1From George Washington to James Tilghman, 25 May 1769 (Washington Papers)
: Tilghman Family Papers.
James Tilghman (1716–1793), a Marylander who at this time was living in Philadelphia, was a member of the Pennsylvania council and secretary of the Pennsylvania land office. Although he became a Loyalist in the Revolution, his son Tench Tilghman (1744–1786) was one of GW’s most valued aides.
2[September 1774] (Washington Papers)
Dined at Mr. Tilghman’s & spent the Evening at home (at my Lodgg.).James Tilghman, Sr. (1716–1793), originally of Maryland, had moved to Philadelphia in 1765 and married Anna Francis, daughter of Tench Francis. He was a member of the provincial council and secretary of the proprietary land office. In May 1774 he had been sent to Williamsburg with James Allen to consult with Governor Dunmore...
3[Diary entry: 9 September 1774] (Washington Papers)
Dined at Mr. Tilghman’s & spent the Evening at home (at my Lodgg.).James Tilghman, Sr. (1716–1793), originally of Maryland, had moved to Philadelphia in 1765 and married Anna Francis, daughter of Tench Francis. He was a member of the provincial council and secretary of the proprietary land office. In May 1774 he had been sent to Williamsburg with James Allen to consult with Governor Dunmore...
4To George Washington from Thomas Contee, 11 April 1775 (Washington Papers)
in the 1780s and carried a letter to GW from Tench Tilghman in 1784. See GW to Tench Tilghman, 29 July 1784
5From George Washington to Jonathan Sturges, 16 May 1776 (Washington Papers)
.
Gibbs addressed the letter-book copy “to Jonth. Sturges Esqr.,” and Tench Tilghman later added the erroneous title, “Chairman of the Committee of Suffolk,” referring to Suffolk County on Long Island. Sturges was chairman of the Fairfield, Conn., committee of inspection.
6To George Washington from Pierre Penet, 3 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
Translation, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, enclosed in
7To George Washington from Comte d’Ennery, 4 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
Translation, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, enclosed in ...1775 until his death on 12 Sept. 1776. A lieutenant general in the army, he also held the titles of inspector of infantry and director general of fortifications, artillery, and militia in all of the colonies. Both Tilghman and Robert Hanson Harrison misconstrued the governor general’s name as “Emery” (see Harrison’s docket of the
8To George Washington from Brigadier General Nathanael Greene, 4 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
.
Tench Tilghman docketed this letter: “From B. Genl Greene Augt 4. 1776.” That date was a Sunday.
9From George Washington to Nathaniel Shaw, Jr., 5 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
10From George Washington to the Hartford Committee of Safety, 7 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
11From George Washington to Jesse Root, 7 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
12From George Washington to Nathaniel Shaw, Jr., 7 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
13To George Washington from Brigadier General Nathanael Greene, 8 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
.
Tench Tilghman docketed this letter: “Long Island Augt 8. 1776 From B. Genl Greene.” Although 8 Aug. 1776 was Thursday rather than Wednesday as indicated in the dateline, it is undoubtedly the correct date of this letter,...
14From George Washington to Brigadier General Hugh Mercer, 8 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
The Account given you by a Deserter as brought me by Mr Tilghman. Tench Tilghman (1744–1786), captain of a Philadelphia light infantry company that recently had joined the flying camp, volunteered his services as an aide-de-camp to GW about this time and acted in that capacity without rank or pay... ...GW officially appointed Tilghman one of his aides-de-camp (see General Orders, that date), and...
15From George Washington to the Pennsylvania Associators, 8 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
16From George Washington to the Queens County Committee of Safety, 11 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
17From George Washington to the New York Convention, 12 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
18From George Washington to Brigadier General James Clinton, 14 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
19From George Washington to Frederick Jay, 16 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
20From George Washington to the New Jersey Convention, 16 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
21From George Washington to the New York Convention, 18 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
22From George Washington to Major General William Heath, 19 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
23General Orders, 20 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
Edward Tilghman Esqr. is appointed as an Assistant Brigade Major to Lord Stirling; the duty of the whole division being too great for one officer—He is to be respected and obeyed accordingly.Edward Tilghman (1751–1815), a cousin of Tench Tilghman, enlisted as a private in the Philadelphia associators earlier this year and apparently marched with them to Perth Amboy in July. A capable young...
