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Subject Area: Political Theory
Subject Area: War and Peace
Topic: The American Revolution and Constitution

TO JOHN AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON. - George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, vol. II (1758-1775) [1889]

Edition used:

The Writings of George Washington, collected and edited by Worthington Chauncey Ford (New York and London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1889). Vol. II (1758-1775).

Part of: The Writings of George Washington, 14 vols.

About Liberty Fund:

Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals.


TO JOHN AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON.

Philadelphia, 20 June, 1775.

Dear Brother,

I am now to bid adieu to you, and to every kind of domestic ease, for a while. I am embarked on a wide ocean, boundless in its prospect, and in which, perhaps, no safe harbor is to be found. I have been called upon by the unanimous voice of the Colonies to take the command of the Continental army; an honor I neither sought after, nor desired, as I am thoroughly convinced, that it requires greater abilities and much more experience, than I am master of, to conduct a business so extensive in its nature, and arduous in the execution. But the partiality of the Congress, joined to a political motive, really left me without a choice; and I am now commissioned a General and Commander-in-chief of all the forces now raised, or to be raised, for the defence of the United Colonies. That I may discharge the trust to the satisfaction of my employers, is my first wish; that I shall aim to do it, there remains as little doubt of. How far I may succeed, is another point; but this I am sure of, that, in the worst event, I shall have the consolation of knowing, if I act to the best of my judgment, that the blame ought to lodge upon the appointers, not the appointed, as it was by no means a thing of my own seeking, or proceeding from any hint of my friends.

I am at liberty to inform you, that the Congress, in a committee, (which will I dare say be agreed to when reported,) have consented to a Continental currency, have ordered two millions of dollars to be struck for payment of the troops, &c., and have voted fifteen thousand men as a Continental army, which number will be augmented, as the strength of the British troops will be greater than was expected at the time of passing that vote. General Ward, General Lee, General Schuyler, and General Putnam are appointed Major-Generals under me. The Brigadier-Generals are not yet appointed. Major Gates [is made] Adjutant-General.1 I expect to set out tomorrow for Boston, and hope to be joined there in a little time by ten companies of riflemen from this province, Maryland, and Virginia. For other articles of intelligence, I shall refer you to the papers, as the printers are diligent in collecting every thing that is stirring.

I shall hope that my friends will visit and endeavor to keep up the spirits of my wife, as much as they can, as my departure will, I know, be a cutting stroke upon her; and on this account alone I have many very disagreeable sensations. I hope you and my sister, (although the distance is great,) will find as much leisure this summer as to spend a little time at Mount Vernon.

My sincere regards attend you both, and the little ones, and I am your most affectionate brother.

[1 ]General Ward had already been appointed, by the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, commander of all the forces raised by that colony, and was now in Cambridge at the head of the army. Generals Lee and Schuyler were in Philadelphia, and accompanied the Commander-in-chief to New York. Lee continued with him to head-quarters. Putnam was in Cambridge, commanding the Connecticut troops. Gates was at his seat in Berkeley County, Virginia, but speedily joined the army.

Lee was a colonel on half-pay in the British army, but he resigned his commission, by a formal letter to the Secretary at War, as soon as he was appointed major-general by the Congress, and before he received a commission in the American army. He had been a soldier from his youth, and had seen much service in America during the French war, and afterwards in Europe. When he received this appointment, he had been only about eighteen months in the colonies, but that time had mostly been spent in travelling. He thus formed many acquaintances, and inspired the public with a high opinion of his military character. His friend Gates had induced him to buy lands in Virginia, beyond the Blue Ridge, where he sometimes resided. Gates, also, had been an officer in the British army. He was a captain at Braddock’s defeat, where he was wounded; and he rose afterwards to the rank of major, which he resigned, and retired from the service, purchasing lands and settling himself as a planter in Virginia. A friendly intercourse had long subsisted between him and Washington. He was appointed Adjutant-General by the Congress, at the express solicitation of the Commander-in-chief, with the rank of brigadier. General Washington wrote to him immediately after his appointment, and Gates replied in very cordial terms, adding in conclusion:—“I will not intrude more upon your time, only to assure you, that I shall not lose a moment in paying you my personal attendance, with the greatest respect for your character, and the sincerest attachment to your person.” Gates arrived in Cambridge before the middle of July.—Sparks.