Major General Robert Howe to George Washington, 4 June 1781
From Major General Robert Howe
West Point 4th June 1781
Dear sir
The enclos’d Extract of a letter from Captain Pray to General Paterson will give you the intelligence he sent up, I, as yet, have heard nothing1—I am sorry it was not in your Excellency’s power to Honour me with your presence to day But hope to be favored with it some other time & should be happy to see the Duke when he will do me that Honour and with your Excellency if you think it proper.2 It is with concern I inform you sir that we have not above half a Days Flour more & not more than six days Meat.3 I am Dear sir with the greatest Respect your Excellencys Most Obt hum. servt
Robt Howe
ALS, PHi: Dreer Collection. The cover is addressed to GW at New Windsor.
1. The enclosure was an extract from Capt. John Pray’s letter to Brig. Gen. John Paterson dated 3 June: “We have got in the line of our intelligence again, by which we are inform’d that the day before Yesterday a Fleet saild from York—the Report is in York that they are gone to Eastward—Another Fleet is to Sail the 10th Inst., which is the Corck Fleet.
“The Enemy are hourly in expectation of being Besiege’d in York, as they hear that the French Fleet has arriv’d at Rhode Island—and that our Army is about taking the Field towards Kings Bridge.
“This we have from a man who was in York yesterday, he inform’d Lieut. Shalor who was down last night below Philips’s House, that he goes and comes when he pleases to York.
“This Person is much depended upon” (DLC:GW).
2. Howe refers to Brigadier General Lauzun, who arrived at GW’s headquarters on the evening of 3 June (see GW to Rochambeau, 4 June, and n.10).
3. For flour and meat at West Point, see Howe to GW, 5 June, n.1. GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman wrote Q.M. Gen. Timothy Pickering from New Windsor on 15 June to announce the delivery of “500 Barrels of Flour for the use of the Army—You will be pleased to order Craft to Newburg and Œsopus to take it in—It is to be carried to West point and delivered to the Keeper of the Magazine There” (DNA: RG 93, manuscript file no. 26015; Pickering docketed the letter: “recd & acted upon 15th”).
British major Frederick Mackenzie, stationed in New York City, wrote in his diary entry for 18 June: “The Rebel Garrison at West point has for some time past been in the utmost distress for provisions. Having been at last reduced to a quarter of their usual allowance, they were relieved lately by a small temporary supply” (, 2:547).