George Washington Papers

George Washington to La Luzerne, 13 June 1781

To La Luzerne

Head Quarters New Windsor June 13th 1781

Sir

His Excellency the Count de Rochambeau having requested me to forward the Dispatches herewith transmitted, by the safest possible conveyance; I now do myself the honor to send them by a Gentleman of the Quarter Master General’s Department.1

Having been made acquainted by the Count de Rochambeau with the design of the Count de Grasse to come to this Coast with his fleet;2 I cannot forbear expressing to Your Excellency, my ardent wishes that a body of land Forces might also attend this Naval Armament: As, I am apprehensive, such a decided superiority of Men may not be drawn together by us, by the time the Count de Grasse will be here, as to ensure our successes against the Enemy’s most important Posts; as his continuance in these Seas may be limited to a short period; and as the addition of a respectable Corps of Troops from the West Indies, would in all human probability,3 terminate the matter very soon in our favor—If these should likewise be your sentiments, and if this Plan should not interfere with the intentions, and interests of His Most Christian Majesty elsewhere, I entreat your Excellency, by the first good conveyance, to represent the propriety and necessity of this Measure, to the Commanders in the West Indies; that by one great, decisive stroke, the Enemy m⟨ight⟩ be expelled from the Continent, and the ⟨In⟩dependence of America established at the approaching Negociation.4 I have the honor to be With the Most perfect respect Your Excellency’s Most Obedient Humble S⟨ervt⟩

Go: Washingt⟨on⟩

LS, in David Humphreys’s writing, FrPMAE; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.

1See Rochambeau to GW, 31 May, postscript. The bearer of the letter has not been identified.

2See Rochambeau to GW, 10 June, and n.1 to that document.

3Humphreys also penned the draft and initially wrote “probably” instead of the four preceding words, which were written above the line.

4For the negotiations, see La Luzerne to GW, 1 June (first letter), and n.7. La Luzerne wrote Lieutenant General de Grasse on 26 June with a request that he bring 3,000 soldiers from the West Indies (see O’Donnell, La Luzerne description begins William Emmett O’Donnell. The Chevalier De La Luzerne: French Minister to the United States, 1779–1784. Louvain, Belgium, 1938. description ends , 178).

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