At a Council of War held in Camp at Fort Tonyn¹ this 11^th. May 1778.

Present

His Excellency Major General Howe open’d the Business upon which the Council was summon’d, by laying before them the following informations: that the motions of the Enemy from East Florida, the posts they occupied & were endeavour^g to Occupy—the stations their Men of War & Armd Vessels took possession of—the number of Insurgents in S^o. Carolina & Georgia rising in Arms & forming a Junction with the Enemy—the information given by Deserters & creditable Prisoners escap’d from Augustine, & also of Spies sent there to make Discoveries upon Oath, all uniting to prove that an immediate Invasion was intended against Georgia; in all appearance too formidable to be repel’d by their Force alone,—induced the calling to the Assistance of Georgia, a part of the Continental Troops of S^o. Carolina; & that State with a Conduct conformable to it’s usual Generosity of Spirit, had sent with the utmost Readiness, even more than of Right could be demanded of them—these, in Concert with the Continentals of Georgia having Chas’d the Enemy out of the Country, & having oblig’d them to Evacuate Fort Tonyn, from whence they had continually made inroads into Georgia; dangerous to the persons & property of it’s Inhabitants—have, in the Generals Opinion answer’d every purpose for which they were call’d, but willing to have with him, the Opinion of his Field Officers upon every Occasion where they ought to be Consulted, & ready to Relinquish his own should they offer any Reasons which can Authorize his doing so: he Wishes to propose to them Several Questions, but previously to this, he thinks it necessary to give them the following additional informations.—that tho’ driving the Enemy out of Georgia, & dislodging them from Fort Tonyn, were the principle things he aim’d at—Yet had the Enemy, in defence of that Post or any other thought proper to oppose him with Regulars & he had been happy enough to have Defeated them in Detail—he should have been ready to have avail’d himself of every Advantage which might have Resulted from it.—

That, by information rec^d from Cap^ts. More, Hyrne, and Taylor,³ the Roads naturally bad have been render’d much Worse by the Enemy’s having broken them up, destroy’d the Bridges, & by other methods, so that neither Artillery nor Ammunition Waggons can pass without great Loss of time & Labour; & that from appearances they conceive, & from other Informations the General learns that the Enemy have abandon’d all thoughts of Opposition on this Side of S^t. Johns River. That the D’Q’M’G⁴ has reported that the long march and hard service had destroy’d many Horses, & renders so many others unfit for Use, that there is a deficiency of at least 40, even for the absolute necessities of Service.—

That the Physician Gen^l.5 & all the Surgeons of the Army Report that at least one half the Number of Men we set out with are already sick[,] many of them Dangerously so, & that by the increasing Inclemency of the Climate[,] the greatest part of the Army now will, either by Continuing here or Advancing most probably be Destroy’d—that by information from the Commodore,⁶ the Gallies can’t get into S^t. Johns River, without great time & Labour spent to cut a passage thro’ Amelia Narrows: & if even that pasage was Effected, the Accounts he had receiv’d, all concurr’d to make it probable that the Enemy were ready to oppose his Operations when in that River; with a Force Superior to his.—The Gen^l. therefore thinks proper to propose the following Questions.—

Q^n. 1^st. That as driving the Enemy out of Georgia, & demolishing Fort Tonyn, were the Objects principally aim’d at: have not these purposes been effected.—

Resolv’d unanimously in the affirm^ve.

Q^n. 2^d. As it appears from information above recited that the Enemy do not mean to oppose us in Force on this Side of S^t. Johns, is there any other object important enough, in our present Situation, to Warrant our proceeding?

Resolv’d unanimously in the Negative.

Q^n. 3^rd.: Is the Army in a Situation to cross S^t. Johns, attack the Enemy, & Secure a Retreat in Case of Accident, though they should be Aided by the militia now embodied, under Gov^r. Houston & Col. Williamson⁷–

“Resolv’d unanimously in the negative.”

Q^n.4^th.— Does not the Sickness which so fatally prevails in the Army render a Retreat immediately necessary.—

Resolv’d unanimously in the affirm^ve.

The Gen^l. then proceeded to inform the Council that the Governor had denied the Gen^l. right to Command the Militia, even if a Junction had been form’d between them & the Continental Troops—Notwithstanding the Resolution of Congress declaring that “as to the Propriety of undertaking distant Expeditions & enterprises, or other Military Operations, & the Mode of Conducting them—the Gen^l. or Commanding Officer must finally judge & Determine at his Peril.”⁸ The Gen^l. therefore thinks proper to Propose the following Questions.—

1^st. Can he, with Propriety, Honor & Safety to himself, or, Consistently with service—relinquish the Command to the Governor—

“Resolv’d unanimously in the Negative.”

2^nd. Can the Army, while the Command is divided, Act with Security, Vigour,—Decision or Benefit to the Common Cause.—

“Resolv’d unanimously in the Negative.—

Sign’d