Chapter 87
We are with the greatest Respect & Esteem Sir your most obedt & very humble Servts 1
1 Signed also by Elbridge Gerry, as were the succeeding four letters.
TO JOHN FELLOWS.1
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
HARTFORD June 20 1780
SIR
The inclosd Copy of a Letter from his Excy Gen1 Was.h.i.+ngton to His Excy Governor Trumbull will show the Danger we are in of losing the Defence of the North River & of having the Communication cut off between the Eastern & Southern States, unless an immediate Supply of Men & Provisions is sent to Major General Howe who commands the Fortifications at the Highlands. Measures will be adopted without Delay by the State of Connecticutt for this Purpose; and as we have accidentally met at this place (one of us on his Journey to & the other from Congress) we think it our Duty, in behalf of the Executive Authority of the State of Ma.s.sachusetts Bay, who cannot be notified of this Affair in Season, to urge you as you regard the Interest & Wellfare of your Country, immediately to put your Brigade under marching orders to repair to West Point, on the Application of Major General Howe, with Provisions sufficient to subsist them. As the Garrison is in great Want of Supplies, we think it advisable on this urgent occasion, and indeed indispensibly necessary that you should forthwith take all the Provisions in your County, that will not be wanting for the Consumption of its Inhabitants, & give Receipts for the same payable at an early Period & at the Current Prices, & that you should impress as many Waggons (if they cannot otherwise be procured) as will be requisite for the Transportation of the Provisions to the Highlands.
We submit it to your Consideration, whether it will not be expedient to notify the State of Vermont, & the Commanding Officer in the County of Hamps.h.i.+re to hold their Militia in Readiness to march at the shortest Notice, & to collect a sufficient Quant.i.ty of Provisions for their Subsistence. Your own Experience, & knowledge of the Importance of that Post, render it needless for us to press you to procure the most expeditious & vigorous Exertions for its Support; nor need we describe the deplorable Situation in which his Excellency Gen1 Was.h.i.+ngton & the brave Army under his Command would be involvd, should a successfull Attack be made on the Post mentiond.
We shall immediately transmit to the Government of the State of Ma.s.sachusetts a Copy of this Intelligence & of our Application to you, & remain with Esteem
Sir your most obedt & very hbl Servts,
1 Brigadier General in the continental army.
TO ROBERT HOWE.1
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
HARTFORD June 20 1780
SIR
Being accidentally present in this Town, when his Excy Gen1 Was.h.i.+ngtons Letter of the 18th was receivd by Governor Trumbull, the Contents of which he was pleasd to communicate to us, we judgd it necessary to write a Letter to Brigr General Fellows of the County of Berks.h.i.+re in the State of Ma.s.sachusetts Bay, a Copy of which is inclosd. We indeed have no Authority, from the State we have the Honor to represent in Congress, to take this Measure, but we considerd the Circ.u.mstances of Affairs too pressing to admit of Delay. We shall dispatch an Express to the Government of Ma.s.sachusetts with the Intelligence receivd, and wish you to acquaint the Commander in Chiefe of the Measure we have taken.
We are &c
1 Major general in the continental army.
TO JOHN FELLOWS.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
HARTFORD June 21 1780
SIR
We wrote to you yesterday, & inclosd Copy of a Letter of the 18th Instant from his Excy General Was.h.i.+ngton to his Excy Govr Trumbull, mentioning the Arrival of a Fleet at the Hook & the Probability of its containing Sir H. Clinton with his Army, and of his immediately attacking our Post at the Highlands; since which we have certain Intelligence that the Fleet was on the 19th at -------- Point, within twenty Miles of our Fortifications, and we have no Doubt that by this Time the Army have debarkd & commencd their Operations. We therefore think it necessary that you should forthwith march your Men to the Reliefe of the Garrison, & take with you a sufficient Quant.i.ty of Provisions to subsist your Brigade on the March to the Highlands & fourteen Days after they shall have arrivd, with as much
We remain &c,
TO ROBERT HOWE.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
HARTFORD 21 June 1780
SIR
We wrote to you yesterday. Having this Morning receivd intelligence of the Movement of the Enemy up the River, we have sent another Express to Brigr Gen1 Fellows, urging him immediately to march to your Reliefe with his Brigade of Militia with Provisions to subsist them on their Way to & 14 Days after they shall arrive at West Point. We have also advisd him to throw into the Garrison all the Provisions that can be procured, & to send Expresses to Vermont & the County of Hamps.h.i.+re in the State of Ma.s.s. Bay, urging the Necessity of their marching their Militia with Provisions for the Reliefe of the Garrison in the Manner mentiond. But it may be nevertheless necessary, if you think it a proper Measure, to send an Express to General Fellows for expediting this Business. The most vigorous Measures are making by this State & we have no Doubt but they will be effectual.
