Watson does honor to General Marion, and Colonel Lee.
I have lately had an interview with the Count De Rochambeau at Weathersfield. Our affairs were attentively considered in every point of view, and it was finally determined to make an attempt upon New York with its present Garrison in preference to a Southern operation, as we had not the decided command of the Water. You will readily suppose the reasons which induced this determination were, the inevitable loss of Men from so long a march, more especially in the approaching hot season—and the difficulty, I may say impossibility of transporting the necessary Baggage, Artillery, and Stores by land.3 I am in hopes, if I am supported as I ought to be, by the neighbouring States in this which you know has always been a favorite operation, that one of these consequences will follow, the Enemy will be expelled from the most valuable possession which they hold upon the Continent, or they will be obliged to recall part of their force from the southward to defend it. Should this last happen, You will be most essentially releived by it. The French Troops will begin their march this way, as soon as certain circumstances will admit.4 I can only give you the outlines of our plan—the dangers to which Letters are exposed, make it improper to commit particulars to paper, but as matters ripen I will keep you as well informed as circumstances will allow.
A detachment of between 1500 and 2000 Men sailed from New York about the 13th of May—I advised Baron Steuben of this, and desired him to communicate it to you.5 I conclude they will either stop in Chesapeake or in Cape Fear, except the operations of the Spaniards in the Floridas should call for reinforcement to that Quarter: But I can hardly flatter myself that they will attend to the preservation of Augustine. Pensacola we are told has fallen.6
The Marquis de la Fayette informed me that about 800 Recruits would be ready to march from Virginia the latter end of May.7 I have no certain accounts from Maryland lately, but I was told by a gentleman from thence that about 400 might be expected to march in April8—I make no doubt but you are kept regularly advised by the Superintending Officer.9
I have not heard that General Wayne had left York Town but I have reason to believe that he has gone before this time. If no fresh discontents arise among those Troops—The detachment with Wayne will be a most valuable acquisition to you—They are cheifly the old soldiers, and compleatly furnished with every necessary.10 I am my Dear Sir With every sentiment of regard & esteem Your Most Obedient Servant
Go: Washington
P.S. I am so much hurried at this moment that I cannot answer your private letter, but will do it by the next oppertunity.11 I have lately heard that Mrs Greene & your family were12 well—I have wrote to her, and mentioned your disappointment in not getting her letters—again requesting they may [be] put under cover to me.13
G.W.
LS, in David Humphreys’s writing, NjP: De Coppet Collection; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. GW wrote and initialed the postscript, which appears only on the LS.
1. Greene’s letters to GW dated 22 and 27 April enclosed his letters to Samuel Huntington, president of Congress, of the same dates. Greene’s letter to Huntington on 22 April described the military situation in the southern department. His letter on 27 April detailed the battle fought at Hobkirk’s Hill near Camden, S.C.; Greene also enclosed a report on the capture of Fort Watson, S.C., and its garrison.
2. The New-York Gazette: and the Weekly Mercury for 21 May printed an item under “MORNING ORDERS” for that date that gave an account of the battle at Hobkirk’s Hill and concluded: “The enemy’s loss on this occasion is estimated by Lord Rawdon at about 500 men, and his own at about 200, in which number is one Officer killed, and 11 wounded, but not dangerously.”
4. For the French army’s departure from Newport, see Rochambeau to GW, 9 June, and n.2 to that document. For the subsequent march from Providence, see Rochambeau to GW, 15 June, and n.2 to that document.
5. See GW to Steuben, 16 May.
6. For the intelligence about Pensacola, see Benjamin Tallmadge to GW, 29 May, n.1; see also Francisco Rendon to GW, 12 June.
7. See Lafayette to GW, 8 May.
8. For the march of these troops, see Maryland Legislature to GW, 27 June.
9. Brig. Gen. William Smallwood supervised military affairs in Maryland. For his most recent letter, see Smallwood to Greene, 4 May, in , 8:203–4.
10. Suppression of a mutiny delayed the march of Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne’s Pennsylvania line detachment until 26 May (see Wayne to GW, that date, and n.2 to that document).
11. See Greene to GW, 1 May. GW did not mention that letter when he next wrote Greene on 30 July (NN: Washington Collection).
12. GW initially wrote and struck out “are” before writing “were” above the line.
13. No letter from GW to Catharine Littlefield Greene with this content has been found.