61To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 25 August 1781 (Washington Papers)
Independant of the Answer to Your letter of the 15th, I Have Been Very Particular in a Second letter Instrusted to Clel Moriss. But at this Moment Wish to Send you Minuted and Repeated Accounts of Every thing that Passes in this Quarter. The Ennemy Have Evacuated their forts at Ivy, Kemp’s Landing, Great Bridge and Portsmouth. Their Vessels with troops and Baggage went Round to York. Some...
62To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 24 May 1781 (Washington Papers)
I request you will receive My Affectionate Aknowledgement for your kind letters. Every mark of friendship I receive from you Adds to my Happiness as I love you with all the sincerity and Warmth of My Heart, and the sentiment I feel for you goes to the very extent of my affections. Inclosed I send you, my dear General, two Copies of letters to General Greene which I also have sent to Congress...
63To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 8 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
Your letter of the 1st Inst. did Not Come to Hand Untill Last Evening, and I Hasten to Answer to His Contents, tho’ I will in a few Hours Be Better able to inform you of My Movements. From what I Hear of the difficulties to Convoy us down the Bay, I very much Aprehend the Winds will not permit any frigate to Come up. Comte de Rochambeau thinks His troops Equal to the Business, and wishes that...
64To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 5 February 1783 (Washington Papers)
Were You But Such a Man as julius Cæsar or the king of Prussia, I should Almost Be sorry for You at the End of the Great tragedy Where You are Acting Such a Part—But With My dear General I Rejoice at the Blessings of a Peace Where our Noble Ends Have Been Secured—Remember our Valley forge times, and from a Recollection of Past dangers and labours, We still will Be More pleased at our Present...
65To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 12 April 1781 (Washington Papers)
Owing to a very Heavy Rain and a Most Stormy Night I was yesterday obliged to Counter Mand the orders I Had Given to the troops, and Upon the Representation that the Roads to the Susquehana would be Impassable, I differed our departure to this Morning—We shall encamp on a Ground Near the Ferry and Be as Expeditious as possible in Crossing the River—In Consequence of Your Excellency’s...
66To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 18 April 1781 (Washington Papers)
Every one of My Letters Was writen Upon So Lamentabl a tone that I Am Happy to Give you a Pleasanter Prospect the Anxiety I feel to Relieve Your Mind from a Small part of those Many Sollicitudes And Cares which our Circumstances Conspir to Gather upon you, is the Reason of My Sending this Letter By the Chain and With a Particular Recommendation. When I left Susquehana Ferry it was the General...
67To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 18 January 1782 (Washington Papers)
I Thank My Stars there is a good Opportunity to let You know that After an Happy Voyage of 23 days I am Safely Arrived in L’orient, and that, My Family and friends are In a Very Good Health, Which Circumstance, My Dear General, I am sure will Afford You some Satisfaction. We Are Arrived Last Night, and are Setting out this Morning in Great Speed For Versailles and Paris, so that I Have But the...
68To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 15 April 1781 (Washington Papers)
Clel Gouvion By whom I Have Received Letters and Intelligences from Philadelphia is just Going to Head Quarters—This Opportunity Being Safer than Common Expresses I Beg Leave to Adress a few Lines to Your Excellency. The Board of War Cannot Supply our Wants—Indeed they Nor Congress did not think we would Be ordered to the Southward and of Course Have not Been So Much in Earnest for giving us...
69To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 4 December 1782 (Washington Papers)
My former Letters Have Acquainted You that, However talkative were Politicians About Peace, an Expedition Was Going to take place the Command of Which is Given to Count d’Estaing—I Have Also Added that Upon Being Requested to Go, I Have Willingly Accepted of it, as I thought it the Means, the only Means in the World to Bring About What You Have directed me to obtain Clel Gouvion Must Be With...
70To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 11 November 1783 (Washington Papers)
However scarce are American letters, yet as the eyes of the world Are fixed upon you, I Now and then Hear what Becomes of My dear General—Your Visit to Congress, Your Stay with the Army Untill the Treaty Arrives, Your Having Been Voted a Statue, are Events Which Are known to Every one, and felt By me, So that What To Europe is an information, To me proves to Be a Cause for the Most tender...
