To George Washington from Brigadier General James Potter, 14 January 1778
From Brigadier General James Potter
Graham park [Pa.] Januy 14th 1778
Sir
I Recived your favor of the 12th Instant I will do every thing in my Power to put a stop to Carring provision into the City the passes that have been Given I have sent you enclosed a Copey of one of them which has passed Mrs Larrans Sarvant in with Sundrey waggan-Loads if I am not wrong Informed.1
I would Inform your Excellency that there is a quenty of Buckskin and Britches in Germentown and the⟨y⟩ send som of the Britches to the City for seal there is a Number Stock an Lomes there, Querey would it not be Better to move these Lomes to some place of safty where they Might be imployed for us.
the Councal has appointed Col. Lancey to be a Brigadier and to Releve me2 I hope to see your excellency on mondey nixt, this day Baron de Bose maid his Escap from the City, he has Been unfortunat in falling in to the hands of the enemy he is now Safe and will present these Lines to you.3 I am your Excely Most obedant Humble Servant
Ja’s Potter
ALS, DLC:GW. Potter wrote “⅌ favour of Baron de Bose” on the cover.
1. For the source and content of the pass for Mrs. Lawrence, see the source note to Charles Craig’s letter to GW of 3 Dec. 1777.
3. Charles, baron de Bose (d. 1778), served as a major in the Russian army before leaving that country for the United States in May 1776. According to his own account given in a letter to Congress, Bose was captured four times during his voyage. On the last occasion he was captured by a British vessel “upon the Sea about 50 leages from charles-town,” from whence he was taken to New York and kept prisoner for four months before securing a transfer to Philadelphia and making his escape. Bose informed Congress that “His Excellency General Washington sent me to Gen: Mifflin at Reading from thence I came here [to York] about the end of January” (Bose to Henry Laurens, May 1778, DNA:PCC, item 78). On 5 Oct. 1778 Congress granted Bose a commission as lieutenant colonel in Pulaski’s Legion to date from May of that year, but Bose was killed just ten days later in an engagement at Egg Harbor, New Jersey.