George Washington to La Luzerne, 8 June 1781
To La Luzerne
Head Quarters New Windsor 8th June 1781.
Sir
I am exceedingly obliged to Your Excellency for your interesting Communication of the 1st instant. The Martinico Paper has been forwarded to the Count de Rochambeau.1
As You promise me the Pleasure of your Company the first Leisure Moment You can find I shall defer entering upon a Detail of public Affairs until I shall have the Happiness of a personal Conversation.2 Indeed the Accidents which have lately befallen several of our Messengers between this Place and Philadelphia makes me extremely cautious of trusting any Thing of Importance to paper.3
I presage the happiest Consequences from the Appointment of a Gentleman of Mr Morris’s Character and Abilities to the Superintendance of our Finance.4 I wait impatiently for his making me the Visit which he proposes, as many very essential Matters in the Operation of the Campaign will depend5 upon the Assistance which he will be able to afford us.6 I beg You to be assured that I am with perfect Respect and Attachment Your Excellency’s Most Obedt and hble servt
Go: Washington
LS, in Richard Varick’s writing, FrPMAE; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. La Luzerne, who wrote twice to GW on 1 June, enclosed a newspaper from Martinique with his second letter; for its forwarding, see GW to Rochambeau, 7 June.
2. La Luzerne arrived at GW’s headquarters on 6 July (see the entry for that date in , 3:390).
3. For the latest incident, see GW to Lafayette, 4 June, n.1.
4. See GW to Robert Morris, 12 May, and n.2 to that document; see also Morris to GW, 29 May (first letter).
5. This word comes from the draft, which GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman penned.
6. Morris delayed his visit to GW’s headquarters (see La Luzerne’s first letter to GW, 1 June, n.6).