George Washington to Seth Warner, 20 June 1781
To Seth Warner
Head Quarters N. Winsor 20th June 1781
sir
Your Letter of the 15th has been delivered to me by Capt. Brownson, proposing some Mode of Exchange for sundry officers & Men of your Regiment Prisoners in Canada.1
I wrote to Genl Haldimand Comandg Officer in Canada, the 30th of August last2—makg sundry P[r]oposals to him for the Purpose of Exchange of such Prisoners of Warr as he might have in his Possession—an Answer to this Letter has never yet been received—so that I am entirely uninformed of the Intentions of Genl Haldimand on this Head—& therefore am at a Loss for any Mode by which An Exchange may be accomplished for such Men as are in his Power—Sir Hry Clintons Comand being intirely unconnected with that of Genl Haldimand—no Proposal can be made to Sir Hry—on this Score3—nor indeed, was the Case other than it is, would it be in my Power to fulfill your Wishes—as I have not at pr[e]sent any Officers Prisoners of War on Hand4—in this Quarter—and the Prisoners in the Southern Department, by a Cartel agreed upon betwen the Commanders of those two Armies, are to be exchanged again[s]t each other there.5
In these Circumstances it is not in my Power to make a Compliance to your Request—but as soon as I have any Return from Genl Haldimand complying to the Proposals made to him—or in any Other Way, I shall be verry glad to be instrumental to the Relief of those unhappy Persons who are Prisoners of War in Canada.6 I am &c.
Df, in Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. See Warner to GW, 15 June.
3. At this point on the draft, Trumbull wrote and then struck out: “will have any Effect.”
4. At this point on the draft, Trumbull wrote and then struck out: “of any Rank whatever.”
5. Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene sent a copy of this cartel for an exchange of prisoners when he wrote GW on 10 May; see also GW to Abraham Skinner, 14 June, postscript.
6. Gen. Frederick Haldimand did not reply to GW’s proposal regarding a prisoner exchange (see GW to William Livingston, 17 Dec. 1782, DLC:GW).
Warner reported that Lt. Michael Dunning secured “his Redemtion By the Way of Vermont” but that Capt. Simeon Smith “Remains under Confinement in Canaday” when he wrote GW on 16 June 1782 (DLC:GW). In his sympathetic reply to Warner on 6 Aug. 1782, GW expressed the hope “that the Time is not far distant when” a prisoner exchange “may be effected on proper principles” (DLC:GW).