A Year With George Washington
On January 26th, 1781, the long-serving governor of New York and future Vice President, George Clinton, writes to General Washington about the shortage of supplies and mutiny in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey lines.
The pain and peril that General George Washington endured moment to moment during the Revolutionary War should contort the mind of the modern American.
Entering his sixth year of the bloody war for independence, Washington had to contend with unbearable hardship. One of his best field commanders had abandoned the cause and burned the city of Richmond, Virginia, to the ground. His army was in tatters and literally starving to death; even his own war horses were weak from lack of forage. And it was cold, bitterly cold. Days earlier, he had written a circular to all the states, once again informing them of the state of his army and pleading for supplies. His legendary self-restraint is evident in a passage he originally included but struck out before he sent it.
“From these events one inference is to be drawn which every state in the union cannot too seriously realize—that unless effectual measures are taken to place the army upon a more satisfactory footing, its dissolution and the ruin of our cause will be the inevitable consequence—I have long foreseen the terrible crisis to which our affairs were tending, and I have not been remiss in apprising the states of the danger.”
This concatenation of events was ample enough to break the average man, but Washington’s troubles compounded still more by the day. He had gotten word that the Pennsylvania and New Jersey troops had mutinied, killing their officers and threatening to march on Philadelphia for more mayhem.
In the reply to Washington’s Circular to the States, Governor Clinton informs Washington that he will continue to aid him in his search for supplies and will be at the ready to offer assistance should mutiny spread to New York.
Thomas Paine had written the line, “These are the times that try men’s souls,” five years before in his pamphlet The American Crisis. Little did he or Washington know at the time that the “times” would seemingly have no end.
From George Clinton to General George Washington
Pokeepsie [N.Y.] 26th Jany 1781.
⟨D⟩ear Sir
The Express with your Excellency’s Letter of the 23d Instant over-took me this Afternoon on my Way to Albany about ten Miles from this Place & I immediately returned that I might have an Opportunity of repeating my Orders to the Agent to use every possible Exertion to collect Supplies for the Army & facilitate the Transportation of them to the Posts in the Highlands. I am happy to inform your Excellency that I mett upon the Road near two hundred Barrels of Flour greater Part of which will reach Fishkill this Evening; and I have Reason to believe that the present Sleighing will enable us to get in such a Supply from different Quarters of the Country as at least to prevent immediate Want—With respect to the Article of Meat little is to be expected of us but I am persuaded that our Agent and his Assistants will use their best Endeavours to obtain as much as they possibly can.
I shoud in the present critical Situation of Affairs defer going to Albany that I might be at Hand to render your Excellency every Assistance in my Power; But from Intimations given me by Colo. Hughes lately from Albany there is some Reason to Apprehend that the Troops there may follow the Example of those of Pensylvania & Jersey. I conceive it my Duty therefore to be near them & prevent (if posible) the Spirit of Discontent from spreading & If your Excellency shoud have Occassio⟨n⟩ for the Assistance of any Part of the Militia in my Absence I begg you will be pleased to call upon the Officers command⟨ing⟩ the Regiments most convenient as an Application to me might be attended with too much Delay—I am perswad⟨ed⟩ you will discover a Disposition in them to comply with your Excellency’s Directions. I am with the highest Regard & Esteem Dr Sir Your Most Obedt Servt
Geo. Clinton
