To George Washington from Lieutenant Benjamin Craft, 10 November 1775
From Lieutenant Benjamin Craft
Camp Winter Hill 10 November 1775
Petitions for permission to resign his commission “for the following Reasons viz. 1[st]ly his wife and Family being Scituated in a Sea-Port Town, and consequently much exposed to danger by the Enemy. 2dly your Petitioner having received Encouragement some Time since that no Difficulty would attend procuring a Discharge; agree’d to make and turn in to the Army one hundred pair Shoes Monthly; and having Already provided Stock for that Purpose, begs Leave to Suggest that his being longer detained will be extremely prejudicial.”
DS, DLC:GW.
Benjamin Craft (c.1738–1823) of Manchester, a second lieutenant in Capt. Benjamin Kimball’s company in the Massachusetts regiment commanded by Lt. Col. Israel Hutchinson, was discharged on 11 November. In “Craft’s Journal of the Siege of Boston,” he wrote that on 10 Nov. he “Went up to Gen. Washington in order to get a discharge, but the General being busy, did no business with him.” The next day “After breakfast,” Craft “went to see again Gen. Washington, and presented my petition in order to obtain my discharge, which his Honor was pleased to grant” (“Craft’s Journal,” 219). Craft had gone home on furlough between 25 and 29 Oct. and had found “the Manchester people were much engaged in fortifying and intrenching their City!” (ibid., 172).