disgusted! We are however waiting to be relievd from this disagreeable State of uncertainty, by a particular Account of Facts from some Person who was near the Army who trusts not to Memory altogether, lest some Circumstances may be omitted while others are misapprehended.*

I rejoice in the Honors your Country has done you. Pray hasten your Journey hither.

R. H. Lee, Esq

Dear Sir

Your very affectionate,
S. ADAMS

554. ELIPHALET DYER TO JOSEPH TRUMBULL.1

8

PHILADELPHIA July 15th 1777

Recievd your favr. of the 9th Instant yours to Congress was recievd at the same time and the Matter Immediately taken up in Congress there is so many fond of their New plan that it is difficult to make them attend to the Objections against and cannot bare so soon to throw up What they have entertained so great a fondness of but however they soon agreed to send a Comtee of Congress to goe to the Army and see and hear and report. the Congress is very thin and most Gentn. had a Very great Aversion to goe on this business. Except Mr Gerry I think there could scarce been one more unsuitable. Mr Livingston was chose one principally because he was gone that way before and would be in the way. I much fear the Consequence arising from this New Regulation but hope for the best every thing must be Endured before the Army must fail it is said in Congress by some that you must goe on your Old way till the New one gets into a proper regulation and employe purchasers as formerly I know not what or how to advise you only in General to do the Utmost in your power to advance and promote the general good and service am sure I should at once advise you to quit if I did not apprehend the worst Consequences would follow and if you do not it may possibly be as bad unless Congress should place the purchasing Commissy. business in the same line as formerly. if the Comtee should report favorably that way it may possibly be done. if you had the appointment of your Depty Commiss of purchasers and to

4 See, further, Adams's letter to Lee, July 22, in Writings (ed. Cushing), III. 389; also nos. 560A, 562A, post. The newspaper item referred to was probably an extract of a letter from Schuyler to Washington, dated at Saratoga, July 7, found in the Pennsylvania Packet of July 15 and in the Pennsylvania Gazette of July 16, announcing St. Clair's retreat from Ticonderoga and Mount Independence Sunday, July 6. [554] Conn. Hist. Soc., Joseph Trumbull Papers.

2 See the Journals, July 11; cf. no. 550, ante.

The committee was appointed July 11 and made its report Aug. 5. See also the Journals, July 24, Aug. 6, 7, 28.

4 Philip Livingston returned to Philadelphia July 24, in advance of the committee. James Lovell wrote to Trumbull, July 15: "I do not suppose you yourself would have balloted for Envoys just as others have done on this occasion but I hope you have a Ball[an]ce to yr liking.” Conn. Hist. Soc., Joseph Trumbull Papers.

5 See nos. 529, 530, 543, 544, ante. Trumbull again offered his resignation Aug. 2. See the Journals, Aug. 2, 7, and no. 585, post.

allow Wages according to their Merrit I see no difficulty in carrying on your part but fear it will be hard to bring them back to that mode unless the Genll. and Comtee should recommend it.

6

The News we have recievd from Ticonderoga is truly Alarming ® fear it will throw the New England States into the greatest Consternation expect the Enemies ships are all along the sea coast giving the alarm there to divert them from giving aid to other parts where they may be wanted expect every hour to hear Genll. How has pushd up the North river God grant he may meet with a repulse there. I fear the late success of the Enemy will again oblidge us to call of Our Militia as last summer and now in this most Critical season. there ar about 15 hundrd. or two thousand Southern Troops now forwarding from this place to join Genll. Washington. I want much to hear from our Country if you have Any Accounts from there, especially of our family you will be so kind as to let me hear.

I Am with sincere regards

Yrs ELIPHT DYER.

Joseph Trumbull Esqr

Sir,

555. THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS (JOHN HANCOCK) TO

PHILIP SCHUYLER.1

PHILADA. July 18th 1777.

The Loss of Ticonderoga still remains a very mysterious Affair for Want of proper Information, nor have we any Account as yet, of the Fate of the Garrison, under Genl. St. Clair, only from Report. I am therefore to request you will favour us as soon as possible with the best Intelligence you can procure, as Congress are extremely anxious to hear the particulars.2

Dear Sir,

556. JAMES LOVELL TO WILLIAM WHIPPLE.1

PHILADELPHIA July 21st 1777

I shall only acknowledge the receipt of your pleasing favor of the 8th. and enclose you a newspaper. I am not at leisure, and scarcely in a temper, to make reflexions upon the vile situation of our affairs at the Northward, which before this reaches you will be the main topic of conversation. Believe me this is the first day that we have had any thing

6 See no. 553, ante.

[555] Mass. Hist. Soc., Hancock Letter-Book, VI. 232; Library of Congress, Papers Cont. Cong., no. 58, pt. II., p. 228.

