George Washington to Major General William Heath, 8 June 1781
To Major General William Heath
Head Quarters N. Winsor 8th June 1781
Dear Sir
I was duly favored with your Letter of the 15th of May & have just now had the Pleasure to receive that of the 29th1—I intreat you not to relinquish or relax your Sollicitations & Importunities until the great Objects of your Mission are fully accomplished2—As the Plan of the Campaign is now settled upon the Presumption of the Success of your Applications, a Failure in the smallest degree on the Part of the States, will involve us in the deepest Distress, & probably frustrate every Advantage we might otherwise obtain3—I only wish the Legislatures may be impressed with these Ideas, & stimulated to Exertions proportioned to the Occasion.
The salted Provisions at Springfield were included in those which were designed to be imediately transported to the Army—that is, to the nearest Point of Embarkation on the North River—I wish the Transportation of these, as well as the Supplies of Rum & Cloathing may be expedited as much as possible. not a drop of Rum has yet come on—and the Physicians report that the Artificers (who work exceedingly hard) are falling sick for want of it—besides you must be sensible, that it is extreamly necessary for other Purposes. As to Summer Cloathing I request you to make known to the States, that almost every Article in the public Store, which was of any Value, has been sent on to the Southern Army4—and that there is no other possible Alternative, but for the Troops to be provided with it by their own States—or become literally naked.5
I am persuaded you will not loose Sight of the Supply of Beef Cattle called for from the Eastern States—nor give a Moments Quiet to them untill ample Provision is made for obtaing the whole of it. the Means of Transportation are equally important.
A Quantity of Cloathing (about 2000 Suits) having arrived at Boston from Spain—you will be pleased to give Orders to the D.Q.M. Genl to have it forwarded imediately to the Army—the Packages must not be broken.6 In Case Teams cannot be procured to transport the whole, at least 1000 Suits compleat, with the same Number of Hatts, & a proportion of Sergeants Coats must be sent on: the Coats, Waiscoats & Breeches should be divided by their Size, into three Distinct Parcells—vizt the largest, midling, & smallest—and marked accordingly. I request you to pay particular Attention to it, & to make Application to the State for the Means of Conveyance (should the Q. Master Genl be unable to provide Teams) but I should suppose the Ox Teams hired for the Campaign might be made Use of for the Purpose—A Conductor should come with the Cloathg to prevent Waste & Delay in the Transportation.7
You may be assured you will not be forgotten in the Arrangements for the Campaign8—and that I am—with very great Regard & Esteem—Dear Sir Your most Obedt servant
Go: Washington
LS (photostat), in Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.’s writing, M-Ar; Df, DLC:GW; copy, DLC:GW, ser. 9; copy, MHi: Heath Papers; copy, Nh-Ar, Weare Papers; copy, R-Ar; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. The copies are in Heath’s writing. Heath received the LS via express on 16 June and sent it to Massachusetts governor John Hancock (see Heath to GW, 18 June, n.3; see also Heath to GW, 24 June, n.10).
1. See Heath to GW, 15 and 29 May.
2. Heath carried to New England governments an urgent appeal for provisions (see Circular to the New England States, 10 May; see also GW to Heath, 8 and 9 May, especially n.9 to the latter document).
GW’s prompting likely led Heath to draft a petition “To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General Court Assembled June 1781” that began with how he had been “Specially Commissioned and Entrusted by his Excellency General Washington to apply to the New England States for Supplies for the Army.” Heath acknowledged that the legislature addressed other “important business, yet as on the Success of my Commission not only the future Success of the army but its present existance depend and my Instructions enjoyn the most assiduous endeavours to Cause this into effect, Duty to my Country, and the army, and fidelity to my General, Constrain me to renew my Solicitations, and earnestly to intreat, that the Supplies which are requested may be granted as Soon as may be convenient, The late requisitions for Compleating the Battalions, holding a Body of militia in readiness to march, and the order for forwarding Ordnance and Military Stores; clearly evince how necessary it is that the Commander in Chief should be informed, what Supplies he may depend upon, for without this your Honors are Sensible, no plan of operations can be concerted or attempted, or our existing army kept together.
“Your petitioner therefore pray, that the Quantity of Fresh Beef Specified in the requisition, may be granted, and regularly forwarded, That the Salted meat in the Western part of the State may be immediately forwarded together with the necessary Supply of Rum which is Indispensibly necessary, for the health and Comfort of Your Troops, I beg your candor if in any Instance I have or hereafter Should appear to be particularly Solicitous” (MHi: Heath Papers; see also 5:206–7, and Document IV with The Wethersfield Conference and Aftermath, 14 May–16 June, editorial note).
4. See GW to the Board of War, 8 May, and n.7 to that document.
5. GW’s remark prompted Heath to send copies of this letter to New England state governments (see Heath’s reply to GW, 18 June, and the source note above; see also GW to Heath, 13 June).
6. For this captured British clothing and its shipment, see Ezekiel Cornell to GW, 24 May, and n.4 to that document, and Heath to GW, 18 and 24 June; see also John Jay to GW, 29 March, and n.5 to that document.
7. On the draft, which GW’s aide-de-camp David Humphreys penned, GW wrote the preceding fifteen words as “A conductor shd come with the Cloathing to prevent waste and delay in the transportation.”
8. See GW to Heath, 20 June, and n.4 to that document.