- The Writings of George Washington.
- 1776.
- To the President of Congress. 1
- To Governor Livingston.
- To Major-general Greene.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Lieutenant-general Howe.
- To Major-general Lee. Instructions.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Heath. Instructions.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Lee.
- To the President of Congress.
- To John Augustine Washington.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Lee.
- To Governor Livingston, New Jersey.
- To Major-general Lee.
- To Major-general Lee.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the Board of War.
- To Governor Livingston.
- To Major-general Lee.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Lee.
- To Lund Washington.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Gates.
- To Brigadier-generals Lord Stirling, Mercer, Stephen, and De Fermoy. Instructions.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Major-general Lee.
- To the Council of Safety of Pennsylvania.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Lieutenant-general Howe.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To John Augustine Washington.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To Colonel Joseph Reed, Or Colonel John Cadwalader, 1 At Bristol.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- 1777.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Robert Morris, George Clymer, and George Walton, a Committee of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Putnam.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Lincoln.
- To Lieutenant-colonel Edward Antill.
- To Lieutenant-general Earl Cornwallis.
- To Colonel George Baylor.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Colonel Nathaniel Gist. Instructions.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Lord Howe.
- To Lieutenant-general Howe.
- To Joseph Reed.
- To Joseph Reed.
- To General Heath.
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To the Council of Safety of Pennsylvania.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Governor Cooke.
- To Lieutenant-general Howe.
- To John Parke Custis.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Joseph Reed.
- To Governor Trumbull. 2
- To Governor Livingston.
- General Washington’s Proclamation.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Sullivan.
- To the Governor of North Carolina. 1
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Brigadier-general Arnold.
- To Brigadier-general Parsons. 2
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Brigadier-general Knox.
- To Brigadier-general Maxwell. 2
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Joseph Reed.
- To John Augustine Washington.
- To Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia.
- To the Council of Massachusetts Bay.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Robert Morris.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Brigadier-general Andrew Lewis.
- To Lieutenant-colonel Robert H. Harrison. Instructions.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Major-general Gates.
- To Brigadier-general Wooster. 1
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Sullivan.
- To Major-general Greene. Instructions.
- To Major-general Mifflin.
- To Robert Alexander.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Elias Boudinot.
- To Governor Cooke.
- To Brigadier-general Arnold.
- To Brigadier-general Parsons.
- Proclamation Respecting Deserters.
- To General Heard.
- To Colonel Reed Or Colonel Cox.
- To Lieutenant-general Howe.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To Brigadier-general Mifflin.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Richard Henry Lee.
- To Brigadier-general Glover.
- To Doctor James Craik. 2
- To Major-general Lincoln.
- To Brigadier-general Mcdougall.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Colonel Alexander Spotswood.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Brigadier-general Mcdougall.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Major-general Greene. Instructions.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Monsieur Malmedy. 2
- To the President of Congress.
- To Richard Henry Lee.
- To Governor Henry.
- To Brigadier-general Parsons.
- To Major-general Gates.
- To Brigadier-general Mcdougall.
- To James Warren.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Putnam.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Major-general Greene.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Brigadier-general Parsons.
- To Governor Henry.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Richard Henry Lee.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Appolos Morris.
- To Colonel Samuel B. Webb.
- To the President of Congress.
- To John Augustine Washington.
- To Lieutenant-general Howe.
- To Joseph Reed.
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To Major-general Arnold. 1
- To M. Danmours.
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Joseph Reed.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To John Augustine Washington.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To the President of Congress.
- To General Lee. 2
- To Governor Rutledge.
- To General Sullivan.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Putnam.
- To De Coudray.
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To Lieutenant-general Sir William Howe.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To the Brigadier-generals of Militia In the Western Parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.
- To the Committee of Congress. 2
- To Major-general Heath.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To Lord Stirling.
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To Major-general Putnam.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Gates.
- To Governor Trumbull.
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Morristown, 20 February, 1777.
