To George Washington from Meshech Weare, 20 January 1781
From Meshech Weare
Exeter [N.H.] Jany 20th 1781
Sir
I am honord with the Receipt of your favor of the 5th Instant by Brigadier General Knox,1 your Excellencys Exertions and early Communications of the Alarming Situation of Our Army, Demand Our most gratefull Acknowledgments, at the same time that the late Revolt, and present Critical Situation of Our Army, give us the most Anxious Concern. Our General Assembly was Siting, when General Knox Arrivd, I immediately laid your Letter before them, and General Knox was pleas’d to give Perticular information of the Circumstances of the Revolt, and Situation of Our Army. The Assembly immediately took the matter under Consideration, And came to a Resolution, immediately to Collect a Sum of Money, to be exchanged for hard money, to send forward twenty four dollars, for each noncommissiond Officer and Private in our line, As a Gratuity for their good Services, And the Sufferings they have been Unavoidably expost to;2 It was tho’t by General Knox that the New England States would go into this Measure, And that it would give greater Satisfaction, than Advanceing some part of their pay. The money I have no doubt will be forwarded next week. It is the disposition of the General Assembly, & People of this State, to do every thing in their Power for the Support of the Army, But we have not the means in our power so much As some Others may have.
I am desir’d by the General Assembly, to Request of your Excellency, that as we have a considerable number of men belonging to this State, now ingaged during the war, who are engaged in Col. Jacksons, And Hazens Regiments, Majr Whitcombs Corps, And Sundry Other Regiments not perticularly belonging to this State, That such men may be turnd Over to some One of Our Regiments, Agreable to the Resolution of Congress, which would make it much more Convenient, in provideing for, And Settling with our men.3 I have the Honor to be with every Sentiment of Esteem And Respect, Your Excellencys Most Obt Humle Sert
Meshech Weare
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. See Circular to the New England States, 5 Jan.; see also GW to Henry Knox, 7 January.
2. For this action of the New Hampshire legislature, see , 886.
3. The New Hampshire legislature voted on this resolution on 19 Jan. (see , 887). For the act of Congress reorganizing the army, see , 18:893–97, 958–62, and General Orders, 1 Nov. 1780.
GW replied to Weare from New Windsor on 8 Feb. 1781: “I have received the Letter which you did me the favor to write on the 20th Ulto and am pleased to find the State of New Hampshire is determined to make such exertions in favor of its Troops. If this spirit is not suffered to relax, we may expect the happiest consequences from it—Justice on the part of the Country will produce satisfaction in the Army; and contentment there, will promote the recruiting service more effectually than any bounty or encouragement. It is of such infinite consequence, that the Regiments should be compleated before the opening of the Campaign that I cannot forbear to continue to recommend it in the strongest terms.
“Should the Army be complete on the present establishment, the force will be but moderate; as there are so many Men belonging to one State, who are in the service of another, and consequently credited to both. this is the case with the Men you Mention, in the Regts of Col. Jackson &C. None of these Men are by the Resolution of Congress to join the Regiments of their own State, except such as were in the Independent Corps, which have been reduced” (LS, in David Humphreys’s writing, Nh-Ar: Weare Papers; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW). The LS has no date; the draft is dated 8 February.