We will present a copy of a letter, in the author’s possession, written
by General Washington to his business agent, Lund Washington, who had
charge of Mount Vernon. This letter was written from Cambridge, Mass.,
shortly after the General had taken command of the army. It is dated
August 20th, 1775. The greater part is devoted to detailed directions in
regard to the management of the estate and has no bearing on our
subject. But the letter is of so much interest that it is reproduced as
a whole. It was Washington’s custom, as a very methodical man, to
preserve a copy of all his letters, especially of those relating to
business, and it is very unlikely that no draft was preserved by him of
this particular letter to Lund Washington, as well as other letters
which are known to exist in private hands.
Mr. Sparks had the private papers of Washington in his possession for
years, for the purpose of writing the former’s life and of editing his
correspondence. Both of these things he did and the latter were
published in twelve volumes.
This letter, however, does not appear in Sparks’ work, who states in a
foot-note that very few of the letters to Lund Washington existed. If
this statement is true, it is possible that Washington did not preserve
a copy of this particular letter; but the circumstance is a very
remarkable one and not at all in keeping with his custom in regard to
all his other business letters. If Washington did indeed fail to
preserve copies of these letters it was also a very unfortunate
circumstance, for he always wrote to Lund Washington, without reserve,
upon the people and events of his day. That his habit in this regard was
well known needs no stronger confirmation than the fact that the
“Spurious Letters of Washington,” as they are called—which were first
published as original drafts of letters said to have been found in part
of Washington’s baggage and claimed to have been captured by the
British—were all addressed to Lund Washington. The letter here presented
shows that Washington did not always write in so guarded a manner as the
Sparks version of his correspondence would lead us to believe. With this
and other evidence we cannot escape the conclusion, either that Mr.
Sparks was, notwithstanding his unique opportunities, very unfairly
dealt with by Fate, in the scope and completeness of the correspondence
entrusted to his care, or that he himself suppressed those letters which
were not to his own individual taste.
Washington wrote as follows:
Camp at Cambridge,
_Aug 20 1775_
_Dear Lund_,
Your letter by Capt. Prince came to my hands last Night—I was glad to
learn by it that all are well.—the account given of the behaviour of
the Scotchmen at Port Tobacco & Piscataway surpriz’d & vexed me—Why
did they Imbark in the cause?—what do they say for themselves?—what
does others say of them?—are they admitted into Company?—or kicked out
of it?—what does their Countrymen urge in justification of them?—They
are fertile in invention, and will offer excuses where excuses can be
made.—I cannot say but I am curious to learn the reasons why men who
had subscribed & bound themselves to each other & their Country, to
stand forth in defence of it, should lay down their arms the first
moment they were called upon.
Although I never hear of the mill under the direction of Simpson
without a degree of warmth & vexation at his extreme stupidity, yet,
if you can spare money from other Purposes, I could wish to have it
sent to him, that it may, if possible, be set a-going before the works
get mixed and spoilt & my whole money perhaps totally lost—If I am
really to loose Barron’s debt to me, it will be a pretty severe stroke
upon the back of Adams, & the expence I am led into by that confounded
fellow Simpson, and necessarily so in putting my Lands under the
management of Cleveland.—
Spinning should go forward with all possible despatch, as we shall
have nothing else to depend upon if these disputes continue another
year—I can hardly think that Lord Dunmore can act so low, & unmanly a
part, as to think of siezing Mrs. Washington by way of revenge upon
me; however, as I suppose she is, before this time gone over to Mr.
Calvert’s, & will soon after returning go down to New Kent, she will
be out of his reach for 2 or 3 Months to come, in which time matters
may, & probably will take such a turn as to render her removal either
absolutely necessary, or quite useless—I am nevertheless exceedingly
thankful to the Gentlemen of Alexandria for their friendly attention
to this point & desire you will if there is any sort of reason to
suspect a thing of this kind, provide a kitchen for her in Alexandria,
or some other place of safety for her and my Papers.—
The People of this Government have obtained a character which they by
no means deserved—their officers generally speaking are the most
indifferent kind of People I ever saw.—I have already broke one Col^o
and five Captains for cowardice, and for drawing more Pay & Provisions
than they had Men in their companies.—there is two more Colonels now
under arrest, & to be tried for the same offences—in short they are by
no means such Troops, in any respect, as you are lead to believe of
them from the acts which are published, but I need not make myself
Enemies among them, by this declaration, although it is consistent
with truth.—I dare say the Men would fight very well (if properly
officered) although they are an exceedingly dirty & nasty
people.[2]—had they been properly conducted at Bunker’s Hill (on the
17th of June) or those that were there properly supported, the
regulars would have met with a shameful defeat; & a much more
considerable loss than they did, which is now known to be exactly 1057
killed & wounded—it was for their behaviour on that occasion that the
above officers were broke, for I never spared one that was accused of
Cowardice but bro’t ’em to immediate Tryal.
Our Lines of Defence are now compleated as near so at least as can
be—we now wish them to come out, as soon as they please, but they
(that is the enemy) discover no Inclination to quit their own works of
Defence; & as it is almost impossible for us to get to them, we do
nothing but watch each other’s motions all day at the distance of
about a mile; every now and then picking of a stragler when we can
catch them without their Intrenchments; in return, they often attempt
to cannonade our Lines to no other purpose than the waste of a
considerable quantity of Powder to themselves which we should be very
glad to get.—
What does Dr. Craik say to the behaviour of his countrymen, &
Townspeople?—remember me kindly to him, & tell him that I should be
very glad to see him here if there was anything worth his acceptance;
but the Massachusetts people suffer nothing to go by them that they
can lay hands upon.—
I wish the money could be had from Hill, or the Bills of Exchange
(except Col. Fairfax’s, which ought to be sent to him immediately)
turn’d into cash; you might then, I should think, be able to furnish
Simpson with about £300; but you are to recollect that I have got
Cleveland & the hired People with him to pay also.—I would not have
you buy a single bushel of wheat till you can see with some kind of
certainty what market the Flour is to go to—and if you cannot find
sufficient Imployment in repairing the Mill works, and other things of
this kind for Mr. Robers and Thomas Alferd, they must be closely
Imployed in making cask or working at the Carpenter’s or other
business—otherwise they must be discharged, for it is not reasonable,
as all Mill business will probably be at an end for a while, that I am
to pay them £100 a year to be Idle.—I should think Roberts himself
must see, and be sensible of the reasonableness of this request, as I
believe few Millers will find Imployment of our Ports are shut up, &
the wheat kept in the straw, or otherwise for greater security.—
[Illustration:
Delaware Pilot’s “Broadside”
]
I will write to Mr. Milnor to forward you a good Country Boalting
Cloth for Simpson—which endeavour to have contrived to him by the
first conveyance.—I wish you would quicken Lanphire & Sears about the
Dining Room Chimney Piece (to be executed as mentioned in one of my
last Letters) as I could wish to have that end of the House compleatly
finished before I return.—I wish you had done the end of the New
Kitchen with rusticated Boards, however, as it is not, I would have
the corners done so in the manner of our new Church, those two
especially which Fronts the Quarter—What have you done with the
Well?—is that walled up?—have you any acc^{ts} of the Painter?—how
does he behave at Fredericksburg?—
I much approve of your Sowing Wheat in clear ground, although you
should be late in doing it, & if for no other purpose than a Tryal—It
is a growing I find, as well as a new practice, that of overseers
keeping Horses, & for what purpose, unless it be to make fat Horses at
my expence, I know not, as it is no saving of my own Horses—I do not
like the custom, & wish you would break it—but do as you wish, as I
cannot pretend to interfere at this distance;—