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Front Page  Titles (by Subject) TO MAJOR-GENERAL ROBERT HOWE. - The Writings of George Washington, vol. VIII (1779-1780)
TO MAJOR-GENERAL ROBERT HOWE. - George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, vol. VIII (1779-1780) [1890]Edition used:The Writings of George Washington, collected and edited by Worthington Chauncey Ford (New York and London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1890). Vol. VIII (1779-1780).
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- The Writings of George Washington.
- 1779.
- To the Rev. Dr. William Gordon.
- To Thomas Jefferson, Governor of Virginia. 1
- To Samuel Purviance.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Dr. John Cochran, Surgeon-general.
- To Lund Washington. [extract.]
- To President Reed.
- To the President of Congress.
- To John Parke Custis.
- Circular to States.
- To Major Henry Lee.
- To Major-general Greene. 1
- To the President of Congress.
- To John Jay.
- To the Marquis De Lafayette, Paris.
- To Count D’estaing.
- To John Beatty, Commissary-general of Prisoners.
- To Major Benjamin Tallmadge.
- To Major-general Lincoln.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To the Marquis De Lafayette, Paris.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Count D’estaing.
- To Count D’estaing.
- To the Marquis De Lafayette.
- To the President of Congress.
- To President Reed.
- To Benjamin Harrison.
- To Edmund Pendleton.
- To Major-general Gates.
- To Henry Laurens.
- To Brigadier-general Duportail and Lieutenant-colonel Hamilton.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Robert Howe.
- To Governor Jefferson.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Governor Jefferson.
- To Major-general Lincoln, In South Carolina.
- To Governor Clinton.
- To Brigadier-general Woodford.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Sullivan.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Brigadier-general Woodford.
- To Major-general Heath, At West Point.
- To Governor Livingston.
- To Major-general Greene.
- 1780.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Colonel Daniel Brodhead, At Fort Pitt.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the Magistrates of New Jersey.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Lord Stirling. Instructions.
- To the Board of War.
- To John Parke Custis.
- To Major-general Greene.
- To Messrs. Gerry, Livingston, and Mathews.
- To Major-general St. Clair. Instructions.
- To Elbridge Gerry, In Congress.
- To Major-general Schuyler.
- To the Chevalier De La Luzerne.
- To Major Benjamin Tallmadge.
- To Baron Steuben, At Philadelphia.
- To Governor Livingston.
- To Lieutenant-colonel Willett.
- Circular Letter to the States.
- To the Board of War.
- To Major-general Lincoln, In South Carolina.
- To Don Juan De Miralles.
- To Lord Stirling. [private.]
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general St. Clair, and Lieutenant-colonels Edward Carrington and Alexander Hamilton. Instructions.
- To the Marquis De Lafayette.
- To Baron De Kalb.
- To Lord Stirling.
- To the President of Congress. 1
- To John Mathews, In Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Philip Schuyler, In Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Baron Steuben.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Lincoln.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Colonel John Laurens, At Charleston.
- To President Reed.
- To Major-general Howe.
- To the Reverend Doctor William Gordon.
- To James Duane.
- To James Duane.
- To Governor Jefferson.
- To Major-general Heath, At Boston.
- To Governor Rutledge.
- To the Marquis De Lafayette, At Philadelphia.
- To Brigadier-general Wayne.
- To the Marquis De Lafayette.
- To Philip Schuyler.
- To Philip Schuyler, John Mathews, and Nathaniel Peabody, a Committee From Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To President Reed.
- To the Hon. Committee of CoÖperation.
- To Joseph Jones, In Congress.
- To the Chevalier De La Luzerne.
- To Major-general Howe.
- To the Committee of CoÖperation.
- To Governor Livingston.
- To Major-general Howe. 1
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To President Reed.
- To Robert R. Livingston, In Congress.
- To Governor Weare.
- To President Reed.
- To Fielding Lewis.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Greene, Quartermaster-general.
- To the President of Congress.
- To the Marquis De Lafayette. Instructions.
- To Count De Rochambeau.
- To Major-general Greene.
- To the Marquis De Lafayette.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Joseph Jones.
- To Sir Henry Clinton.
- To the Marquis De Lafayette.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Count De Rochambeau.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To Brigadier-general Fellows, Massachusetts Militia.
- To the Marquis De Lafayette.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To Major-general Arnold. Instructions.
- To Count De Rochambeau.
- To John Parke Custis.
- To Major-general Arnold.
