From George Washington to the New York Committee of Safety, 29 April 1776
To the New York Committee of Safety
New York 29th April 1776.
Gentn
Sometime before I left Cambridge I received an Order of Congress to apply to the Assemblies, or Conventions of the four New England Colonies for Arms to Supply the deficiency of their respective Regiments; and if not to be had, to discharge the Men that wanted them1—When I came to this place, & was informed by Colo. Ritzema of the want of this Article for his Regiment, and the other Troops of this Colony, it became my duty to make this want known to Congress, at the sametime giving it as my opinion, that as we found it no easy matter to recruit Men with the Expedition they were required, it might be disserviceable to discharge any of the York Troops as some lucky hit might throw Arms into our hands—In consequence of which I receiv’d by Post the Inclosed Resolution, which without delay I lay before your Humble Body2 and am Gentn Yr most Obedt Hble Servt
Go: Washington
ALS (facsimile), in Sotheby Parke Bernet catalog 5031, 26 April 1983; LB, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW. The committee of safety read this letter and the enclosed resolution later on this date (, 1:426).
1. See Hancock to GW, 25 Mar. 1776, and note 3.
2. GW enclosed the Continental Congress’s resolution of 26 April directing him not to disband any troops for lack of arms and to apply to the New York provincial congress and committee of safety for arms seized from Loyalists and any other arms available (, 4:312; see also GW to Hancock, 22 April, n.1, and Hancock to GW, 27 April 1776, n.2). The committee of safety had previously addressed these matters in its letter to GW of 25 April.