From George Washington to Moses Hatfield, 17 October 1779
To Moses Hatfield
Head Quarters West Point 17th Octobr 1779
Sir
I wrote to you on the 2d instant requesting to know what quantity of shoes you had upon hand and what you were likely to supply.1 Having recd no answer I am apprehensive that the letter never reached you—I have since recd a letter from the Board of War, desiring me to see you upon several matters relating to your department.2 You will therefore be pleased immediately upon the rect of this to come down to Head Quarters. The Business is pressing and important and for that reason I beg you will not delay.3 I am Sir Your most obt.
Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
On this date GW’s aide-de-camp Tench Tilghman wrote from headquarters to Uriah Mitchell, the assistant deputy quartermaster at Newburgh, N.Y.: “The inclosed letter for Mr Hatfield is of so much consequence that His Excellency desires you will forward it to him by Express. He may perhaps have a deputy at New Windsor or Newberg, but it must not be delivered to him, it must be put into Mr Hatfield’s own hand” (DLC:GW).
1. See GW to George Starr, 2 Oct., a version of which was sent to Hatfield.
2. See the Board of War to GW, 9 October.
3. Hatfield, who was unwell, sent a representative to camp with the report from his department. Hatfield reported that he had 10,000 hides on hand at New Windsor, N.Y., that he had delivered 1,400 pairs of shoes to the clothier general in the last thirty days, and that he expected to have 1,500, possibly as many as 3,000, more pairs of shoes ready in November; GW directed 2,000 hides sent to Philadelphia, per the board’s request in their letter to him of 9 Oct. (see GW to the Board of War, 25 Oct., and GW to Hatfield, 25 Oct., both DLC:GW; see also GW to Nathanael Greene, 25 Oct., PPAmP).