Sir,
Monsieur Faneuil, who some time ago laid a plan before you for raising and officering a corps of Frenchmen, waited upon me yesterday. His success, as I expected, has been small in enlisting or rather engaging Canadians. I cannot find that he has met with more than thirty or forty, who would be willing to serve with him. He is now upon another scheme, that of raising, arming, and clothing a number of men in the French Islands. To grant a commission of that kind is without the extent of my powers, and I have therefore desired him to go forward, and lay his proposals before Congress. If they appear feasible, they may be adopted; but I would beg leave to observe, that one precaution will be necessary, that is, that the commissions of Monsieur Faneuil and his officers should depend upon the performance of their agreement for raising any certain number of men.
I have often mentioned to you the distress I am every now and then laid under by the application of French officers for commissions in our service. This evil, if I may call it so, is a growing one; for, from what I learn, they are coming in swarms from old France and the Islands. There will therefore be a necessity of providing for them or discountenancing them. To do the first is difficult; and the last disagreeable, and perhaps impolitic, if they are men of merit; and it is impossible to distinguish these from mere adventurers, of whom I am convinced there is the greater number. They seldom bring more than a commission and passport, which, we know, may belong to a bad as well as a good officer. Their ignorance of our language, and their inability to recruit men, are insurmountable obstacles to their being ingrafted into our Continental battalions; for our officers, who have raised their men, and have served through the war, upon pay that has hitherto not borne their expenses, would be disgusted if foreigners were put over their heads; and, I assure you, few or none of these gentlemen look lower than field-officers’ commissions. To give them all brevets, by which they have rank and draw pay without doing any service, is saddling the continent with a vast expense; and to form them into corps would be only establishing a corps of officers; for, as I stated before, they cannot possibly raise any men.
Some general mode of disposing of them must be adopted; for it is ungenerous to keep them in suspense, and at great charge to themselves; but I am at a loss how to point out this mode. Suppose they were told in general, that no man could obtain a commission, except he could raise a number of men in proportion to his rank. This would effectually stop the mouths of common appliers, and leave us at liberty to make provisions for gentlemen of undoubted military character and merit, who would be very useful to us as soon as they acquired our language. If you approve of this, or can think of any better method, be pleased to inform me as soon as you possibly can; for if I had a decisive answer to give them, it would not only save me much trouble but much time, which I am now obliged to bestow in hearing their different pretentions to merit, and their expectations thereupon. I inclose you the papers, which Monsieur Faneuil originally laid before the Council of Massachusetts; they may be of use if you enter into negotiation with him. I have the honor to be, &c.
Monsieur Faneuil’s scheme was not approved by Congress. In reference to the last part of the above letter, Congress informed General Washington, that in their opinion no foreign officers ought to receive commissions in the army, who were not well acquainted with the English language, and did not bring strong testimonials of their abilities. Journals, March 14th. On the day before, the Committee of Secret Correspondence was instructed “to write to all their ministers and agents abroad to discourage all gentlemen from coming to America with expectations of employment in the service, unless they are masters of our language and have the best recommendations.”
After having been pressed by General Washington to increase the number of generals in the army, by promotion and new appointments, Congress on the 19th of February appointed five major-generals, namely, Stirling, Mifflin, St. Clair, Stephen, and Lincoln. The last was taken for the first time into the Continental service, having till now commanded the Massachusetts militia. Ten brigadier-generals were elected on the 21st of February, namely, Poor, Glover, Paterson, Wayne, Varnum, Dehaas, Weedon, Muhlenberg, John Cadwalader, and Woodford. The appointment was not accepted by Cadwalader. He had not been previously in Continental service, but had acquired much reputation by his command of the Pennsylvania militia.
The feeling inspired by Washington in his aides is well illustrated by a passage in a letter written by Tench Tilghman to his father—a loyalist:—
“If it pleases God to spare the life of the honestest man that I believe ever adorned human nature, I have no doubt of it [freedom]. I think I know the sentiments of his heart, and in prosperity and adversity I never knew him utter a wish or drop an expression that did not tend to the good of his country, regardless of his own interest. He is blessed wherever he goes, for the tory is protected in person and property equally with the whig; and indeed I often think more, for it is his maxim to convert by good usage and not by severity.”—22 February, 1777.
Read in Congress March 12th.
Titles (by Subject) 
