Dear Sir: The last Post brought me your favor of the 26th. Ulto., covering Doctr. Smith's Drafts of the 23d. for Fifty Guineas. I am obliged to you for paying the money, and charging it to the acct. mentioned; altho' I was provided for the demand, and should have paid the Bill at Sight. I have lately purchased a piece of Land near Alexandria at the price of £2000 Virginia Curry. with a view to exchange it for a small Tract in the centre of the one on wch. my Seat is. A tract I have been twenty years endeavouring to obtain with little or no prospect of success before. To enable me to pay for it, I have borrowed the money in this State (of the Governor) and expected to have answered the Bills at this place till by yesterdays Post I was informed by my Agent, Mr. Lund Washington, that the money was to be paid in Philadelphia; and that Mr. Robert Adam &ca. of Alexandria (who have the Bills upon me) were to set out in a few days to receive the Money. Under these circumstances, permit me to ask, if you can make it convenient, in the course of business, to pay the Sum of Eighteen hundred and Eighty pounds Virga. Curry. in Specie dollars at Six Shillings, in Philadelphia and receive the like Sum in specie (which I have by me) here? If you can, the Inclosed Letter to Mr. Robt. Adam 31 may be delivered. If you cannot, be so good as to return or destroy it. 'The Honble. Robt. Morris Esqr. will pay Mr. Lund Washington Bills upon me for £680 in your favor; £600 in favor of Mr. Peter Dow; and £600 in favor of Mr. Collin McIver."-Washington to Robert Adam, Jan. 8, 1783. This draft is in the Washington Papers. I beg leave to suggest that the specie I have is unclipped, consequently if I could pay it here by weight I should be no looser; but, rather than disappoint those who expect to receive the money in Philadelphia I would pay it to your Order, if you answer the Bills upon me at that place, by tale and abide the loss. The distresses to which I know you have been driven from the numerous calls upon you for money without adequate funds to answer them, have ever been a restraint upon my applications for the most necessary purposes; perhaps I may have carried it to a criminal length with respect to secret Services; because rather than add to your embarrassments by my demands, I have submitted to grope in the dark without those certain and precise informations which every Man at the head of an Army ought, and the public Interest requires he should have, and this maugre the aid of my private purse and other funds which were not applicable to this essentially necessary purpose. Having given you this information I shall only add that, if it is in your power to afford me assistance it will come very oppertunely. If it is not, I am where I am. I shall be obliged to you, (the Secretary at War having passed this place before the plan which you and he had determined upon for the Issues for the present year arrived) to inform me why and upon what principle the regulation respecting the Sixteenth Ration for the Women of the Army was made? I have no doubt of a perfect agreement between the Army and the present Contractors, nor of the advantages wch. will flow from the consequent harmony. Sure I am, the Army will ask no more of the Contractors than their indubitable rights, and I am perswaded there is too much liberality and good sense in the latter to descend to the low dirty tricks which were practiced in the time of Comfort Sands whose want of liberality, I will go further, and say lack of common honesty. 1783] ECONOMY 21 defeated his favourite scheme of making money which appears to be the only object he had in view. It is unnecessary for me I hope to add, in answer to your favour of the 19th. Ulto. that every support in my power towards carrying your schemes of œconomy into effect, shall be rendered most chearfully, as will any assistance I can give towards promoting your plans of revenue Altho' I am sorry to observe there does not appear the best disposition in some States to second your views. Mrs. Washington joins me in respectful and affecte. Compliments to Mrs. Morris and yourself, and best wishes for the return of many happy New Years. The advanced Season and prospect of bad weather induced her to take the most direct Road to this place; otherwise she would have had the pleasure of seeing Mrs. Morris in Philadelphia. With great truth and sincerity etc. *To MAJOR HODIJAH BAYLIES Head Quarters, Newburgh, January 8, 1783. Dear Sir: Your favor of the 13th. of Decer. has been duly received. You will recollect upon our first arrival in quarters, I proposed to the Gentlemen of my family to accommodate themselves by agreement as to the time of their absence, in the most convenient manner, leaving a sufficient number which I expected would be three at Head Qrs. to have the duties performed. I repeated the same to you the day before you left this. Colonels Cobb, Trumbull, Tilghman, who could no longer wait your return and yourself are, in consequence, now absent; the three former I suppose for the greater part or whole of the Winter; the extention therefore of your absence agreeably to your request, would continue to impose the business of and confinement to the Office very unequally upon the two remaining Gentlemen; besides confining me more than I wish or indeed ought to be within doors; however if it is a matter of agreement with them I shall not object to it merely on acct. of the inconvenience it is to me: otherwise you must be sensible I cannot consent to the indulgence, without deviating from the equitable plan I at first proposed. I have only to remark farther, that notwithstanding some Officers of the Army have supposed, there was nothing, or at least very little to be done in Winter Quarters, yet for my own part, I must confess I have never found it so, but on the contrary have frequently had as much business to be done by myself and Aids in that Season as in any part of the Campaign. Under these considerations, whatever may be your determination, I shall still retain the same sentiments of esteem and regard with which etc. GENERAL ORDERS Head Quarters, Newburgh, Parole Devonshire. Countersigns Elizabeth, Frankfort. For duty tomorrow the 2d. Hampshire regiment. By the United States in Congress assembled December 31, 1782. Resolved, That the resolutions of the 7th of August last, so far as relates to the lines of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and New Jersey, be suspended till the first day of March next; and also, as to the Pennsylvania line, so far as to retain in service only the officers necessary to the compleating of three regiments. Resolved, That Brigadier General Hand be, and he is hereby continued in the Office of adjutant general. 1783] SUMS DRAWN 23 The Quarter Master General having reported that the soldiers are daily cutting wood in the neighbourhood of Camp, transporting it to New Windsor on hand sleds and selling it to the Inhabitants, The Commander in chief strictly prohibits such practices in future. The regimental paymasters will apply to the Assist. Clothier General at Newburgh for a proportion of the thread which has just arrived. The Court martial whereof Colonel Greaton is president will assemble at his quarters tomorrow morning ten o'clock. *To JOHN PIERCE Newburgh, January 8, 1783. Sir: I shall be obliged to you for a list of the several Sums which have been drawn from the Public for my use since the commencement of the War; mentioning to whom paid, and whether in Specie or Paper. I want to compare these with my own Warrant Book and the Expenditures to see how matters stand. I am etc. [H.S. P.] GENERAL ORDERS Thursday, January 9, 1783. Parole Grantham. Countersigns Huntington, Iceland. 82 For duty tomorrow the first Massachusetts regiment. Captain Richard Cox 32 of the first Jersey regimt. is continued in the office of Major of Brigade to the Jersey brigade. Captain Benjamin Hicks of the 1st. New-York regiment, to the New York 83 "Captain Cox had been promoted to major of the Second New Jersey Regiment on Jan. 6, 1783, and served to the close of the war. Captain Hicks served to June, 1783. |