missioners from the States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia,2 on the Subject of adopting such a System of Regulation as may be most suitable to those States. I beg Leave to request your Attention to the whole of the enclosed Resolves and have the Honour to be, Gentlemen, Your most obed. and very hble. Serv. Honble Assembly of the State of Maryland. 369. SAMUEL CHASE TO THE MARYLAND COUNCIL OF SAFETY.1 BALTIMORE TOWN Febry 20th. 1777. Gentlemen. I am sorry to inform you that the Report of the Engagement on Fryday Week is without any other Foundation than a little Skirmish, which the General barely mentions in his Letter to our Committee in Philadelphia.2 Congress are anxiously expecting a Reinforcement to our brave and worthy General from the new Levies. above Six weeks ago Congress directed General Smallwood to take a tour thro the State, and exert his Influence in raising our Quota, and they called on all our public Bodies, and every Friend to America, to yield him their Assistance. I mention this because Congress flattered themselves with great Success from this Measure and it is said it has been neglected. 3 A little attention to our public Affairs, and the State of our Army will convince any Man that the most vigorous Exertions are necessary and must be adopted to procure our Quota. I shall not enlarge on this important subject. I beg leave to call your immediate attention to it, and if a Moment's delay can be granted, be pleased to consider the following Extract of a letter from Genl. Washington to his friend Colo. Harrison, of 12 Instant. "with great Truth I can add, that Heaven alone knows upon what principle they (the enemy) act, or by what means, they are kept quiet. That we are not able to make the least stand, if they move, is as clear as the Sun in its Meridian Brightness. Whilst you are at an expence equal to the maintenance of a large army and expect that we are very strong, we have scarce men enough to mount the Common Guard" 2 The letter to North Carolina reads: "to meet at Charlestown in South Carolina, on the first Monday in May next then and there to confer with other Commissioners from the States of South Carolina and Georgia". A variant form was sent to the New England States. See nos. 323, 326, 334, 336, 340, 347, 353, 355, 356, 357, 359, 360, ante, 370, post. note: 3 To the Massachusetts copy of the circular letter is appended the following "Your favr. of 30th Jany and 1 Feby have been Just Rec'd. "I have Rec'd Directions from Congress on Tuesday next to Adjourn Congress to Philada. and shall set off for that Place on Wednesday morng." See nos. 377, 378, 383, post. [369] Md. Hist. Soc., Red Book, IV. 88; Arch. of Md., XVI. 147. 2 See no. 359, note 8, ante. 8 See the Journals, Dec. 21, 31, 1776. I thought this Intelligence necessary for your Information, but the Communication of it to our General Assembly must be made with every Caution of Secrecy. The knowledge of it may bring Destruction on our Country. I wish it was in my power to advise in the present Crisis. The Mode in the Resolve of Congress to Genl Smallwood may be of some Service. The Gentlemen of this County have not as yet assisted, by public meetings and associations, to carry any public Measures into Execution. I beg leave to submit the enclosed proposal to your Consideration, if adopted it ought to be late in the Session, and after all other Exertions have been made. I am, Gent. with Regard and Respect, Your Obedient Servant, SAML. CHASE. 370. JOHN ADAMS TO JOSEPH PALMER.1 1 Dr Sir BALTIMORE Feb. 20, 1777 Congress have been upon the subject of regulating the Prices of Labour and Provisions. I shall inclose you, what they have done. Are not these mere temporary Expedients, and palliation Remedies. We must aim at a radical Cure. The success of our Camp appears to me to depend intirely, (under God,) on our Supporting the Credit of our Currency. This must be done at all Events but cannot be done long by regulating Prices. We must cease emitting. We must borrow, and We must import if possible a Fund of Gold and Silver to redeem the Bills as they become payable.2. . 371. THOMAS BURKE, ABSTRACT OF DEBATES.1 Feby 21 A Letter from General Lee requesting a Committee of Congress to be sent to New York to whom he might, with Permission of Lord and General How, impart something of great Consequence to himself and of no less, in his opinion to the public. his letter was in very pressing Terms. It was the General Sense of Congress that no Conference ought to be held with any but Embassadors properly authorised by the Court of Britain to treat of Peace That Lord and General How could have no Powers on such a subject by Virtue of their Commissions which was particularly Limitted by Parliament to other Purposes. That any Conference with them would be Impolitic and degrading. degrading because beneath the Dignity of Congress to Tr[e]at with persons whose very Powers supposed them objects of their Dominion, and even of their Mercy. Impol [370] N. Y. Pub. Lib., Myers Coll., Distinguished Americans, p. 554. Addressed to The Hon. Joseph Palmer Esqr. Braintree Massa. Bay". 