24From George Washington to Major General William Heath, 21 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
25From George Washington to Major General William Heath, 23 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
26From George Washington to the New York Convention, 23 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
27From George Washington to Major General William Heath, 30 August 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
28From George Washington to Lieutenant Colonel Henry Beekman Livingston, 4 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
29From George Washington to Brigadier General James Clinton, 8 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
30From George Washington to John Hancock, 8 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
Tench Tilghman wrote Q.M. Gen. Stephen Moylan on 9 Sept.: “His Excellency [GW] commands me to desire that you would without loss of time set about preparing a sufficient Quantity of Boards, Scantlin and every Material necessary...
31From George Washington to Abraham Yates, Jr., 8 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
32From George Washington to Brigadier General James Clinton, 12 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
33From George Washington to Robert Morris, 12 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
34From George Washington to John Hancock, 18 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
The British retreated to their advanced posts near present-day 106th Street, where the Americans broke off the engagement. GW sent Tench Tilghman to recall the troops, who, Tilghman says, “gave a Hurra and left the Field in good Order” (Tench Tilghman to James Tilghman, Sr., 19 Sept., in Tilghman,
35From George Washington to Major General William Howe, 19 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
36To George Washington from William Duer, 22 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
. On this date Duer wrote Tench Tilghman that the committee was empowered “to employ a Gentleman near Head Quarters for communicating Intelligence, to whom they have engaged to make an adequate Compensation—Mr [Robert R.] Livingston and myself are anxious you should undertake this... ...Tilghman accepted the committee’s offer the following day, and he frequently wrote Duer or Livingston at...
37To George Washington from Major General William Heath, 22 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
Heath here struck out the words “without much Difficulty.” For GW’s sending of these deserters to Heath earlier this day with instructions to have them escorted to New London, see Tench Tilghman to Heath, this date,
38To George Washington from Major General Nathanael Greene, 23 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
Tench Tilghman wrote William Duer on 25 Sept. that “General
39General Orders, 24 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
, 73–76; Tench Tilghman to William Duer, 25 Sept., in
40From George Washington to Brigadier General Hugh Mercer, 26 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
41From George Washington to the Massachusetts General Court, 29 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, , in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
42Orders to Brigadier General George Clinton, 30 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
43From George Washington to Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., 30 September 1776 (Washington Papers)
William Duer wrote Tench Tilghman on 28 Sept. from Fishkill, N.Y., that a Discovery was made sometime ago of a Battalion of Rangers, which was raising in Westchester County to be commanded by Major Rogers, who is for that Purpose commissioned...
44From George Washington to John Hancock, 2 October 1776 (Washington Papers)
arrived at New York from Plymouth, England, on 13 Sept. and left several days later to cruise off Bermuda. The letters from Hugh Mercer and Richard Derby, Jr., have not been found. Tench Tilghman communicates Derby’s intelligence to William Duer in a letter of 3 Oct. and says: “Does not this look as if Genl Howes Army was not so strong as we have apprehended? or would he drain the Islands...
45Enclosure, 4 October 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
46From George Washington to John Hancock, 5 October 1776 (Washington Papers)
Secret Committee of the New York Convention to GW, 27 September. William Duer wrote Tench Tilghman on 1 Oct: Duer Papers). Tilghman replied to Duer on 3 Oct.: “If the new Ships should be found necessary to our Salvation you need not fear their being sacrificed, but our public Money goes fast enough without using it wantonly” (
47From George Washington to Patrick Henry, 5 October 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
48From George Washington to William Livingston, 5 October 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing,
49From George Washington to Comte d’Ennery, 7 October 1776 (Washington Papers)
, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, Tilghman inadvertently wrote “testitying” on the manuscript.
50From George Washington to John Hancock, 8–9 October 1776 (Washington Papers)
, 118). Tench Tilghman says in his letter to William Duer of 8 Oct. that because Stirling “was on b[o]ard Ship the whole time of his captivity he can Say very little of the Situation or intentions of the enemy—He...Tench Tilghman to the New York committee of correspondence