To George Washington from George Gilpin, 16 January 1796
From George Gilpin
Alexandria [Va.] January 16th 1796
Dear Sir,
I believe I have committed a trespass on your Excellencys property but I can assure you not wilfully and further I am willing to pay what ever damage you may Say I have done. the fact is as follows, in the month of October I spoke to Capt. William H. Terrett for Six trees three small, and three larger to dig up for knees for a wood flat,1 he informd me that I might have them when I went out to have them cut a man which I understood was his overseer went with me and Shewd where he under Stood Terretts land lay when my people had Cut down the three Small trees for beams and hawlled them away and Grubbd up three large trees for knees and hawlled one away Mr George Minor Informed me that the Cutting was on your land the timber then left is still on the land and I shall Chearfully pay wha[t]ever damage you say I have done or if you Choose let Mr Minor or any Other Gentleman Say the damage I will pay directly.2 I am sorry it so happened but it was not my fault I did all that I thought was nec[e]ssary to keep Clear of harm I Should have wrote you sooner but I expected to have seen you in fairfax an[d] spoke to you on the Subject. I am sir your most Obedient Humble Servt,
George Gilpin
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. William Henry Terrett, Jr. (d. 1826) owned land adjoining GW’s property at Four Mile Run.
2. George Minor (c.1753–1808), whose principal residence was at what is now Minor Hill in Arlington, served as an officer of the Fairfax County militia and as a justice of the peace. After learning from Minor and others of depredations on the timber of his Four Mile Run tract in 1794, GW had asked Minor to watch over the tract and punish trespassers thereon (see David Stuart to GW, 4 April 1794, and GW to Minor, 13 April 1794).