To George Washington from James McHenry, 5 July 1796
From James McHenry
private.
Philadelphia 5 July 1796.
Sir
I made a visit yesterday to Chevr Freire, and to-day he called to let me know, that his secretary had seen Mr Listons Secretary, who told him that Mr & Madam Liston would set out for Mount Vernon on friday,1 and that he and Madam Freire would follow on the 18th inst.2
Seeing that these ministers will avail themselves of your politeness, may it not be proper to be a little more particular with Mr Adet. Ought I to mention to him, that you had desired me to remind him of your wish to see him at Mount Vernon, and to know when you might expect that pleasure. Just now I suppose he is engaged on Mr Pickerings questions.3 I shall therefore take no step in the affair till the result is communicated, and till I hear further from you.4
I inclose a letter from Major Kersey who will be deranged upon the principle of seniority.5 If a principle applicable to the majors could be adopted which would retain him and Peters, I have no doubt, but that the army would be benefited by leaving out in their stead Cushing & Shaylor.6 You will perceive that on the present establishment Massachusetts & Connecticut have six majors out of the 11 Infantry majors, and that following the principle of Seniority six of the 8 will belong to these two States.7 With the most sincere respect and attachment I am Sir your most obt st
James McHenry
ALS, DLC:GW; ADf, MdAA: James McHenry Collection.
1. The following Friday was 8 July. Henrietta Marchant Liston wrote in her journal: “On the 7th of July, we determined to accept, a very kind invitation given to us, by the President & Mrs. Washington, including our Secretaries, to visit them at Mount Vernon, & in spite of the bad accounts we heard of the roads, & there being no relay of Horses (except for Stages), We hired four of them for the journey, & set out in a Coachee we had got made, which held six persons, the Footman sharing the Drivers Seat.” Their route went through Baltimore, Annapolis, and the Federal City. They “spent two days at Washington, in which time we made an excursion to the great Falls of the Potomack … The day following this excursion, we pursued our journey; & reached the Town of Alexandria in time to dine with an old acquaintance from Scotland. … We had crossed the Potomack at a small Town called George Town, a mile from Washington, in a Ferryboat, on our way to Alexandria, which is situated on the Southern Bank of this River. Next day we arrived at Mount Vernon, ten miles of the worst road we had yet past” (North, Travel Journal of Henrietta Liston, 11–12; see also GW’s first letter to McHenry, 22 July, and n.2 to that document).
2. Portuguese minister Cipriano Ribeiro Freire subsequently postponed his visit to Mount Vernon (see McHenry to GW, 7 July).
3. For the questions Secretary of State Timothy Pickering posed to French minister Pierre-Auguste Adet, see the Cabinet to GW, 2 July, n.2.
4. GW replied to McHenry from Mount Vernon on 11 July: “Private … Your private letter of the 5th instant, with its enclosures, has been received.
“Mr Adet was as cordially, & as repeatedly asked to visit Mount Vernon as either of the other foreign characters; but to me, he never said he would come. La Fayette & Mr Frestal however, the day before I left Philadelphia, understood him that he should set out on this visit in ten days after me; since which I have heard nothing of him.
“It was my determination, and so I acted, to place them all upon precisely the same ground; but as there are many who will not be disposed to think so. but on the contrary, will, more than probably, represent it otherwise, it will be very agreeable to me, that you should see & express to him, on my behalf, the sentiments which are mentioned in your letter: predicated on the hope, raised in me, by the Gentlemen before mentioned” (ALS, PWacD: Sol Feinstone Collection, on deposit at PPAmP). For Adet’s reasons not to visit Mount Vernon, see McHenry to GW, 16–17 July.
5. Maj. William Kersey’s letter, probably addressed to McHenry, has not been identified.
William Kersey (d. 1800) served in the Continental army during the Revolutionary War and rose through the ranks to brevet captain. He became a lieutenant in the new U.S. army formed in 1789 and was promoted to captain in 1791 and major in 1794. Kersey remained a major of the 3d Infantry after this reorganization and died in a duel while still in the army.
6. At this point on his draft, McHenry added a sentence that he then struck out: “The one Gen. Wayne calls a disorganiser and says the other is not fit for service.”
7. “An Act to ascertain and fix the Military Establishment of the United States,” approved on 30 May 1796, reorganized the army into four regiments of infantry, each with two majors ( 483–86).
William Peters (c.1754–1807), of New York, had served as an ensign in the latter stages of the Revolutionary War. Like Kersey, he was appointed a lieutenant in the U.S. army in 1789. Promoted to captain in 1791 and major in 1794, Peters remained major of the 4th Infantry and served until 1802.
Joseph Shaylor (c.1748–1816), of Connecticut, also a Revolutionary War officer, was appointed captain in the U.S. army in 1791 and then promoted to major in 1793. Assigned to the 2d Infantry during the reorganization, he resigned in May 1797.
Thomas Humphrey Cushing of Massachusetts became a major in 1793.