George Washington letter to Meshech Weare, 2 August 1781

TO MESHECH WEARE, PRESIDENT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Head-Quarters, Dobbs's Ferry, 2 August, 1781.

Sir,

I regret being obliged to inform your Excellency, that I find myself at this late period very little stronger than I was when the army first moved out of their quarters. I leave your Excellency to judge of the delicate and embarrassed situation in which I stand at this moment. Unable to advance with prudence beyond my present position, while perhaps in the general opinion my force is equal to the commencement of operations against New York, my conduct must appear, if not Ijlamable, highly mysterious at least. Our allies, with whom a junction has been formed upwards of three weeks, and who were made to expect, from the engagements which I entered into with them at Weathersfield in May last, a very considerable augmentation of our force by this time, instead of seeing a prospect of advancing, must conjecture, upon good grounds, that the campaign will waste fruitlessly away. I shall just remark, that it will be no small degree of triumph to our enemies, and will have a very pernicious influence upon our friends in Europe, should they find such a failure of resource, or such a want of energy to draw It out, that our boasted and expensive preparations end only in idle parade.

I cannot yet but persuade myself, and I do not cease to encourage our allies with the hope, that our force will still be sufficient to carry our intended operation into effect ; or, if we cannot fully accomplish that, to oblige the enemy to withdraw part of their force from the southward to support New York, which, as I informed you in my letter from Weathersfield, was part of our plan. Your Excellency must be sensible, that the fulfilment of my engagements must depend upon the degree of vigor, with which the executives of the several States exercise the powers with which they have been vested, and enforce the laws lately passed for filling up and supplying the army. In full confidence that the means, which have been voted, will be obtained, I shall continue my preparations ; but I must take the liberty of informing you, that it is essentially necessary I should be made acquainted, immediately upon the receipt of this, with the number of Continental levies and militia, that have been forwarded, and what are the prospects of obtaining the remainder. I will t'lirthcr ackl, that it will be equally necessary to see that the monthly i|Ui)ta of provision, stipulated at the meeting of the connnissioners at Providence, is regularly complied with. I have the honor to be, &,c.