71To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 11 August 1781 (Washington Papers)
Your Excellency’s Public and Private letters of the 30h july Have Safely Come to Hand for which I Return you My warmest thanks. Be Sure, My dear General, that the Pleasure of Being with You will Make me Happy in Any Command You will think proper to Give—But for the present Am with You of opinion I Had Better Remain in Virginia—the More So as Lord Cornwallis does not chuse to live us, and...
72To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 24 May 1781 (Washington Papers)
My official letter a Copy of which I Send to Congress will let you know the Situation of Affairs in this Quarter—I ardently wish My Conduct May Meet with Your Approbation—Had I followed the first Impulsion of My temper, I would Have Risked Some thing More—But I Have Been Guarding Against My Own Warmth, and this Consideration that a General defeat which with Such a proportion of Militia Must Be...
73To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 26 March 1781 (Washington Papers)
As I Hope My letters of the 23d and 25th Have Been Safely transmitted and this will Be Accompagnied By a letter of the Same date forwarded through the Hands of the President of Congress, I Shall only Add such parts of My Information as I Mean to Be Confidential. From My Late Intelligences I am led to Suppose that our Allies Are Gone to Cape Fear—the first Engagement was in their favor and I am...
74To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 14 October 1782 (Washington Papers)
Since the time of Cle Gimat’s Arrival not a Line from You Has Come to My Hands, Which Misfortune I Have Much Lamented, and I do assure You, My dear General, that when I Have not the Happiness to Be With You, it is Necessary for me to Receive Some of Your Letters. This Will be delivered By Gnl du Portail and Cel Gouvion Who are Returning to America—I Wish I Could do the Same, But You Must By...
75To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 30 January 1782 (Washington Papers)
Having Landed Some days Ago at L’orient, I Had the Pleasure to inform you of My Safe Arrivall, and Hope the Letter will Have a prosperous passage—You Easely imagine, My dear General, that no time was Lost in posting off to Paris, where I found My family and friends in perfect Health—My daughter and Your George are Grown up so Much that I find Myself great deal older than I Aprehended—the Short...
76To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 21 August 1781 (Washington Papers)
Your favor of the 15th Has safely come to Hand—I am going to give you an Account of matters in this Quarter. The greatest part of the Ennemy are at York which they do not as yet fortify But are Very Busy upon Gloster Neck where they have a pretty large corps Under Clel Dundass—they Have at York a 44 guns ship—frigats and Vessels are scattered lower down—There is still a small garrison at...
77To George Washington from the marquis de Lafayette, 5 September 1788 [letter not found] (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from the marquis de Lafayette, 5 Sept. 1788. On 29 Jan. 1789 GW wrote Lafayette acknowledging “your letter, dated the 5th of September last.”
78To George Washington from Lafayette, 27 December 1797 (Washington Papers)
It is a Melancholy thought to Me that While I Could Be So Happy at Mount Vernon, I am Still Almost As much Separated from you as I have Been for five Years in the Coalitionary prisons—But Altho’ I Lament, yet I Cannot Repent the determination we Have Been obliged to take—Much Less on Account of My Health which Has Been Recovering fast Enough, than for the very Bad and Lingering Condition in...
79To George Washington from Major General Lafayette, 26 June 1778 (Washington Papers)
I hope you have receiv’d my letter from Cramberry where I aquaint you that I am going to hice town tho’ we are schort of provisions—when I got there I was very sorry to hear that Mister hamilton who had been riding all the night had not been able to find any body who could give him certain intelligences—but by a party who comes back I hear the ennemy are in motion, and theyr Rear about one...
80To George Washington from Major General Lafayette, 26 December 1780 (Washington Papers)
Clel Laurens having Been Appointed By Congress to Go to france and Sollicit Succours for the Next Campaign he has also been directed to take Your orders at head Quarters—I am By order of Congress to have A Conference With him, and intend Giving him Many letters for france —As in Your instructions to Laurens The presence of one who Knows these people May be Agreable to You, I shall Set out for...