We are &c,
TO THE MARQUIS DE LA FAYETTE.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
BOSTON June 1780
MY DEAR MARQUISE
Yesterday your very obliging Letter of the 30 of May was brought to me by Mons Guinard. The Succour coming from France will be so seasonable and important, that if America is not wanting to her self, she will have it in her Power, by the Blessing of Heaven, to gratify the utmost of her Wishes. His most Christian Majestys Expectation from us must needs be great, and Grat.i.tude to so generous an Ally, as well as a due Attention to our own Safety, Interest & Honor, lay us under the strongest Obligations to be in Readiness to cooperate with the greatest Advantage. I have long been fully sensible of your most cordial & zealous Attachment to our great Cause; and to your personal Representations to his Majesty, in Addition to the Benevolence of his Royal Heart, I will take the Liberty to attribute his Design to afford us such Aid and for so long a Time as may put it in our Power to employ all our Resources against the Enemy. It fortunately happend that the General a.s.sembly of this State was sitting when the Letter & Inclosures from the Committee of Congress came to the President of the Council.
They were immediately laid before the a.s.sembly, & I have the Pleasure to a.s.sure you that the filling our Battalions by an immediate Draft furnis.h.i.+ng the Army with Provisions and every other Measure for the fulfilling the just Expectations of your Sovereign & of Congress on this most important Occasion are the Objects of their closest Attention. I had for several Months past been flattering my self with the Prospect of this Aid. It strongly impressd my Mind from some Circ.u.mstances which took place when you was at Philadelphia the last year. But far from Certainty I could only express to some confidential Friends here, a distant Hope, tho, as I conceivd, not without some good Effect. At least it servd to enliven our Spirits and animate us for so great a Crisis. If it were possible for one to be forgetful of our all important Cause for a Moment, my particular Friends.h.i.+p for you would be a prevailing Inducement with me, to make my utmost feeble Exertions to prevent your Disappointment after the great Pains you have taken to serve us. I have Endeavord, & shall continue those Endeavors while I stay here, to brighten the dark Side of the Picture which your Imagination has painted in one part of your Letter before me. G.o.d forbid that we should be obligd to tell our friends when they arrive, that we have not a sufficient Army to cooperate with them nor provisions to feed the few Soldiers that are left. I think I may venture to predict that this State will comply with the Requisitions from her, to give the utmost Respectability to our Army on so promising an Occasion. I was in the Council Chamber when I receivd your Letter & took the Liberty of reading some parts of it to the Members present. I will communicate other parts of it to some leading Members of the House of Representatives as Prudence may dictate, particularly what you mention of the officers Want of Cloathing.
I thank you my dear Sir for the friendly remembrance you had of the Hint I gave you when you was here. Be pleasd to pay my most respectful Compliments to the Commander in Chiefe, his Family &c. and be a.s.sured of the warm affection of your obliged friend & very hbl Servt
TO JOHN ADAMS.
[MS., Adams Papers, Quincy.]
PHILADELPHIA JULY 10 1780.
MY DEAR SIR
I wrote to you several Times when I was at Boston, and receivd your Favor by the Marquis de la Fayette. Another, to which you referrd me, has not yet come to hand. This Letter will be deliverd to you by Mr Searle, a Member of Congress for the State of Pennsylvania. He will be better able to inform you of the State of things here, than I can, who after twelve Months Absence from this City, returnd but a few days ago.
The People of Ma.s.sachusetts have at length agreed to the Form of a civil Const.i.tution, in Nothing varying from a Copy which I sent to you by a Son of our Friend General Warren. This great Business was carried through with much good Humour among the People, and even in Berks.h.i.+re, where some Persons led us to expect it would meet with many Obstructions. Never was a good Const.i.tution more wanted than at this Juncture. Among other more lasting Advantages, I hope that in Consequence of it, the Part which that State must take in the War, will be conducted with greater Attention and better Effect. Who is to be the first Man, will be determind in September, when if our News papers rightly inform us, the new Government is to take Place. The Burden will fall on the Shoulders of one of two Gentlemen whom you know. May Heaven lead the People to the wisest Choice. The first chosen Governor may probably have it in his Power to do more good or more Hurt than any of his successors. The french Fleet is not yet arrivd. Perhaps their long Pa.s.sage may turn out for the best. An earlier Arrival might have found us not altogether prepared to cooperate with them to the best Advantage. I now think we shall be ready to joyn them. One would think the Exertion which America might make with such Aid, would rid us of British Barbarians. I hope this will be a vigorous and an effective Campaign. I left Ma.s.sachusetts exceedingly active in filling up their Battalions by Drafts, besides raising 4000 Militia for the Service.
Mr Laurens arrivd here from the Southward a few Days past. He will speedily embark for Holland to prosecute a Business which you are not unacquainted with. Adieu my dear Sir.