2 See the Journals, July 21. Cf. nos. 553, 554, ante.

[556] Library of Congress, Force Trans., Whipple, p. 377. A notation on the transcript says: "Without address or signature probably from James Lovell." There is no doubt whatever that the letter is from Lovell, and the fact that it was found among the Whipple papers, the reference to General Folsom, as well as other indications, point clearly to Whipple as the person to whom it was written.

from St. Clair. We had a line from Schuyler of the 9th. a scrawl without head or tail and an artful one of the 14th. rec'd this day. Busy as we are this matter must be searched to the bottom. A most uncommon composure has appeared in Jemmy Du- and his colleague D. Uncle Phil is at Camp with Geary and Clyman [Clymer] to try to patch the Commissary's department, as the issuers will have their own price and customs.*

An attempt will be made to throw the whole fault in the Northern Department upon the New England States, whose Delegates ought to be furnished with the exact quota of our troops sent forward prior to the disaster. Genl. Folsom arriving yesterday may possibly give a true history of your part. . . . .

6

By a letter from Col Brigr. Lee to day I have the hope of seeing him in August early. We sent to get a full representation that we may if possible confederate. Har-n obstinately pushed to lay it aside in indulgence to his State's want of a vote at present, Page being gone home. I called a hornet's nest about my ears by soberly asserting that Schuyler was beloved by the Eastern States, especially by the Officers from thence, that he was the key to the Militia of Albany County, and that the Indians called him father. I asserted that I was told so six weeks ago by gentlemen of intelligence, veracity and honor. The ungrateful curs said I was satirizing and Middleton joined them

557. THOMAS BURKE TO THE GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA (RICHARD CASWELL).1

Dear Sir:

PHILADELPHIA, July 22d, 1777.

I waited some time for the intelligence from Ticonderoga which you will find in the inclosed paper, and I declined writing until I could give

2 See the Journals, July 21. Letters from Schuyler to Washington, July 9 and 14, are in Sparks, Letters to Washington, I. 395, 397. His "scrawl" of the 9th was probably an extract of a letter to the New York council of safety, sent by the council to General Putnam and by him to Washington (Library of Congress, Washington Papers, XVI. 296, 298, 299). Other letters pertaining to this affair are in Sparks, Letters to Washington, II., appendix. Cf. no. 553, note 2, ante. St. Clair's letter of July 14, together with the council of war, July 5, was printed in the Philadelphia papers: the Evening Post, July 22, the Packet, July 22, the Journal, July 23, and the Gazette, July 25. Cf. no. 574, post. See The Trial of Major-General St. Clair, reprinted in N. Y. Hist. Soc., Collections, 1880.

3 James Duane, William Duer, and Philip Livingston, delegates from New York, who were supporters of Schuyler, as against the New England delegates, who were largely antagonistic to him. See no. 553, note 3, ante, no 568, post.

4 See nos. 550, 554, ante.

5 See nos. 557, 560A, 562A, 564-566, 568, post.

Nathaniel Folsom, delegate from New Hampshire. He took his seat in Congress July 21. See no. 561, post.

7 The reference is to Richard Henry Lee. He took his seat in Congress Aug. 12. See nos. 539, 547, ante; also no. 558, post.

8 Benjamin Harrison of Virginia. Cf. no. 558, post.

The allusion is doubtless to remarks made by the New York delegates in support of Schuyler during the debate concerning him in May. See nos. 502, 504, 511, 515, ante.

[557] N. C. State Recs., XI. 529.

you particulars, because I did not choose to put you on disagreeable speculation. Many of us have long expected that Ticonderoga would be evacuated at the approach of an enemy, because we had no hopes of having a force there competent to its defense.2. . . . Mr. Harnett arrived here on Friday night last, but has not yet been able to go into Congress. I shall use the permission you are pleased to give me of returning home, as soon as I can do so without danger of injury to public service.

558. SAMUEL ADAMS TO RICHARD HENRY LEE.1

My dear Sir

PHILADA July 22 1777

2

Your very acceptable Letter of the 12th came to my hand yesterday. The Confederation is most certainly an important Object, and ought to be attended to and finishd speedily. I moved the other Day and urgd that it might then be brought on; but your Colleague Colo H2 opposed and prevented it, Virginia not being represented. It is put off till you shall arrive; you see therefore the Necessity of your hastening to Congress.... .

Sir

559. JAMES LOVELL TO GEORGE WASHINGTON.1

PHILADELPHIA July 24th.

