George Washington letter signed ("Go: Washington"). One page of a bifolium, 9" x 14.25", "Head Quarters, Morris Town" [New Jersey]; March 6, 1777. Docketed. General Washington complains to McDougall regarding the high number of duplicitous recruitment reports. Letter, in the hand of Alexander Hamilton (1755 or 1757-1804), a senior aide to Washington for part of the Revolutionary War, to Brigadier General Alexander McDougall, at Peekskill, New York, in which Washington complains about fraudulent reports of non-existent recruits and their impact on measuring the real strength of the American army. It reads, in full: "Dear sir I have to desire, that you will immediately procure and send me exact returns of all the troops belonging to your state, except those which are gone to Tionderoga [sic]; and that you will have them assembled with the utmost expedition at Peeks-Kills, there to hold themselves in perfect readiness to march at a moment's warning. I must, also request, you will make a point of informing me, from time to time, of their arrivals and of the numbers in which they come. The returns, I receive from different quarters, are of so extraordinary a nature, that I have too much reason to suspect the most abominable fraud and embezzlement of the public money: The accounts of desertions almost surpass belief, and afford the highest probability, that officers are tempted by the great bounty allowed, to exhibit a number of pretended recruits that never were in reality inlisted [sic]. I must beg your particular attention to this abuse, and that you will take every possible method to prevent its continuance, should it have found its way into the regiments of your state. From this and other causes, I have frequently had such misrepresentations of the progress of the recruiting service, that I have been in many instances deceived; and it is on this account I am peremptorily requiring accurate returns of the troops raising in every state that I may be enabled to form a just judgement of our real strength, at this time, and of our future prospects. This is highly necessary from the present complexion of things, which I must inform you is very undesireable [sic]; and demands the most active exertions of every person interested in the success of our affairs. I rely upon your care and diligence to put every thing in your department in the greatest possible forwardness, as you are fully sensible of the infinite importance of straining every nerv[e] at this critical juncture. I am Dr Sir Your most obedient servant Go: Washington" From the beginning of his taking command of the American forces, Washington was critical of militia units, especially their lack of discipline and disrespect for superior officers. While militia units could provide needed assistance against the enemy, Washington believed a strong Continental Army was essential to victory and constantly reminded Congress of the need for a standing professional army. By the time of this letter to Brigadier General McDougall, Washington's army was plagued by expiring enlistments and desertions. Congress reorganized the army in late 1776, changing the standard enlistment period from one to three years. Despite this measure, the Continental Army continued to struggle to retain personnel throughout the war. Constant recruitment and continual desertions resulted in administrative trials for Washington and his staff. In this letter, Washington, who was suffering from low numbers of regular soldiers, reveals his frustration with what he suspects are untrustworthy or outright fraudulent reports of recruitments, which compromised his ability to measure current troop strength. It was hard enough for Washington to replenish the ranks of regular soldiers, since Congress often did not provide him with enough funding to pay bounties, or, if he had the money, it was not enough to complete with the bounties offered by individual states for their defense. When individual states added their own bounties to supplement Congress's outlay, troops had to go home to collect the state bounty, and some never returned to service. Washington implies in his letter that officers were collecting them for enlistments that never materialized. Thus, Washington made an exerted effort to assemble accurate recruitment information. He requests that McDougall send him the exact number of enlistments from New York, and informs him that he is asking for similar reports from other states. Accurate information of this nature was essential to calculating a unit's strength and readiness for battle. At the time of Washington wrote this letter to McDougall, he had established his headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey. After significant American morale-boosting victories over the British at Trenton (December 26, 1776) and Princeton, New Jersey (January 23, 1777), Washington marched north to Morristown, where he set up winter headquarters for himself and the Continental Army on January 6, 1777. The hills surrounding the camp provided a perfect vantage point for Washington which to spy on the British army located in New York City. It was also positioned strategically to allow the Americans to monitor the roads used by the British troops. Alexander Hamilton, future signer of the U.S. Constitution and first Secretary of the Treasury, served as captain of the New York Provincial Company of Artillery of 60 men in the American Revolution before he was invited to serve as Washington's chief staff aide with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Hamilton's company took part in the campaign of 1776 around New York City, notably at the Battle of White Plains; and later at the Battle of Trenton and Princeton. Hamilton served as Washington's aide from early 1777 to March 1781. This is a significant letter that shows Washington's frustration with recruitment of troops and related troop strength issues during a critical period of the American Revolution. It is accompanied by a print of Rembrandt Peale's Equestrian portrait of George Washington and an engraving of Hamilton by E. Prud'homme. Condition: Right edge appears to have been trimmed, just touching some text and affecting two letters of signature. Near complete separation along integral fold, with two small areas of paper loss along the integral fold at the intersections of horizontal folds. Two small areas of paper loss to blank portion of address leaf from seal removal upon opening. Some splitting starting along all other horizontal folds but chiefly unaffecting text. Light scattered soiling and foxing. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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