Major Benjamin Tallmadge to George Washington, 25 June 1781
From Major Benjamin Tallmadge
Wethersfield June 25th 1781
Sir
I am this moment honored with Your Excellency’s favor of yesterday.1 The Count De Rochambeau left Hartford yesterday,2 & is at Farmington this Evening; Tomorrow he proposes, with the first Division of his Troops, to be at Southington; on Wednesday3 in a part of Woodbury, & on Thursday at Newtown, where he proposes halting for a few Days, & hopes to have the honor of seeing your Excellency at that place.
Assoon as Your Excellency shall have left New Windsor, I conclude it will be necessary to alter the Stages of Expresses in the western Quarter of this State.
I am very busily employed in procuring the Sadlery furniture, Swords &c. for the Regt but as the public have but little money & no Credit, the Wheels drag heavily on. The Genl Assembly have ordered a small confiscated Estate to be sold, & the Avails are to be put into my hands to procure the necessary furniture for the mounted Dragoons,4 & I am this Day informed that the Governor & Council of Safety have appointed me to make Sale of another small Estate for the same purpose.5 As they will be sold for hard money only (the good effects even from the expectation of which I have already experienced among the Artificers) I hope to have the necessary furniture prepared very shortly.6 I shall Send on to Camp in 5 or 6 Days about 30 remounted Dragoons, compleatly equiped (Cloathing excepted) & I hope as many as 60 additional pr Boots, 60 Sword belts, 60 leather Caps, 130 Cartouch Boxes, &c. The remainder of those Articles to Compleat the mounted Dragoons to about 240 or 250, together with about 140 Saddles, Bridles, halters, Holsters, & Portmanteaus Compleat, as many new Swords, Spurs &c. &c. I have already Contracted for, & I trust will be ready in about three Weeks. I fear we shall not get our Complement of Horses, as State-Securities, which have been issued to purchase Horses for the Regt are not in Demand, & those Horses that have been sent in are not so proper for the Dragoon service as I could wish.7
I shall duly notify Your Excellency of my Transactions,8 & have the honor to be, With great Regard, & Esteem, Your Excellency’s most Obedt Servt
Benja. Tallmadge
ALS, DLC:GW; ADfS, Ct: Miscellaneous Collection.
1. See GW to Tallmadge, 24 June.
2. Tallmadge wrote “this morning” instead of “yesterday” on his draft. Lieutenant General Rochambeau described his plans for leaving Hartford when he wrote GW on 23 June.
3. Wednesday was 27 June.
4. See Elisha Sheldon to GW, 2 June, n.3.
5. On 20 June, the Connecticut council had directed that an estate Tallmadge had identified “be appraised as soon as possible, in silver and gold,” and “a good authentic deed of conveyance” be sent to “Tallmadge, or such person as he shall name” (, 3:463–64).
6. Tallmadge initially wrote and struck out “immediately” on the ALS.
7. For the issuance of these notes, see , 3:381–82.
8. Tallmadge subsequently wrote GW from Hartford on 4 July: “I have this day sent on to the Regt 36 remounted Dragoons, properly Accoutred. I have at the same time forwarded on to Col. Sheldon about 20 P. Shoes 50 P. Boots, 130 Cartouch Boxes & belts, 60 leather halters a few Spare Swords, & some Saddles. I cannot give an accurate Return of the Swords & Saddles, as they will be recd at Litchfield where they have been prepared.
“I have purchased about 20 Horses myself, & by the Assistance of the State-Purchasers I hope in a few Days to send on another Detachment of about 30 or 40 Dragoons, properly accoutred” (ALS, DLC:GW; ADfS, NjP: Benjamin Tallmadge Collection; Tallmadge wrote “favd by Lt. [Frederick Jones] Whiting” on the cover of the ALS, which is addressed to GW at Peekskill).