Brigadier General Henry Knox to George Washington, 2 July 1781
From Brigadier General Henry Knox
Peekskill 2 July 1781.
Sir,
I came to this place to day to take your Excellency’s ultimate directions when the Park should join the Army, and to take any other orders your Excellency should please to give me; but I was disappointed by the Army and your Excellency having moved.1
I presume the laboratory preparations will be in such forwardness by Sunday next,2 that we might then move without retarding any thing material. The artificers must remain longer.
If your Excellency should think fit to alter the time of arrival of the stores from Philadelphia, I pray you to write to the Board of War on the subject.3
If your Excellency should be engaged in any operations which you intend to lead to immediate action, I hope I may with confidence expect your summons, even previous to the time mentioned above.4
I beg the favor of a speedy answer,5 and am Your Excellency’s most obed. servt
H. Knox.
LS, DLC:GW; ADfS, NNGL: Henry Knox Papers.
1. GW and his army had marched to attack British posts on northern Manhattan Island (see GW to Benjamin Lincoln, 1 July, and the source note to that document).
2. The following Sunday was 8 July.
3. GW wrote the Board of War on 9 July “to procure and forward” articles from Philadelphia (DLC:GW; see also GW to Knox, 28 June, and Knox to GW, 29 June).
4. See GW to Knox, this date.
5. GW replied to Knox from headquarters near Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., on 7 July: “I wish to see you at Head Quarters as soon as possible—You can leave the Superintendence of the Laboratory preparations, without any Injurry—to the Care of Your Officers, & come on directly—I have received your Letter of 2d July—I shall consult with you on its Subject when you arrive” (Df, in Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW).