George Washington letter to Gilbert Du Motier Lafayette, 30 July 1781

Head-Quarters [Dobbs's Ferry], 30 July, 1781.

My dear Marquis,

I have had the pleasure of receiving your favors of the 8th and 20th instant. The first relieved me from much anxiety, as I had seen Mr. Rivington's account of the action at Green Spring, which you may suppose was highly colored in their favor. You ask my opinion of the Virginia campaign. Be assured, my dear Marquis, your conduct meets my warmest approbation, as it must that of every body. Should it ever be said, that my attachment to you betrayed me into partiality, you have only to appeal to facts to refute any such charge. But I trust there will be no occasion.

Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton will join the advanced corps under the orders of Colonel Scammell

I very much approve of your intention of reinforcing General Greene, as soon as circumstances will allow, and as strongly as possible. 11' he can only maintain the advantages he has already gained in the Carolinas and Georgia, the British ministry will make a very diligent figure in the political scene from that, which it is plain they expected, by Lord George Germain's letters of March last.

Private Letter, July 30th. — T take your private letter of the 20th in the light which you wish it, that of an unreserved communication from one friend to another ; and I should be wanting in candor, were I not to expose my sentiments to you in as free a manner. I am convinced, that your desire to be with this army arises principally from a wish to be actively useful. You will not, therefore, regret your stay in Virginia until matters are reduced to a greater degree of certainty, than they are at present, especially when I tell you, that, from the change of circumstances with which the removal of part of the enemy's force from Virginia to New York will be attended, it is more than probable, that we shall also entirely change our plan of operations. I think we have already effected one part of the plan of the campaign settled at Weathersfield ; that is, giving a substantial relief to the southern States, by obliging the enemy to recall a considerable part of their force from thence. Our views must now be turned towards endeavouring to expel them totally from those States, if we find ourselves incompetent to the siege of New York. The difficulty of doing this does not so much depend upon obtaining a force capable of effecting it, as upon the mode of collecting that force to the proper point, and transporting the provisions and stores necessary for such an operation. You are fully acquainted with the almost impracticability of doing this by land ; to say nothing of the amazing loss of men always occasioned by long marches, and those towards a quarter in which the service is disagreeable. I should not, however, hesitate to encounter these difficulties, great as they are, had we not prospects of transporting ourselves in a manner safe, easy, and expeditious. Your penetration will point out my meaning, which I cannot venture to express in direct terms.

I approve of your resolution to reinforce General Greene, in proportion to the detachment which the enemy may make to New York. Let your next attention be paid to training and forming the militia, with which you may be furnished, and disposing of them in such a manner, that they may be drawn at the shortest notice to whatever point the enemy may make their capital post, which I conclude will be at Portsmouth. The establishment of magazines at safe deposits will be in all cases necessary ; but, above all things, I recommend an aiigmciitatit)ii of your cavalry to as great an extent as possible. It may happen, that the enemy may be driven to the necessity of forcing their way through North Carolina to avoid a greater misfortune. A superiority of horse on our side would be fatal to them in such a case.

The advantages resulting from a move of the French fleet from Newport to the Chesapeake were carefully and strongly pointed out to Count de Barras, and I thought he had once agreed to put it in execution ; but, by his late letters, he seemed to think that such a manoeuvre might interfere with greater plans, and therefore he declined it. It would now be too late to answer the principal object, as, by accounts from a deserter, the troops arrived from Virginia last Friday.

Should your return to this army be formally determined upon, I cannot flatter you with a command equal to your expectations or my wishes. You know the over proportion of general officers to our numbers, and can therefore conceive where the difficulty will be. General McDougall is not yet provided for, and the Jersey anti York troops are reserved for him. They are promised to him, though they have not yet joined.

In my letter to General Greene, which I beg the favor of you to forward, I have hinted nothing of what I have said to you, for fear of miscarriage. You will probably find a safe opportunity from your army to him, and you will oblige me by communicating the part of this letter, which relates to my expectation of being able to transport part of the army to the southward, should the operation against New York be declined.

I wish, as I mentioned in my last, to send a confidential person to you to explain at large what I have so distantly hinted ; but I am really at a loss, on account of not knowing the officers better, to find one upon whose discretion I can depend. My own family, you know, are constantly and fully employed. I hope, however, that I have spoken plain enough to be understood by you. With every sentiment of affection and regard, I am, &,c.