2 See no. 323, note 2, ante. [371] N. Y. Pub. Lib., Emmet Coll., no. 1162; N. C. State Recs., XI. 382; Harvard Univ. Lib., Sparks MSS., no. 36, p. 458 (copy). 2 In the N. C. State Records the reading is: "degrading, because their powers supposed Congress objects of their dominion". itic because it would give an Opportunity of circulating Stories in the Courts of Europe that the Congress were on Treaty of reconciliation with. Britain and by this means suspend for sometime their Intention of befriending us. but it was also agreed that the C[ong] ress ought to give every possible attention to Genera [1] Lee's personal Safety. the Difficulty was in the mode, Some being of opinion it ought to be by permitting any person he pleased to go and Confer with him on any matter relative to his private Business, others that it ought to be by ordering the General to send an Officer for that purpose.* at length the Congress came to a resolution to Direct General Washington to Inform General Lee of the Measures they were taking for his safety, and to request him to inform them of any thing which they could farther do, but that they could not think it Consistant with the Dignity of Congress to send a Committee to Treat with him on any public Business.5 372. JOHN ADAMS TO MRS. ADAMS.1 BALTIMORE, 21 February, 1777. We have made General Lincoln a continental Major General. We shall make Colonel Glover a Brigadier. I sincerely wish we could hear more from General Heath. Many persons are extremely dissatisfied with numbers of the general officers of the highest rank. I don't mean the Commander-in-chief, his character is justly very high, but Schuyler, Putnam, Spencer, Heath, are thought by very few to be capable of the great commands they hold. We hear of none of their heroic deeds of arms. I wish they would all resign. For my part I will vote upon the genuine principles of a republic for a new election of general officers annually, and every man shall have my consent to be left out, who does not give sufficient proof of his qualifications.2 . Sir 373. THE BOARD OF WAR TO GEORGE WASHINGTON.1 WAR OFFICE Feby 21st 1777 I am directed by the Board of War to inform you that it is the Opinion of Congress that the Men of the Corps of Virginia Light Horse under the Command of Major Bland 2 receive the usual Bounty on their reinlisting for three Years or during the War into the Continental Service. . . . 66 3 The text in N. C. State Records is: impolitic, because it would give opportunity for representing ". "The Difficulty purpose " is not in N. C. State Records, and there is a variation in the beginning of the next sentence. 5 See no. 366, note 3, ante; also a letter of Tench Tilghman to Robert Morris, Mar. 2, in N. Y. Hist. Soc. Collections: Revolutionary Papers, I, 422. [372]1 Familiar Letters, p. 248. 2 See no. 363, note 3, ante. [373] Library of Congress, Letters to Washington, XCIV. 203. 2 Theodorick Bland. Cf. the Journals, Jan. 14. 374. JOHN ADAMS, DIARY.1 [February 21, 1777.] 21. Friday. This morning, received a long card from Mr. H. expressing great resentment about fixing the magazine at Brookfield, against the bookbinder and the General. The complaisance to me, and the jealousy for the Massachusetts, in this message, indicate to me the same passion and the same design with the journey to Boston in April.3 Dear Sir 375. BENJAMIN RUSH TO ROBERT MORRIS.1 BALTIMORE Feby. 22. 1777 The question for raising the interest of our loan office tickets to 6 per cent. was attempted again the day before yesterday in Congress but was lost as formerly by a division of the States. Every post and express that arrives brings us complaints of the want of money, and asurances of the impossibility of getting it as the low interest of 4 per cent. These complaints are echoed daily from every corner of the room but to no purpose. The States that oppose the raising of the interest are Rhode Island, Connecticut, North and South Carolinas, and Georgia. Maryland is divided. It is worthy of notice here that only seven members of the congress who represent five of the above States decided the above question, contrary to the inclinations of not less than 17 members who