Philadelphia 1st Augt 1780.
Dear sir.
Had I at any time since my arrival here been possessed of a scrap of good News I should have attempted to allay your hungring & thirsting. In the 31 days which I have been sauntering away about the City & Congress Chamber, I have heard nothing pleasing to the mind, seen nothing but melancholy accomplishments of the last Year’s predictions, such circumstances as I could wish to communicate in a shady retreat, but cannot venture to display upon Paper. The Body Politic is sick, Sick indeed! The Servants of the House are more & more riotous & unless relief be immediately administred by wise exertions of the better branches of the family a dissolution or violent convulsion will infallibly be the consequence. What a picture is this, & yet believe me my Dear Sir it is not too highly coloured. What an unhappy Man must he be who is entring upon service in such a family. When at some times I have taken up the Pen intending to pay my respects to my worthy friend at Chantilly a damp Cloud has overspread me & I have laid the Pen down again. The last Post Morning, maugre all reluctance, I had determined to acknowledge the rect. of your obliging Letter of 10th Ulto.1 Govr Rutledge came in & demanded my attendance in a conversation respecting the recovery of our Southern States. The subject was Interesting & detained me till the hour for writing was past, I confess, I felt a kind of gladness from being provided with so good an excuse & I almost wish for as good a one in the present moment, but I altogether wish for the assistance of your self & some other Men of abilities in our great Council. We have at present as far as I am able to pronounce, an honest composition but chiefly made up of new hands, who from a want of knowledge of things past are more liable to err in judgement by confining their views to the appearance of the thing immediately before them, instances in point have frequently occurred within my 30 days experience. This is an Evil, but perhaps not the greatest. The Wheels of the Machine are clogged, the proper means for renewing their motion are wanting & every State & every Man is praying to Jupiter, he has provided them with Shoulders & will work no miracles for such Lubbers. This Pen strikes to add, we have no Money, no Credit on this side & are running fast, not wantonly, in debt on the other, but I will restrain it.
The French Fleet under Monsr. de Ternay is blocked up at Rhode Island by a superior squadron commanded by Admirals Graves & Arburthnot who now lie between that first & an expected second division & we are told Sir Henry Clinton is embarking 9000 Troops in the So. and intending an attack upon our Allies on the Island. The Cheval. L2 assures me the 2d division is competent to defence, I wish it may be so. Messrs. Ternay & Rochambeau hold themselves to be secure from Insult, American Troops are gathering fast, to join them.
The Commander in Chief has in this critical Moment transmitted to those Officers his definitive plan of operations, says, the Die is cast & he rests upon the States for saving our Arms from dishonor & disgrace by making the necessary provisions. He is not responsible on this point.
The Quarter Master General at a most critical period has signified an inclination to resign, this Morning will probably produce an acceptance but not without traits of displeasure.3 The present conduct of that Gentleman seems to give much dissatisfaction within doors - what can have tempted him to treat Congress with sneer & sarcasm? He applies to them the odious epithet, Administration, & is so fond of the conceit as to repeat & reiterate his wit.
The General Officers in the same unlucky moment remonstrate for means which shall enable them to dress & keep Tables upon a par with Officers of their Rank in the Army of our Ally - a friend of yours says Aye! the demand is reasonable - a Warrant moreover should be Issued for furnishing them with equipages, good breeding & education equally with the French Nobility, said Officers, "to be accountable." These are cursed troublesome affairs in a cursed troublesome conjuncture of knotty points. Majr. General Mcdougal I am told is waiting an answer,4 but we have not yet determined that Congress shall be enabled to live in splendor equal to that of the Minister of France, nor that the American Minister at Versailles shall cut as superb a figure as the Venetian Ambassador. 'Tis to be hoped the General Officers will not insist upon taking by force the right hand of fellowship. What shall we conclude of the designs of Gentlemen who demand what they know cannot be granted. O Virtue! O Patriotism! whither are ye fled!
Undoubtedly Mr. Lovel has written to you respecting Mr. A Lee & Mr. Izard, therefore I shall say nothing.
The Laws lately enacted in your State appear all to be salutary & I hope the good views of the Legisture will be fully accomplished;5 I think it most probable, the Men raised in Virginia will be destined for Southern service, a Committee will report on that head tomorrow, after all, the want of Money & the want of virtue which comprehends the want of every Thing, presents to my mind an unfavorable prospect. Governor Rutledge attends the Committee alluded to & will proceed to the Army under General Gates when the business in hand is completed.
I have been waiting here upwards of three Weeks in perfect readiness for embarkation, Congress having Resolved that it is highly necessary I should proceed to Holland; I am not of their opinion but will nevertheless go whenever their Lordships of the Admiralty shall have equiped a Little Packet Boat which Mr. Laurens would have turned his back upon, the business might have been done in three days, but say they, we want Money, we want we want the wheels are cloged. Possibly I may be called upon to morrow perhaps not these ten days, the suspense is painful, & if my presence is at all wanted yonder, the delay must be extremely detrimental to the Public Interest.6
Inclosed with this you will recieve two of Dunlap’s Papers to which I beg leave to refer. I also beg you to present my best compliments to Mrs. Lee & the families at Chantilly & Menokin, should I go from hence without paying my duty to Colo. F. Lee I will certainly allow large Interest in transmissions from Europe. With every good wish & with the Highest Esteem & Regard I conclude, My Dear Sir,
Your affectionate & Obedient, humble servant,
Henry Laurens
Receiver’s copy, Lee Family Papers, University of Virginia Library.
1 See Lee, Letters (Ballagh), 2:186 - 88.
2 Doubtless the French minister, the chevalier de La Luzerne.
3 For Congress’ acceptance of the resignation of Nathanael Greene, see Ezekiel Cornell to Greene, July 29, 1780, note 2.
4 See Samuel Huntington to Alexander McDougall, August 13, 1780.
5 For Lee’s discussion of recent legislative proceedings in the Virginia House of Delegates, see Lee, Letters (Ballagh), 2:180 - 82, 185 - 87.
6 Laurens finally left Philadelphia for the Netherlands on board the Mercury August 13. The ship was captured by the British on the banks of Newfoundland on September 3. David D. Wallace, The Life of Henry Laurens (New York: G. P. Putnam’s sons, 1915), pp. 357 - 58.