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

TO MAJOR-GENERAL MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE - Thomas Jefferson, The Works, vol. 3 (Notes on Virginia I, Correspondence 1780-1782) [1905]

Edition used:

The Works of Thomas Jefferson, Federal Edition (New York and London, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904-5). Vol. 3.

Part of: The Works of Thomas Jefferson, 12 vols.

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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 MAJOR-GENERAL MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE

v. s. a.

Richmond March 19th, 1781.

Sir,

—Your letters of the 16th & 17th inst, came to hand at Noon of this day. I beg leave to inform you that for the purpose of speedy Communications between the Executive & the Commanding Officers Expresses are established from this place through Williamsburg to Hampton every fifteen miles distance and that a Quarter master is employed in establishing a similar line from hence to the Army before Portsmouth crossing James River at Hoods. These Expresses are ordered to ride day and night. You will be pleased to set the line in motion whenever you think proper. Besides the Exertions of the Continental Quarter master to procure Horses we instructed the State Quarter Master to send out Agents on the same business in order to insure the number required by Colo Pickering which was 50 saddle Horses & 150 Draught Horses. What his agents could procure we ordered to be at General Muhlenburg’s Head Quarters by the 20th. I shall order him to continue his efforts in aid of the Continental Quarter Master ten days longer.—In a Country whose means of paiment are neither prompt nor of the most desirable kind, impressing property for the public use has been found indispensible. We have no fears of complaint under your exercise of those powers & have only to ask the favor of you to instruct those employed in impressing to furnish the party whose property is taken with a proper certificate of the Article & value and that they make regular returns to Government of the Certificates they have given stating in such return the Date of the Certificate, owners name, article taken, & price. This has been required of course from all impressing Officers as a Check on Counterfeited certificates.

The conduct of Capt. Turberville has come to the knowledge of the Executive in detached Parts only. His permitting Lt Hare to pass his post to Westover was deemed by us improper. We understood also he did not obey a positive order from Major General Baron Steuben for discharging Mr Hare & the flag; and the Baron complains to us that an open letter of his to Mr Hare was detained by Capt Turberville. We could do no less than observe to the Baron that the military institutions had put in his hands the Powers of vindicating the military authority. An enquiry or Trial before a military court is certainly proper: but Capt Turberville cannot & I dare say will not expect or desire it but when full evidence can be obtained. If it be necessary that it should await the papers which were transmitted me, they are now in the hands of the Attorney General to support a civil prosecution and cannot probably be for many Days withdrawn. Capt Turberville is an essential witness in the prosecution which is to be heard on the 23d inst and will then have the means of knowing when the papers can be spared.

As a complete collection of our military & other Laws is very difficult to be procured and would be troublesome for you to consult, I have ordered the Militia Laws to be copied together & will transmit them to you in a few Days.

Capt Turberville’s connection with Mr Hare’s flag gives me occasion to mention that matter to you. On my hearing (several days after it happened) that such an Officer and vessel had come up James River, I took the Liberty of mentioning it in a letter to Major General Baron Steuben, of asking the favor of his attention to it, & informing that it was more immediately within the military line, was under rules and usages with which he was much better acquainted than we were, we wished to leave it to him altogether to have done whatever was right. It was his opinion & it was & is ours that notwithstanding the Indecencies & Irregularities of Mr Hare’s conduct he & his vessel should have been discharged. He accordingly ordered it, but his order was not obeyed as to Mr. Hare’s person till so much time had elapsed as to render the discharge dangerous, it was therefore countermanded. As to the vessel, an Idea arose I know not on what grounds that she was drawn into litigation before a Court of Justice. This I am now informed is not the case. As we have never meddled with her we wish not to do it; but to leave with yourself to discharge both officer & flag whenever you shall think it proper to do so. In the meantime I doubt not you will think proper attention should be paid to the safe Custody of the vessel the persons & property belonging to her, & that she be kept under the military Power & clear of the civil.

I send you subjoined a State of the militia called to the South Side of James River.1 If I understood Baron Steuben’s plan he wished to have 800 Virginia militia to operate on the Norfolk side with the Carolinians and 2260 on the Portsmouth side to operate with the Regulars making in the whole 3060 militia. In our first call expecting deficiencies we much exceeded these numbers taking into account the militia then in the field under General Muhlenburg, but finding these deficiencies greater than could have been expected we afterwards considerably augmented our calls. I also state the armed vessels now at Hoods under the direction of Capts Mitchell & Lewis, subject to your order. They are private property. Those of the Public in Chickahominy want men to supply which Orders have been sent to Captain Maxwell.

[1 ]The following summary is attached: lf0054-03_figure_002