From George Washington to Brigadier General George Clinton, 9 August 1776
To Brigadier General George Clinton
Head Quarters N. York 9th Augt 1776
Dear Sir.
Yours of the 2d Instant is duly Received enclosed you have a Resolution of the provincial Convention which came to hand last Evening, by which you will please to Regulate your Conduct, I must beg you to Inform Me as soon as possible what number your Brigade now consists of—and what number it will contain when a fourth part of the Militia are drafted agreeable to Order of provincial Congress.1
By Intelligence Received, and movements observed of the Enemy, we have the greatest Reason to believe a general Attack will be made in the Course of a very few Days, our numbers are much short of the Enemy. I hope no time will be lost in Marching the Reinforcements expected to our Assistance from different Quarters, with all possible Dispatch. I am Sir Your Most Hume Servt
Go: Washington
LS (facsimile), in Samuel Blachley Webb’s writing, in Sotheby, Parke-Bernet catalog 5504, item 137, 29 Oct. 1986; LB, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. The LB and the Varick transcript are dated 8 August.
1. GW enclosed a copy of the New York convention’s resolution of 16 July calling out one-fourth of the militia of Westchester, Dutchess, Ulster, and Orange counties to defend the state (see , 1:525–26). GW received a copy of this resolution with Nathaniel Woodhull’s letter to him of 6 Aug., which apparently arrived at GW’s headquarters on the evening of 7 Aug. (see note 2 to that document, GW’s first letter to Woodhull of 8 Aug., and Woodhull to GW, 8 Aug.).