George Washington to Brigadier General James Clinton, 25 June 1781
To Brigadier General James Clinton
Head Quarters New Windsor 25th June 1781.
Dear Sir
In a conference this day with the Governor—the Lieut. Governor—Genl Schuyler and Genl Ten Brock it has been determined that the Continental Regiments shall be withdrawn from the Northward as soon as a suitable number of Militia shall be sent in to relieve them. I have in consequence directed 600 Men from the Counties of Hampshire and Berkshire to rendezvous at Albany.1 As they arrive you will dispose of them in the following proportions. ⅔ to Saratoga and ⅓ to the Mohawk River to be under the command of Colo. Willet. I have written to General Starke to repair immediately to Albany and to relieve you.2 You will therefore as I have before directed hold all the Continental Troops (the Artillery excepted) in the most perfect readiness to move whenever the Militia have come in,3 and should General Starke have arrived by that time, you will come down yourself with the troops—If he should not, you will forward the troops and wait his arrival.
It is not my wish4 at present to draw off the regular troops untill the Militia have come in, but circumstances may render it necessary.5 You will therefore keep them ready to move at a moments warning.
The inclosed for General Fellows requests him to send in the Militia, you will therefore forward it to him with the greatest dispatch.6 I am Dear Sir Your most obt Servt
Go: Washington
LS, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, PPRF; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. In his diary entry for this date, GW wrote that he “pressed the necessity of my recalling the Continental Regiments from Albany, & the Posts above,” in his interview with Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt and other New York officials (, 3:382, 384; see also GW to George Clinton and to John Hancock, both this date).
2. See GW to John Stark, this date. Clinton had requested active service with GW’s army (see his letter to GW, 15–18 June).
4. At this point on the LS, “or intention” is struck out.
5. GW subsequently recalled all the Continental troops to his army (see GW to Clinton, 30 June).
6. Clinton replied to GW from Albany on 28 June: “Since my Letter of yesterday, I have been honored with your Excellency’s favor of the 25th inst. with its Enclosure, which I forwarded instantly agreeable to the address.
“I have already disposed of the New Levies in such a Manner as to be able to move the Troops the moment I may receve your Orders, as they are constantly held in the most perfect readiness. As soon as the Eastern Militia shall arrive I shall station them agreeable to your Direction, and move the Troops down without loss of time” (LS, MH: Sparks Papers; “Express” is written on the cover). GW replied to Clinton on 30 June.
Clinton forwarded GW’s letter to Brig. Gen. John Fellows written from headquarters at New Windsor on 25 June: “Having Occasion to withdraw from Albany & other posts in the Northern District all the Continental Troops that are now there—I find myself under a Necessity to replace them out of the Quota of Militia requested from the State of Massachusetts to the Number of Six Hundred; to be taken from the Counties most contiguous. I have therefore to request that you will be pleased to order the Militia of the County of Berkshire to the Number of Six Hundred to Rendezvous at Albany—and if that County should not in the Proportion assigned to them, amount to the Number I have mentioned; I must Beg that you will be pleased to extend your Orders (if in your Power) to the County of Hampshire untill you compleat the whole—but in Case your Comand does not reach there—Be pleased to communicate this Request to the Officer comandg the Militia in that County, & Desire him to fulfill the Number—This Requisition has been communicated to Govr Hancock—but to save Time & to have the Militia in forwardness to move on as soon as possible, I have tho’t proper to make my Address directly to you, without waitg his Excellencys Orders” (Df, in Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW; the receiver’s copy has not been found). GW had requisitioned 2,200 militia from Massachusetts (see Document IV, n.10, with the The Wethersfield Conference and Aftermath, 14 May–16 June, editorial note).
Fellows, who had served as brigadier general in the Massachusetts militia but at this time was sheriff in Berkshire County, replied to GW from Sheffield, Mass., on 1 July: “Your favor of the 25th ult., I last night received. We have no Account that our general Court have yet ordered a Detachment of militia: I have however at present no military command. nor is any general Officer in this County. there is the highest Probability, that we shall soon receive Orders from Governor Hancock, when in my private Capacity I will give every aid in my power that your Expectations shall be answered” (LS, DLC:GW). A legislative proposal for Gov. John Hancock and the Massachusetts council “to give orders that the Quota of Men assign’d to the Countys of Hampshire & Berkshire to be rais’d from the Militia for three months be march’d to Albany to be under the Command of Genl Stark” was disapproved in the Massachusetts Senate on 3 July (). Fellows subsequently wrote New York militia colonel Marinus Willett from Sheffield on 23 July that orders had just arrived “for raising the Men in this County.” He still lacked “Orders from his Excellency Governor Hancock for their marching for Albany” and could “give no Account when their Arrival will be[.] The people in this County are very spirited about raising their Men and am in hopes it wont take above Eight or Ten Days to make up our Quota, which when compleated amounts to but 193 Men so that it is probable there will be More Ordered from the other Counties below to reinforce you should that be the case, puts it out of my Power to tell any time when they may be expected” (DLC:GW; see also James Clinton to GW, 30 July, and GW to Clinton, 5 Aug., both DLC:GW).