1To George Washington from Brigadier General John Cadwalader, 3 December 1777 (Washington Papers)
whether the army under your Excellency’s command should continue in the field this winter; and whether it is expedient to call to your assistance a great body of militia to make an attack on the City, are very important Questions—the determination of which may decide the fate of America—They therefore require our most serious consideration. It is certainly usual with all nations, in every cold...