To George Washington from Major General Steuben, 24 November 1780
From Major General Steuben
Richmond (Virginia) 24 Novr 1780
sir
your Excellency has no doubt, heard before this time, of the Departure of the Enemy from Portsmouth; as Governor Jefferson in his Letter informs you of all the circumstances of this retreat, I will refer you to it for particulars.1
I am now hastening, as much as possible, the Departure of General Lawsons Corps for the Southward; It consists of about 200 Horse and 300 Infantry, Inlisted till the end of February next. This Corps is the only one that is properly equipt for the Campaign.2
I expect Generals Muhlenberg & Weedon here to day, to make with them the necessary Arrangements, to send to Carolina at least 800 Infantry, so that including Lee’s Corps, which I expect every Day, I will endeavor to reinforce General Greene with 12 or 1500 Men as soon as possible.3
The deranged state of our Finances has had the same Effect in this State, as in the others, all the Wheels of the Machine are Stopt, and all the Departments in the greatest Confusion.
The Invasion of this State has occasioned enormous Expences; particularly in the collecting the Militia; all the State as well as contine⟨nt⟩al Stores here have been exhausted to supply them.4 I will do all in my power to recover and collect all those articles which the Southern Army stands so much in need of. I have made a representation to the Government of this State, to engage them to dismiss the Militia as soon as possible, in order to save Expences.5
I am now establishing 5 Miles above the Falls of James River, a Continental Laboratory. I will employ in it a Body of Artifice⟨rs⟩ which were sent here By the Board of War in September last, and which, for want of Money and Means, have been kept hitherto unemployed.6 I am with great respect your Excellencys most Obedient Servant
steuben
LS, DLC:GW.
1. Steuben presumably means Virginia governor Thomas Jefferson’s letter to GW dated 26 November. For the departure of the British force from Portsmouth, Va., see Nathanael Greene to GW, 31 Oct., n.4.
2. Steuben described Virginia militia under Brig. Gen. Robert Lawson (see Jefferson to Lawson, 23 Nov., in , 27:703–4; see also Jefferson to Steuben, 26 Nov. and 1 Dec., and Steuben to Jefferson, 1 and 2 Dec., in , 4:159, 175–76).
3. Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene had left Steuben in Richmond to see that support for the southern army came from Virginia (see Greene’s first letter to GW, 19 Nov., and n.2 to that document). Various supply and administrative problems prevented Steuben from sending any Virginia troops to Greene until 1781 (see Steuben to Greene, 28 Dec. 1780, in , 7:13–14).
4. See n.1 above.
5. Steuben covered this topic in part of his letter to Jefferson written at Richmond on 27 Nov.: “Instead of forwarding Genl. Green the reinforcements he Expected, we are Keeping a Number of Corps dispersed about the State, where no Enemy has been these Eight Days thereby Exposing General Greene with an inferior force to the Enemy, and exhausting what little provision was Collected in this State.
“The Expences of Keeping Such a Number of Corps must be enormous, and I should think wholly unnecessary, especially Genl. Nelson’s Corps, which can no longer be of any Service, and I am firmly of Opinion that it would be for the Interest of the Country at large and more particularly of this State, immediately to discharge all the Militia who are not destined to go to the Southward” (, 4:163).