George Washington to Colonel Elisha Sheldon, 6 June 1781
To Colonel Elisha Sheldon
Head Quarters New Windsor June 6th 1781
Sir
In answer to your Letter of the 2nd Inst. I can only repeat the instruction I gave in mine of the 31st Ulto for you to draw on your own Return from the Public Stores such Articles as were indispensably necessary to equip your Corps, previous to its marching.1 I was in hopes that the Assembly of Connecticut, if they gave Orders for the purchase of the Horses, would also make provision for procuring the Equipage agreeably to the Recommendation of Congress.2
As to the Article of leather for Saddles &C. I scarcely know what can be done about it. I am informed there are no hides on hand, and contracts to a considerable amount uncomplied with—and that the prospect of a supply of Shoes is not very promising—owing to the great diminution of the number of public Hides, in consequence of our obtaining the salted Beef by a specific Tax, without the Hides3—I should imagine the State could from that resource, replace any leather in a little time that Mr Star may furnish. If I should undertake to break in upon the general Arrangements of the Board of War & Clothier General, by particular Orders, I fear the inevitable consequence will be, that the whole Army, before the close of the Campaign, would be reduced to the necessity of going barefoot: but if there is any public leather, that can be spared without involving this consequence, I shall be very willing to have it appropriated to the uses you propose—Recommending however the strictest Œconomy, and that all the Portmanteaus, and other articles of leather formerly drawn should be regularly accounted for.
Genl Knox will give an Order for the Pistols which will be immediately wanted & for more when necessary—Swords I apprehend are not in the public Stores—It is exceedingly to be regretted that the Boots & leather Breeches are of so bad a quality, as to be useless—but there are some drilling Breeches, which possibly may be a good Substitute for the latter.
Df, in David Humphreys’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. See GW to Sheldon, 31 May, and Sheldon to GW, 2 June.
2. The Connecticut assembly had met this need (see Sheldon to GW, 2 June, n.3). On 3 Oct. 1780, Congress had assigned the four Continental cavalry regiments to the quota of certain states, including Connecticut, and urged the governments of those states to “compleat them to the full complement” and “supply them with necessaries” (, 18:896; see also General Orders, 1 Nov. 1780).
3. The commissary of hides had exchanged rawhides from the army’s slaughtered cattle for tanned leather or shoes. Under the system implemented in February 1780, state commissaries sent the army salted beef but not the rawhides (see , 8:487–89, 15:1377–78, and 16:196–201; see also GW to the Board of War, 21 June 1781).
4. A stroud is a “blanket manufactured for barter or sale in trading with the North American Indians” ().
5. GW refers to Newburgh, New York.