George Washington to Samuel Huntington, 7 June 1781
To Samuel Huntington
Head Quarters New Windsor June 7th 1781
Sir
I have been honored with your Excellency’s favors of the 2nd & 3d Inst.1 I had upon the former complaints exhibited against Colonel Brodhead, and Mr Duncan the Dep. Qr Mastr Genl at Fort Pitt, directed the proper measures to be taken for calling them to an account, and as the Complainants in the present instance, are principally the same as in the fir[s]t, they will have an opportunity of bringing and supporting their charges before the Courts which have been already ordered.2
I have written to the Governors of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, and have desired them to send the Militia required by the Resolution of the 31st May to Virginia or Maryland as circumstances may require—I must trouble Your Excellency to forward the enclosed to the Executives of those States.3
Your Excellency’s Circular Letter of the 1st Inst. cannot, I think, but have a happy effect, unless the States are determined—for want of proper energy, at the moment when they ought most to exert themselves, to lose those advantages which they have it in their power to secure at the proposed Negociation. A little success on our part will overballance any exorbitant terms or claims, which the partizans of Great Britain may attempt to impose or demand.4
The intelligence from the West Indies which your Excellency’s5 has been pleased to communicate is both interesting and agreeable.6 Could our generous Allies but once obtain a compleat naval superiority, the happiest consequences would undoubtedly ensue. I have the honor to be With perfect respect Your Excellency’s Most Obedt Humble Servt
Go: Washington
P.S. Inclosed is a Return of all the Recruits who have joined this Army from the 1st of January to the 1st of June amounting to 2574.7 A few have joined the York Regiments of Infantry, and perhaps about 60 the Jersey—Your Excellency will be pleased for the information of Congress to call upon the Board of War for the Monthly return of May in which the above are included—And by deducting from that Return the detachment under the Command of the Marquis de la Fayette—The two Regiments of New York and Hazens Regiment now upon the Northern Frontier you will be able to form a judgment of my efficient strength at this place and in Jersey.8
Go: W——n
LS, in David Humphreys’s writing, DNA:PCC, item 152; Df, DLC:GW; copy, DNA:PCC, item 169; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman wrote the postscript on the LS. Congress read this letter on 12 June (, 20:629). Huntington replied to GW on 15 June.
1. See Huntington to GW, 2 and 3 June.
2. For complaints about Col. Daniel Brodhead and David Duncan, deputy quartermaster at Fort Pitt, Pa., and GW’s response, see GW to Alexander Fowler, 5 May; Huntington to GW, 2 and 6 (second letter) June; and GW to Huntington, 16 June.
3. See Circular to the Executives of Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, this date; see also Huntington to GW, 3 June, and n.2 to that document.
4. See Huntington to GW, 3 June, and n.3 to that document.
5. Humphreys miswrote this word. It appears as “Excellency” on the draft, which Tilghman penned.
6. See Huntington to GW, 3 June, n.5.
7. Adj. Gen. Edward Hand prepared the enclosed return at New Windsor on this date. It listed 198 recruits as having “Joined” and been “Retained” from New Hampshire; 1,539 as having joined from Massachusetts, with 122 “Rejected” and 1,417 retained; 206 as having joined and been retained from Rhode Island; 643 as having joined from Connecticut, with 80 rejected and 563 retained; 76 as having joined the 2d Continental Artillery Regiment and been retained; and 114 as having joined the 3d Continental Artillery Regiment and been retained. The recruits totaled 2,776 joined, 202 rejected, and 2,574 retained (DNA:PCC, item 152; see also General Orders, 4 June).
8. See GW to Joseph Jones, this date, and n.4 to that document.