represented the States that voted for raising the interest, and who represent at least 3rds of the people of America. This unjust mode of representation I hope will be altered in the confederation. If it is not it will end sooner or later in the ruin of the Continent. We shall attempt the important question once more before we adjourn to Philada. If we fail we are undone. Another emission of money will in my opinion be a public fraud which no Statenecessity can justify. The loss of two or three provinces would not hurt our cause half so much as the news of our bankruptcy. The Congress have concluded unanimously not to send a deputation of their body to General Lee. The present distracted situation of the Court of Britain, the characters and conduct of Lord and General Howe, and the disposition which Genl. Lee always shewed for negociations, and [374] Works, II. 436. 2 See nos. 290, 300, 321, ante, the Journals, Feb. 20, and no. 435, post. The "bookbinder" was Gen. Henry Knox. In his Diary, for Feb. 17, Adams wrote: 'Mr. Hancock told C. W. [Colonel Whipple?], yesterday, that he had determined to go to Boston in April. Mrs. Hancock was not willing to go till May, but Mr. Hancock was determined upon April. Perhaps the choice of a governor may come on in May. What aspiring little creatures we are! How subtle, sagacious, and judicious this passion is! How clearly it sees its object, how constantly it pursues it, and what wise plans it devises for obtaining it!" Works, II. 436. See no. 383, post. [375] Copied from the original then in the possession of Mr. Stan. V. Henkels of Philadelphia; Henkels, Catalogue, no. 1183, item 93. post. 2 See nos. 326, note 8, 340, 344, 346, 349, 352, 357, ante; cf. nos. 382, 384, 385, conferences with the General Officers belonging to the british Army induced the Congress readily to adopt a suspicion that the royal Commissioners had suggested the maneuvre in order to suspend our military operations, and to divide and deceive the States. This suspicion was rendered the more probable from the circumstances of this, being about the time in which our Commissioners at the Court of France will urge the necessity of a speedy declaration in our favor, and which can only be prevented by the news that we are negociating with Great Britain. It is well known the conference with Lord Howe last summer had well nigh ruined our interest at the Court of France. The Congress have passed a resolution that will we hope satisfy the General that while we are jealous of our honor, we are determined to neglect nothing that concerns his safety, or private affairs.3 We have yesterday appointed Colonels Poor, Glover, Patterson, Varnum, Wayne, Dehaes, Muhlenberg, Weedon, Jno. Cadwallider and Woodford Brigadiers General. Lord Sterling, with Messrs Mifflin, Sinclair,* Steven and Lincoln are Majors General. 376. WILLIAM WHIPPLE TO JOSIAH BARTLETT.1 My Dear Sir BALTIMORE 22d Feby 1777 after repeated requisitions of Genl: Washington, Congress have made a number of Genl Officers. The Genl: Proposal is, that there shod be a Major Genl: to every three Brigades and a Brigadier to every three Regiments. he also proposed three Lieut Genls: but this I believe will not be speedily comply'd with, as its the General opinion in Congress that the Senior Major Genl: may answer the purpose for the Present. Five are added to the list of Major Genls: and ten to the list of Brigadiers among the latter is Col: Poor who was strongly recommended by Genl: Gates as well as by the Commander in chief this will make a vacancy in your late arangement which I hope will be well fill'd. I only wish that real merit may influence the choice.2 I am fearful that sending men off in small Parties will be injurious to the recruiting service, as sending part of a company will backward the enlistment to complete it. I hope proper care will be taken to send good surgeons as much depends on them. Morgan and Stringer are both displaced, and the Medical Department will be put on a very different footing from what it was last Campaign You are sensible of the necessity of a reformation perticularly in that department and I hope great care will be taken in the appointment of Regimental Surgeons I also hope proper measure [s] will be persued by each state to furnish their respective Soldiers with cloathing for notwithstanding every method that can be taken by Congress, there will be but 8 3 See no. 366, note 3, ante. 4 Arthur St. Clair. [376]1 Dartmouth College Lib., Bartlett Correspondence, vol. I., 1774-1778. 2 See the Journals, Feb. 18-22. Cf. no. 363, note 3, ante. 3 See the Journals, Feb. 14, 20, 27; also no. 298, ante, no. 431, post. |