1. During the Revolutionary War, Montgomery had served in the Pennsylvania navy and then as a privateer captain (see Thomas Mifflin to GW, 8 June 1777, in Papers, Revolutionary War Series description begins W. W. Abbot et al., eds. The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series. 25 vols. to date. Charlottesville, Va., 1985–. description ends 9:648).

2. In October 1790, GW had appointed Montgomery as captain of the U.S. revenue cutter for the Pennsylvania station. Montgomery received his commission the following December and commanded the first Pennsylvania cutter, the General Greene, upon its completion by early August 1791 (see GW to Alexander Hamilton, 20 Sept. 1790; see also GW to Hamilton, 6 Oct. 1790; and King, George Washington’s Coast Guard description begins Irving H. King. George Washington’s Coast Guard: Origins of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, 1789–1801. Annapolis, 1978. description ends , 41–42). Montgomery threatened to resign his commission in March 1795 because of the alleged ill treatment he received by Sharp Delany, the customs collector for the port of Philadelphia from 1789 to 1798 (see Montgomery to GW, 12 March 1795 and 10 Jan. 1796).

3. The General Greene was judged unfit for service and sold in December 1795 on the authorization of Treasury Secretary Oliver Wolcott, Jr., who had informed GW of the necessity of building another revenue cutter. A second cutter with the name General Greene, stationed on Delaware Bay, was constructed by 1797 (see Wolcott to GW, 5 Sept. 1796; see also Donald L. Canney, U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790–1935 [Annapolis, 1995], 2–5).

4. Montgomery enclosed copies of his letters to Wolcott of 17, 19, and 20 Sept., and Wolcott’s reply to him of 19 September. Two copies of each of those documents are in DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters. Montgomery’s letter to Wolcott of 17 Sept. reads in part: “I have this moment been informed the Cutter is Begun and am very much surprised I have not been called upon to attend to Her but as I am very Certain this Omission lies with the Collector [Sharp Delany] and as I look upon it as an Insult I am no ways deserving of I do myself the Honour to apply to you both for Redress and to receive Official Orders to attend to my Duty I have been Confined with a severe Fit of Illness but am now so far recovered as to be able to attend and wait but for your directions to superintend the Vessell.”

In his letter to Wolcott of 19 Sept., Montgomery transmitted a copy of his letter of the 17th and reiterated “the Insult endeavoured to be put on” him “by the Collector.”

In his reply of 19 Sept., Wolcott advised Montgomery that “what has been done in that business [regarding the cutter] was in pursuance of my directions.”

Montgomery’s letter to Wolcott of 20 Sept. reads in part: “As you have in Yours of this instant informed me that every thing relative to the Cutter has been done by your Directions I must take the Liberty of requesting a Reason for my not being called on to attend and am very Happy to find it is to you I must apply for an explanation of what appears to me in the light on an Insult … if there is the slightest shadow of Fault in my discharge of every Duty I demand an examination of the most Minute Parts of it if not I surely am not to be considered as a Cypher in Business in which I am Undoubtedly most Interested.” Montgomery added: “Whilst I have the Honour to Hold a Commission under the President of the United States I must consider any Unmerrited Insult to myself in my Official Capacity as a Want of that Respect due to his Appointment.” Montgomery wrote the following on one copy of his 20 Sept. letter to Wolcott: “To this I have received no answer.” Montgomery’s reference to Wolcott’s letter “of this instant” evidently refers to Wolcott’s letter of the 19th. No letter from Wolcott to Montgomery of 20 Sept. has been identified.

5. Montgomery again wrote GW from Philadelphia on 29 Nov.: “I did myself the Honour of transmiting the originals of the Inclosed to you at your then Residence at Mount Vernon to which I have received no answer through any Channell whatever the Cutter is now Launched and things remain the same if Mr Secretary Wollcott or Mr Collector [Sharp] Delany have any thing against me why do they not come froward and explain their Reasons for the Insult they have given me Perhaps they wait for a New President of the United States who may not know me for which Reason I solicit your Excellency to know what I have to Depend on as the Situation I am in at present is so entirely disagreable to my own feelings and so totally undeserved that I must request an explanation of what appears to me such unaccountable Conduct on the Part of the Secretary and Collector The Severer the Scrutiny into every Part of my Official Duty the more Satisfaction will arise to Myself and I flatter myself the redressing the Injuries of a Man who without arrogating undue Merit to Himself has Certainly a right to assert he has deserved different Treatment will give Pleasure to your Excellency” (ALS, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters). Montgomery enclosed both a copy of his 26 Sept. letter to GW (dated incorrectly as 23 Sept. 1796), and copies of his correspondence with Wolcott (see n.4).

GW’s secretary George Washington Craik wrote Montgomery from Philadelphia on 31 Dec.: “I am directed by the President of the United States to inform You that he has not been unmindful of the receipt of Your several letters. He transmitted them to the Secretary of the Treasury and directed him to report thereon, which he accordingly did on the 28th instant. By calling on me when convenient You shall have an opportunity of seeing the report” (ALS, DLC:GW; LB, DLC:GW). The report has not been identified.

Montgomery subsequently wrote GW from Philadelphia on 7 Jan. 1797: “I do myself the Honour of transmitting the inclosed Certificates which I trust will if any Suspicions of my deserving such unjust and malicious accusations should arise in your Excellency’s Mind effectually invalidiate them.

“Mr Wollcott must be swayed by the Misrepresentations of the Collector as I never had any kind of Knowledge of Mr Wollcott but in His Official Capacity He mentions the testimony of respectable Persons I am unconsious who these can be but if it be requisite to procure more Testimonies in my Favour if your Excellency will have the Goodness to point it out to me However painful to my feelings to solicit ⟨such⟩ vouchers to my Character which nothing but falshood & Malice could impeach I can Procure as many respectable Citizens to vouch for the Rectitude of my Conduct as is necessary I just observe on the subject of Ill Health the deprivation and restoration of Health is in the Hand of God I am now in a very good state of Health and never at any Time when it was necessary for me to attend to my Duty did my Health prevent me. I submit and Trust my Cause to your Excellency” (ALS, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters). The enclosed certificates have not been identified.

Montgomery again wrote GW from Philadelphia on 17 Feb.: “Conscious as I am of the Importance of your Time I yet must take the Liberty to intrude so far on it as to solicit from your Justice that Redress the malicious attack on my Character calls for. I trust there are no doubts on your Excellencys Mind relative to it and it is but a Duty owing to Myself and Family to have such unmeritted Aspersions refuted Whilst it is to you I can appeal for that Redress which I earnestly solicit your Excellency to grant and by that means let me know on what Footing I stand My Character has been Attacked by the Collector the Testimonies that I have handed to your Excellency certainly refutes those charges in their fullest extent But it yet remains to give me the Satisfaction of knowing Myself cleared from the Aspersions cast on Me and to your Excellency I appeal” (ALS, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters). The testimonies have not been identified.

Craik wrote Montgomery from Philadelphia on 21 Feb.: “In acknowledging the receipt of Your Letter of the 17th instant, I am directed by the President of the United States to inform you that it is his intention to say nothing more respecting Your application for redress, but to let things remain as they are.

“The enclosed Certificates are all the President has in his possession and as they may be of service to You they are herewith returned” (ALS [retained copy], DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters). The certificates have not been identified.