81To George Washington from Lafayette, 3 August 1787 (Washington Papers)
I Have Received Your first favour from Philadelphia with the Greater Satisfaction, as it promises me the pleasure to Hear Again from you Before long —a pleasure, My Beloved General, which Your friend’s filial Heart wants to Anticipate, and Enjoys most Affectionately—I Have not Been surprised to Hear of Your Attendance at the Convention, and would indeed Have wondered at a denial—on the success...
82To George Washington from Major General Lafayette, 31 July 1780 (Washington Papers)
in Consequence of A Note from me the Admiral Came to Last evening, and defensive ideas Gave way to offensive plans—our Conversation was long and is not yet ended—But I hasten to write you a Summary of what past Betwen the Count, the Chevalier, and Myself. I first Began in My own name to Give them a pretty exact Account of the Situation we were in three Months Ago, of the Super natural efforts...
83To George Washington from Major General Lafayette, 9 February 1778 (Washington Papers)
I can not let go back my guide without taking this opportunity of wraiting to your excellency tho’ I have not yet public business to speak of—I go on very slowly some times pierced by rain, sometimes covered with snow, and not thinking many handsome thoughts about the projected incursion into canada —if succèss were to be had it would surprise me in a more agreable manner, by that very reason...
84To George Washington from Major General Lafayette, 20 July 1780 (Washington Papers)
having heard of an express from Rhodeisland being Going through the Continental Village I sent for him as it would not delay him More than an hour —inclosed I have the honor to send You the letter from general heath which I have oppen’d and also two letters from the french Generals to me —it seems, My dear General, that they have Anticipated the desire you express’d Yourself of settling our...
85To George Washington from Major General Lafayette, 26 June 1778 (Washington Papers)
I have Receiv’d your excellency’s favor notifying your arrival at cramberry and am glad to have anticipated your orders in not going too far—I have felt the unhappy effects of the want of provisions for I dare say if we had not been Stopp’d by it, as we were already within three miles of the ennemy’s rear, we would very easely have overtaken them, and fouht with advantage. I have Consulted the...
86To George Washington from Major General Lafayette, 26 June 1778 (Washington Papers)
Your orders have reach’d me so late, and found me in such a situation that it will be impossible to follow them as soon as I could wish—it is not on account of any other motive than the impossibility of moving the troops and making Such a march immediately for in receiving your letter I have given up the project of attaking the ennemy, and I only wish to join general lee —I was even going to...
87To George Washington from Lafayette, 5 September 1798 (Washington Papers)
I Have Had some time Ago the pleasure to write you a letter the duplicate of which shall Accompany this —The intelligence Has Since Come to Us of your Having Accepted the Command of the Armies—But you will Not be the less pleased to hear of the dispositions to a fair Reconciliation on the part of the French directory which I Hope will be Reciprocated By the American Governement—To what I took...
88To George Washington from Major General Lafayette, 30 October 1778 (Washington Papers)
Letter not found: from Maj. Gen. Lafayette, c.30 Oct. 1778. GW wrote Vice Admiral d’Estaing on 31 Oct. : “I received a letter yesterday from the Marquis.”
89To George Washington from Lafayette, 4 February 1788 (Washington Papers)
Your letters Become More and More distant, and I Anxiously Wish for your Speedy Appointement to the Presidency, in order that You May Have a More Exact Notice of the Opportunities to Write to Me. This Will not tell you Much of politics. The two Imperial Courts are preparing for a Vigorous Campaign Against the turks. Russia intends Sending a Squadron into the Mediterranean, and altho’ it does...
90To George Washington from Major General Lafayette, 13 November 1780 (Washington Papers)
In Revolving into My Mind the Chances of discovery By the Moon light, and on the other hand the inconveniences of staying longer than you Wish under our tents, I have thought if there was Some position which Might enable us to take the advantage of the first hours in the Night—how far the Sending of the pensilvanians towards Aquakanac, and Going ourselves to the hakinsac position May Awaken...