Autograph letter, signed by George Washington's secretary. At head of letter: "Copy of a letter from General Washington to the Count de Rochambeau dated from Head quarters, New Windsor. 15 Febry. 1781". Washington writes from Knox's Headquarters, New Windsor, New York. Washington tells Rochambeau that he has received his letter of the 3rd, and expects that Destouches will send a military detachment to the Chesapeake Bay in quest of Benedict Arnold. Washington discusses several of Arnold's tactics to keep his vessels safe and to re-provision his men; Washington suspects Arnold is in Portsmouth as of this writing, and thinks that Arnold's troops have no prospect of success once they meet with Destouches' ships and men. Washington encourages a cooperation of land and naval forces in order to capture Arnold and his troops. Washington writes that the capture of Arnold and his detachment "will be an event particularly agreeable to this country, a great relief to the Southern States and of important utility in our future operations." Washington concludes his letter by stating that he will postpone setting out for Rhode Island until he receives a response to this letter. Title supplied by cataloger.
Washington, George, 1732-1799 Rochambeau, Jean-Baptiste-Donatien de Vimeur, comte de, 1725-1807 Destouches, Charles-René-Dominique Sochet, 1727-1794 Arnold, Benedict, 1741-1801 New Windsor (N.Y. : Town) Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site (N.Y.) United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Participation, French United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Naval operations Letters (correspondence) United States Revolution, 1775-1783. (aat) Military records United States Revolution, 1775-1783. (aat)
Source
Papers of Charles-René-Dominique Sochet Destouches, 1754-1804 (bulk 1780-1781) ; Orderly Books of the American Revolution. mssDE Box 1 Manuscripts, Huntington Digital Library
Provenance
Purchased from the American Art Association, 1926.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