So long ago as Decr. 2d 1775 direction was given by Congress to the committee of secret correspondence to procure from Europe four good Engineers. This was not however accomplished till the 13th of last Febry, when the bearer the Chevalier du Portail, with Mr. La Radière, Mr. Gouvion and one other Officer who is left sick in the West indies, was engaged by Doctor Franklin and Mr. Deane to come over to America. I beg your Excellency to observe well that these are the only Officers, of any Species, who have been procured from abroad by express direction of Congress. And this I do, because I am about to furnish you with several circumstances peculiarly within my knowledge relative to a

2

2 See no. 566, post.

According to the Journals, Harnett took his seat the day on which this letter was written. Cf. Harnett to William Wilkinson, July 20 (N. C. State Recs., XI. 741), and to Governor Caswell, Aug. 11 (ibid., XI. 569).

[558] Writings (ed. Cushing), III. 389; Univ. Va. Lib., Lee Papers; N. Y. Pub. Lib., Samuel Adams Papers (draft); Lee, Richard Henry Lee, II. 122; Wells, Samuel Adams, II. 484 (dated July 12).

2 Benjamin Harrison. Cf. no. 556, ante.

It was resolved Aug. 16 (four days after Richard Henry Lee took his seat) to take up the Confederation the following Monday (Aug. 18), but, so far as the Journals indicate, the consideration of the Articles was not resumed until Oct. 7. See no. 528, ante, no. 588, post. The remainder of the letter is a discussion of the Ticonderoga affair, and a criticism of Schuyler. Cf. no. 553, ante, no. 568, post. [559] Library of Congress, Letters to Washington, XVII. 105; Letters to Washington (ed. Sparks), I. 408; Wharton, Rev. Dipl. Corr., II. 366.

2 Concerning these engineers, see no. 525, note 5, ante. Cf. nos. 561, 565, 576, 581, 603, 632, post. See also a letter of Charles Thomson to Washington, July 21, in Letters to Washington (ed. Sparks), I. 406.

point of equity well worthy of your Excellency's attention. The Corps of Engineers is very honorable in France; and officers from it are sought by different european Powers. These Gentlemen who are come over into our service made an agreement with our Commissioners to rise one degree from the rank they held at home, upon a supposition that the practice of Europe had been regarded here. But when they arrived, they found instances very different wth. respect to officers in all other corps. It was their mishap also to see a Major of artillery affecting to be exalted four ranks, as a Chief in his proper line and theirs also. They made a representation of these circumstances and appealed to the Equity of Congress. But, they had arrived at a time when the Infatuation of some here and the wild conduct of one abroad had rendered a Spirit of reformation absolutely necessary as to the point of rank. The ingenuous, however, must own that there is singular hardship in the case of these Gentlemen. The only officers ever sent for by us, procured by the real political Agents of Congress, coming out with the good wishes of the french Ministry, being of undoubted rank and ability in their Profession, find themselves in the Dilemma of becoming the first examples of our new reforming Spirit, or else of going home during a Campaign, which their high sense of honor will not allow. But, tho' the Chevalier du Portail was not made a Brigadier, yet it appeared too gross to expose him to be directed in his peculiar line by such as will readily acknowledge his pretensions by regular education and discipline to be greatly Superior to their own. His commission prevents this, and enables him so to distribute, in work, the others who came with him, as to prevent them, who have been within a few months as long in service as himself, from being interfered with by such as never belonged to the royal corps of Engineers in France, or perhaps but a very short time to any other. Your Excellency cannot but wonder at the strange manner of wording the commission. I shall explain it with the greatest freedom. Mr. Du Coudray being employed as a good artillery officer to examine the arsenals in France, to see what cannon, etc. could be spared from them, acted with great Industry in that employment and much seeming regard to america. In the course of his transactions between the Ct. de St. Germain and Mr Deane, he was not blind to perceive that he might take occasion to serve himself. Besides being paid for his trouble and Expenses in France he procured an agreement from mr. Deane wch. has already been shown to yr. Excellency, and has affected you, doubtless, with the same surprise and indignation which it has excited in others, almost without a single exception. I shall omit any remarks upon that treaty, or a long tooingenious memorial presented to Congress with it, except such as are strictly connected with the occasion of this letter. Mr. Du C- having created himself to the Command of Artillery and Engineers, persuaded

3 In regard to Du Coudray, see nos. 501, 514, 525, 531, 537, 539, 541, 542, ante, and the Journals, passim. Cf. nos. 561, 565, 576, 581, 586, 632, 648, post. The contract between Deane and Du Coudray was repudiated by Congress, Sept. 8. Cf. the Journals, Aug. 13. See, further, letters of the committee of foreign affairs to the commissioners in Paris, Oct. 18, Dec. 1, 1777, Wharton, Rev. Dipl. Corr., II. 412, 437.