Head Quarters Elizabeth Town 20 July [1]776
[Extract]
Sir Your favour of the 17th Inst with resolves of Congress of the 10th which I had the Honor to receive yesterday I shall pay all possible attention to ー
Some days ago I came to this Place with a View to execute a plan to surprise some of the Enemies Posts on Statin Island formd. by consent of General Washington, from what we could observe and the intelligence receiv'd there were three Stations includeing the new blaseing Star which togeather with some few Houses off from the sound containd from five to Six Hundred men; two Creeks inclosd these stations all but a narrow neck of Land, so as to prevent any easey access of reinforcements.
It wass intended to pass the sound from the mouth of Thompsons Creek a little below this Town to statin Isleand at a propper time of night so as to be on the back of the Enemies Quarters, before daylight appeard, we were first to have securd by a strong party the Neck of Land between the two Creeks, and then to have divided our force in such a manner as to have attack'd all the posts at once as soon as it was light ー then to have retird if successful by the Ferry at the new blaseing Star; the night before last wass fix'd on for this enterprize the first division consisting of Continental Troops under Major Nolten [Thomas Knowlton] march'd with me to the mouth of Thompsons Creek by nine OClock, with design to pass the Sound ー Immediately, the two Battalion's of the Pensylvania rifle Men togeather with the first Battalion of the Pensy Millitia were to follow; the Wholeforce would then have consisted of about thirteen hundred Men ー some of those Troops were renderd unfit for Service, by having had a very fatigueing march from Brunswick, this oblig'd us to think of contracting our plan, but very Tempestious weather comeing on obligd us to desist all togeather from the enterprize; some Gentlemen well acquainted with the passage there, being of opinion that we should endanger the loss of our whole party, in attempting to cross with such boats as we were provided with ー
I have troubled you with this Narrative partly with design to point out the necessity of haveing boats of a propper construction built for the service of this Army, either to afford a safe & speedy passage to the Troops for the attack of the Enemy on Statin Isleand, or to move our men withexpdtion to New Yark or Phila. should the service require their assistance at either place...