Lieutenant Colonel Udny Hay to George Washington, 3 July 1781
From Lieutenant Colonel Udny Hay
Poughkeepsie [N.Y.] 3d July 1781
Sir,
I have the Honour to enclose for your Excellency’s perusal, No. 1 my General Return of Provisions up to 1st of May, for which regular Vouchers have been obtain’d, and are either in the Possession of me, or one of my Assistants. No. 2. a Return of Provisions, which I have every Reason to suppose delivered, but of which I have not yet regular Returns. No. 3. a Return of short Forage, for which regular Vouchers have been obtaind. No. 4 a Return of Hay in the same situation—and No. 5—a Return of Short Forage, which I have every reason to suppose delivered, but for which I have not yet regular Vouchers, including some Pasture, for which I have actually paid as a State Officer.1
On stating an Account Current crediting the United States with the Value of the whole Quotas demanded from this State, at the prices fix’d by Congress, and changing them at the same rate, with the Value of all the Articles furnished under my direction, it appears that the Quarter Master’s Department is indebted to this State £5947.7S.6D., but we remain very considerably indebted to the Commissary’s Department, a great part of which I am in Hopes to pay betwixt this and Fall, as the Legislature at their last Session has used every exertion the distressed Situation of the State wou’d permit, for raising the Supplies, agreeable to the Demands made upon them.2 I have the Honour to be with every Sentiment of Respect. Your Excellency’s most Obedient & very Humble Servt
Udny Hay
LS, DLC:GW.
1. The enclosed returns are in DLC:GW. The “General Return of Provisions purchased and delivered under the Direction of Udny Hay Agent for the State of New York from August 1780 to May 1st 1781,” docketed “No. 1,” began with a table showing provisions purchased: flour, 48 bags, 2,614 barrels, 6,720 hundredweight, 1 quart, and 13½ pounds; wheat, 24,215¾ bushels; fat cattle numbered 1,597 and weighed 695,855½ pounds; fresh beef, 3,021 pounds; salted beef, 14½ barrels weighing 6,018 pounds; and fresh pork, 5,524 pounds. A separate table showed provisions delivered: flour, 878 bags, 6,154 barrels, 12,820 hundredweight, 1 quart, and 4 pounds; rye meal, 3 hundredweight, 2 quarts, and 4 pounds; fat cattle numbered 1,653 and weighed 556,770 pounds; fresh beef, 2,511 pounds; salted beef, 9 barrels weighing 6,201 pounds; fresh pork, 805 pounds; salted pork, 12 barrels.
The “Return of Provisions purchased and delivered … from August 1780. to 24 June 1781. for which Vouchers have not yet been obtained,” docketed “No. 2,” shows 2,909 hundredweight of flour and 42,620 pounds of beef.
The “General Return of Short Forage &c.,” docketed “No. 3,” shows purchases and deliveries from August 1780 to 1 May 1781. One table has forage purchased: rye, 1,467 bushels and 29 quarts; Indian corn, 4,941 bushels and 24 quarts; buckwheat, 6,255 bushels and 1 quart; oats, 7,513 bushels and 24 quarts; bran, 24 bushels and 3 quarts; barley, 20 bushels; peas, 453 bushels. Another table has forage delivered: rye, 1,203 bushels; Indian corn, 4,748 bushels and 4 quarts; buckwheat, 5,431 bushels and 8 quarts; oats, 7,090 bushels; bran, 4,897 bushels; barley, 20 bushels; peas, 453 bushels.
The “Genl return of Hay &c.,” docketed “No. 4,” reflects purchases and deliveries from August 1780 to 1 May 1781. Hay amounted to over 1,558 tons purchased and more than 1,465 tons delivered. Straw totaled 6,401 bundles purchased and delivered.
The “Return of Forage purchased and delivered … from August 1780 to 24th June 1781—for which Vouchers have not yet been procured,” docketed “No. 5,” presented a table showing Indian corn, 960 bushels; oats, 400 bushels; rye, 20 bushels; buckwheat, 300 bushels; and hay, 128 tons. The state owed £1,577.15.10 for the “Amount of Pasture procured … it being included in the Certificates with Short Forage.”
2. Hay refers to a committee report that came before the New York legislature on 28 June with a claim that state officials had exceeded the congressional requisitions of 25 Feb. 1780 by “upwards of £30,000.” The committee recommended selling from “sequestered or confiscated” estates needed “Forage or other Supplies.” The legislature accepted the report (N.Y. Assembly Proc., 16 June–1 July 1781, n.p.). For requisitions on New York, see Samuel Huntington to GW, 29 Feb. and 12 Nov. 1780; see also , 18:1012.