George Washington to Brigadier General David Waterbury, 30 June 1781
To Brigadier General David Waterbury
Head Quarters near Peekskill 30th June 1781.
Sir
You will immediately on the Receipt of this be pleased to collect as many Men of your command as you possibly can and march with them from the place of rendezvous so as to form a junction without fail with Colonel Sheldon at Clapps in King Street on the second of July by Sunset1—You must not exceed that time on any account—You will bring four days provision, and ready cooked. You will receive further orders at Clapps—you’ll carry on no Baggage—the Movement to be as Light as possible2 I must enjoin and I shall depend upon your keeping your movement a profound secret from any Officer under your command.3
You will be pleased to inform me by return of Capt. Buckley with the number of Men which you think you shall probably collect.4 I am Sir Yr most obt Servt.
P.S. It will be absolutely necessary for you to send on upon the Roads below you in the Rout to Marinack5—small Parties of your trusty Men, & well acquainted with that Country—who may waylay the Roads & prevent any Intelligence going to the Enemy—this must be attended to With the greatest Care & Vigilence—these Parties not to be seen in the Roads, but be concealed in Fields.6
Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. GW’s secretary Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., wrote an emendation and the postscript on the draft (see n.2 below).
1. The road known as King Street ran northwest from Saw Pit, N.Y., near the New York-Connecticut border. Clapp’s tavern was about four miles northeast of White Plains.
2. Trumbull wrote the preceding thirteen words on the draft.
3. For the intended operation, see GW to Benjamin Lincoln, 1 July, and the source note to that document.
4. Edward Bulkley (Buckley, Bulkely; 1741–1787) joined the 10th Continental regiment as an ensign in January 1776 and became a captain in Col. Samuel Blachley Webb’s Additional Continental Regiment in January 1777. Captured while crossing Long Island Sound in December 1777, Bulkley was not exchanged until December 1780. He transferred to the 3d Connecticut Regiment in January 1781, later served as brigade major, and left the army in June 1783.
5. GW refers to Mamaroneck, New York.
6. Waterbury replied to GW from Stamford, Conn., on 1 July: “I received your Excellency’s Letter of the 30th of June and would inform your Excellency that the force I can collect will amount to about 350 men Officers included and your Excellency may depend that I will punctually attend at the time and place you ordered me” (ALS, DLC:GW; the cover is addressed to GW at Peekskill).