- To Joseph Jones.
- To the Chevalier De Ternay.
- To the Committee of Co-operation.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Count De Rochambeau.
- To Governor Trumbull.
- To Count De Rochambeau.
- Circular Letter to the States North of Virginia.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To James Bowdoin, President of the Council of Massachusetts.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Count De Rochambeau.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Brigadier-general Wayne. [private.]
- To the President of Congress.
- To Count De Rochambeau.
- To John Mathews, In Congress.
- To Major-general Lincoln.
- To Count De Guichen.
- To the Chevalier De La Luzerne.
- To John Rutledge, Governor of South Carolina.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Greene. Instructions.
- To Abraham Skinner, Deputy Commissary-general of Prisoners. Instructions.
- Conference At Hartford.
- To Colonel Wade, At West Point.
- To Lieutenant-colonel John Jameson.
- To Governor Clinton.
- To Major-general Heath.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Greene.
- To Major-general St. Clair. Instructions.
- To John Mathews, In Congress.
- To James Duane, In Congress.
- To Brigadier-general John Cadwalader.
- To Major-general Greene.
- To Major-general Greene. Instructions.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Major-general Gates.
- To Benjamin Franklin, Minister Plenipotentiary At the Court of France.
- To Colonel James Wood.
- To the President of Congress.
- To Lieutenant-colonel John Laurens. 2
- To Major-general Greene.
- To the President of Congress.
- To President Reed.
- Circular to States.
TO MAJOR-GENERAL ROBERT HOWE.
West Point, 20 November, 1779. Dear Sir,
Herewith you will receive Mr. Pulteney’s lucubrations, and my thanks for the perusal of them. He has made, I perceive, the dependence of America essential to the existence of Great Britain, as a powerful nation. This I shall not deny, because I am in sentiment with him in thinking her fallen state in consequence of the separation, too obvious to be disputed. It was of magnitude sufficient to have made a wise and just people look before they leaped. But I am glad to find that he has placed the supplies necessary to support that dependence upon three things which I am persuaded will never again exist in his nation—namely, public virtue, public economy, and public union in her grand council.
Stock jobbing, speculation, dissipation, luxury and venality, with all their concomitants, are too deeply rooted to yield to virtue and the public good. We that are not yet hackneyed in vice—but infants, as it were, in the arts of corruption, and the knowledge of taking advantage of public necessity (tho’ I am much mistaken if we shall not soon become very great adepts at them) find it almost, if not quite impossible to preserve virtue enough to keep the body politic and corporate in tolerable tune. It is scarcely to be expected therefore that a people who have reduced these things to a system and have actually interwoven them into their constitution should at once become immaculate.
I do not know which rises highest—my indignation or contempt, for the sentiments which pervade the ministerial writings of this day—these hireling scribblers labor to describe and prove the ingratitude of America in not breaking faith with France—& returning to her allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain after its having offered such advantageous terms of accommodation. Such sentiments as these are insulting to common sense and affrontive to every principle of sound policy and common honesty. Why has she offered these terms?—because after a bloody contest, carried on with unrelenting and savage fury on her part the issue (which was somewhat doubtful while we stood alone) is now become certain by the aid we derive from our Alliance. Notwithstanding the manifest advantages of which, and the blood and treasure which has been spent to resist a tyranny which was unremitted as long as there remained a hope of subjugation, we are told with an effrontery altogether unparelleled that every cause of complaint is now done away by the generous offers of a tender parent—that it is ungrateful in us not to accept the proffered terms, and impolitic not to abandon a power (dangerous I confess to her but) which held out a saving hand to us in the hour of our distress. What epithet does such sentiments merit? How much should a people possessed of them be despised? From my soul I abhor them! A manly struggle, had it been conducted upon liberal ground, and honest confession that they were unequal to conquest, and wished for our friendship, would have had its proper weight—but their cruelties, exercised upon those who have fallen within their power—the wanton depredations committed by themselves and their faithful allies, the Indians—their low and dirty practices of counterfeiting our money—forging letters—and condescending to adopt such arts as the meanest villain in private life would blush at being charged with, has made me their fixed enemy.
I have received your letter by Colo. Moylan of yesterday’s date. The instructions given to — are full and compleat—I have no thought of withdrawing the effective horse till the other troops go into quarters. I am &c.
Thoughts on the Present State of Affairs with America, and the Means of Conciliation, a very popular pamphlet in its day, which ran through many editions.
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