Wednesday Tyonderoga Octo: 18th
Sir
Since my last of the 5th instant, General Montgomery has favored me with several Letters, Extracts whereof I do myself the Honor to in close You.2
The General's Complaint in No 1 that he wants Men is too well founded (the enclosed Return will shew how much the Army is reduced by Sickness &c.) at that time all the Men that I could send, were on the Wing to join him, and they arrived on the 9th as You will see by Number 2. It is too true that very few of the Men he sends to this Post return, the greater Part of them are so averse to going back, that they pretend Sickness & skulk about and some (Even Officers) go away without Leave, nor can I get the better of them, Altho I do not suffer a Ration of Provision to be issued, unless I countersign the Order, and the sick or pretended sick do not get half Allowance.
What little Money I have been able to procure at Albany; I have sent on ー I fear the Want of Species will be fatal to Us, should every Thing else go will, the Canadians have suffered much by Paper Currency, and a burnt Child dreads the Fire. ー
Two hundred and fifty three of General Wooster's Regiment came across Lake George on Sunday, but the General is not yet arrived and they do not chuse to move until he does. Do not chuse to move! Strange Language in an Army, but the Irresistable Force of Necessity obliges me to put up with it. ー This Morning I gave an Order to Lieut Colo: [Andrew] Ward to send a Subaltern, a Serjeant Corporal & twenty Privates, in two Batteaus to carry Powder, Artillery Stores and Rum, The Colo: (who is a Good Man) called upon Me to know If he would not be blamed by General Wooster for Obeying my Orders, I begged him to send the Men, & urged the Necessity, the Men I believe will condescend to go; I could give many Instances of a Similar Nature; But General Montgomery has most justly & Emphatically given the Reason, "Troops who carry the Spirit of Freedom into the Field & think for themselves" will not bear either Subordination or Discipline. ー
If there is any Foundation in the Report that the Garrison intend quitting St Johns I conjecture It must arise from Intelligence that Mr Carlton may have received of Colonel Arnold's Approach, should the Garrison effect their Escape It may go hard with Arnold, whose Numbers in so long and fatiguing a March must be considerably diminished I have therefore reques[ted] General Montgomery to send immediate Intellige[nce] of his Situation and Prospects, that Colo: Arnold may Govern himself accordingly. ー
I am deeply impressed with the Necessity of putting this Place in a proper Posture of Defence. ー I have wrote on the Subject to Congress before, but I have now only 65 Effectives here (Exclusive of General Woosters) who are Insufficient for the Necessary Works carrying on. ー
I cannot help observing that the Reasons General Montgomery gave in Support of his Opinion for having a Battery on the West Side, appears to me so Cogent, that I wonder the Council of War should be opposed to it; But he was certainly Right to acquiesce in their Determination, as I am morally sure If he had not, that the Men would have been troublesome. ー
I have no Prospect of getting my Health reestablished at this Place, but in the present Critical Moment, I dare not leave It. Much very much is to be done, whether we succeed or fail in Canada, The Distance between this & Philadelphia Great, and the season so far advanced that the least Delays may be attended with the most fatal Consequences, I therefore humby submit It to Congress, If it would not be best, to send up a Committee with full Power to direct our future Operations, to me such a Measure appears highly necessary. ー
General Wooster is just arrived here, as he was appointed a Major General by the Colony of Connecticut and that I did not know his Sentiments with Respect to the Rank he considered himself In, in the Continental Army, My Intentions were to have him to remain at this Post, but assuring me that his Regiment would not move without him and that Altho' he thought hard of being superseded Yet he would most readily put himself under the Command of General Montgomery, that his only Views were the Public Service and that no Obstructions of any kind would be given by him, This spirited & sensible Declaration I received with Inexpressible Satisfaction, and he moves to Morrow with the first Division of his Regiment.
Mr. [Gunning] Bedford has mustered such of the New York Troops, as he possibly could, they were so scattered that it was morally impossible he could see the whole he has done Every thing in his Power to fullfill his Duty, without being able to compleat It, the Reasons of this Failure are various; he will inform the Honorable Congress why the Connecticut Troops were not Mustered; ー I have directed him to return to Philadelphia and report what has been done previous to his Departure I desired him to depute Mr Macpherson my Aide de Camp, In case It should be possible to make another Muster which I believe will hardly take Place this Campaign. ー I am Sir [&c.]