To George Washington from Major General William Phillips, 19 June 1780
From Major General William Phillips
New York June 19th 1780
Sir
His Excellency General Sir Henry Clinton upon his arrival at New York has had the goodness to inform me that he gave permission, previous to his departure from Charles-Town South Carolina, that Major General Lincoln might go to Philadelphia upon his parole, that Officer having very earnestly solicited for it, proposing among other matters to negotiate for a General Exchange of Prisoners of War including, also, the Troops of Convention—Major General Lincoln conceiving it most likely that such an Event might directly take place.1
Upon my hearing this I was struck with a strong desire of assisting in so humane a purpose as that of a General Exchange, imagining my particular knowledge of the State of the Troops of Convention and of the Prisoners of War might greatly assist towards the necessary regulations for Exchanging so great a number of Prisoners on both Sides—I took the liberty, therefore, of proposing to Sir Henry Clinton that I might go to Philadelphia and meet Major General Lincoln there, where by acting in concert we might facilitate the purpose of a General Exchange which it is presumed must naturally be the wish of Your Excellency as well as of Sir Henry Clinton.
His Excellency The General has been pleased to permit me to go to Philadelphia under no particular description of a Commission but merely as an Individual, and His Excellency has further given me leave to pursue this intention by making any application to you, Sir, I might think necessary.
I have the honour, therefore, to propose to you, Sir, that I may go to Philadelphia for the purpose of meeting Major General Lincoln there who must be by this time arrived,2 and I request to have the liberty of passing through Your Excellency’s Head Quarters, where possibly by conversations with you, Sir, upon the Subject of Exchanges, previous to my reaching Philadelphia, a number of leading matters may be adjusted to prevent any delay in an intention which humanity urges so strongly to have compleated.
It is quite unnecessary for me to point out to Your Excellency the distresses of the Prisoners of War in South Carolina for, with every effort for their advantage, they must, being uncloathed and necessarily in confinement, be subject not only to Inconveniences but to diseases, which I have heard Sir Henry Clinton express great concern for, and I am sure his humanity upon this occasion will prevail upon him to give his immediate consent to their general release whenever it can be done with safety and propriety to his own Troops who are now equally Suffering a State of Captivity.
I request this letter, by being addressed to you, may not be considered as any want of attention to the American Congress, but I have imagined the situation of parole in which I stand points out to me any application relating to it should go properly to Your Excellency.
I will request an immediate answer to this letter.3 I have the honour to be, Sir, with great personal respect Your Excellency’s most obedient and most humble Servant
W. Phillips
LS, DLC:GW.
Phillips again wrote GW from New York on this date: “I have the honour to inclose Your Excellency the Copy of a letter which has been written to Major Skinner your Deputy Commisary General of Prisoners, and I have no doubt but that the contents of it will meet with Your Excellency’s approbation, and that you will, Sir, give such instructions as that the proposals contained in it may be carried into immediate execution” (LS, DLC:GW). Phillips enclosed a copy of a letter from British commissary of prisoners Joshua Loring to Abraham Skinner, dated 21 June at New York City: “I have receiv’d the Commands of his Majesty’s Commander in Chief His Excellency General Sir Henry Clinton to propose to You an Exchange of all the British and German Prisoners of war now in your hands according to the certified Lists settled between Me & Mr Beatty at Amboy against an equal Number Rank for Rank of the American Prisoners of war on Long Island including such as may be at home upon their paroles, and Violators of parole in the due Order of their Capture—I have to propose also that such Officers of the Troops of Convention as are now actually on their paroles in New York may be exchanged Rank for Rank against an equal Number of your Long Island Prisoners of war, excepting only Major General Phillips and Major General De Riedesel and such officers of their families as they may chuse to be with them.
“You will no doubt take General Washington’s Commands upon this Matter immediately and on our officers being suffered to go to any ready place of Embarkation for New York, an equal Number of American Officers shall be sent from Long Island in Exchange for them—His Excellency General Sir Henry Clinton has no Objection to Lieutenant Colonel Ramsay being opposed to Lieutenant Colonel Conolly in an Exchange, supposing this Offer of a general One is accepted of.
“I have not received any Answer to my Letter of the 6th of May proposing to you an Exchange of all the Privates Prisoners of war in our possession in New York—I am directed to repeat that Offer, & am ready to deliver these Privates amounting to five hundred for an equal Number of the prisoners of war in your hands as follows.
“Non-Commissiond Officers & Privates of the 17th Infantry taken at Stoney Point. The Soldiers of the Artillery according to the inclosed List[.] The Soldiers of the 42d & 71st Regiments who have been of a long time prisoners at Fort Frederick & Winchester in Maryland.
“The Remainder to be made up from our Prisoners of war of the longest Capture.
“If this meets with General Washington’s Approbation I shall be ready to carry it into Execution immediately at such place as our respective Commanders in Chief shall please to appoint, and I hope that Motives of Humanity will urge that no further Delay be made to this proposal; Hitherto your Prisoners have (by great Attention & Expence) been kept from Sickness, but it will be impossible when the hot weather sets in for them to continue so, as They have scarce any Shirts or Cloathing to keep them clean & healthy” (DLC:GW; although dated two days later than the letter from Phillips to GW, the enclosure has a docket in the writing of GW’s secretary Robert Hanson Harrison that reads: “transmitted by Major Genl Phillips—in a Letter of 19 June.” For the certified lists of prisoners arranged at Perth Amboy, N.J., see Commissioners for the Exchange of Prisoners, 26 March (second letter), n.3. Loring enclosed with his letter to Skinner a “List of Prisoners with the Enemy belonging to the Brigade of Royal Artillery in North America, under the Command of Major General James Pattison” dated 13 May. The document named forty-four prisoners, mostly taken at Stony Point, N.Y., on 16 July 1779, and Paulus Hook, N.J., on 19 Aug. 1779 (DLC:GW). For GW’s reply to Phillips, see n.3 below.
1. Gen. Henry Clinton had arrived in New York City on 17 June (see David Forman’s second letter to GW, 17 June, n.2).
2. Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln arrived in Philadelphia near this date (see Samuel Huntington to GW, 15 June, and n.4).
3. GW replied to Phillips from headquarters at Ramapo, N.J., on 29 June: “I had the honor of receiving, four days since your two letters of the 19th.
“With respect to the proposal for your going to Philadelphia to meet Major General Lincoln I am sorry to inform you that I do not think myself at liberty to comply with it, as it would be anticipating a business which probably is as yet only under consideration by Congress. The result of Major General Lincoln’s application to them will best determine the line of conduct proper to be persued.
“As to the propositions in Mr Lorings letter (copy of which you inclose me), I shall instruct my Commissary fully on the subject. I am happy in the prospect of relief which they promise to the prisoners on both sides” (Df, in Alexander Hamilton’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, LC:GW). For the promised instructions, see GW to Skinner, 12 July (DLC:GW, ser. 9).