George Washington to Major General Robert Howe, 2 June 1781
To Major General Robert Howe
New Windsor June 2d 1781
Dear Sir,
The misterious conduct of the enemy at New York1—and their appearance in force (as it is reported to me) at Crown point2—with other circumstances unnecessary to detail—renders caution and vigilance extremely necessary at our Posts in the Highlands3—I therefore desire that you will not delay a moment after your return to West point & to your command there4 in obtaining & reporting to me an exact state of the Provision & Water in the different Redoubts—that you will see each of them, especially those wch are most remote & difficult to support as well supplied as our means will admit with Provision—and that every precaution is taken to prevent injury & waste of it—which I am told is by no means the case at present.5
It will also be necessary to have Troops assigned to each work and your disposition for the defence of them so perfectly made as that no confusion or delay may ensue in case of a sudden call—In doing this let there be as little seperation of Corps, and of Men from their Officers, as the nature of the case will admit. The security of the Magazine is an object which requires much care & industry & I recommend it accordingly to your closest attention while you remain at the Post. I am Dr Sir Yr Most Obedt Sert
G. W——n
P.S. I believe there is a loud call for more cleanliness in and about the Barracks & Works & recommend a reformation to your particular attention that the health of the Soldiers may be preserved.6
G.W.
ADfS, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. For erroneous intelligence that the British intended to evacuate New York City, see Arthur St. Clair to GW, 21 May; see also GW to Lund Washington, 31 May.
3. At this point on the draft, GW wrote and then struck out: “Matters are not yet matured for a general arrangemt of the.”
4. Howe replaced Maj. Gen. William Heath as commander at West Point (see GW to Howe, 7 May, and Howe to GW, 17 May; see also GW to Heath, 8 and 9 May, especially n.9 to the latter document).
5. For the requested returns, see Howe to GW, 5 June, and n.1 to that document; see also Howe to GW, 11 June, and n.1 to that document.
6. Garrison orders recorded in an orderly book kept at West Point (9–29 June 1781) included one for 18 June with the observation that some barracks were “relaxing into nastiness.” Quartermasters were “ordered to have them cleaned” (NHi). For continued concern with sanitary measures at West Point, see GW to Alexander McDougall, 22 June.