Scarborough Savannah River Georgia 23 Febry 1776ー
Dear Sir, I hope this will find you safe arrived at Cape Fear, which will give me great pleasure to hear. I had a very tedious passage here of thirty days having nothing but hard gales of Wind, most of the passage, The Transports parted with us in a very severe Gale the night after we left Boston ー They arrived here a week after us,
We have found this province in the utmost confusion which we did not expect when we left Boston, which has frustrated us in our plan of getting a Supply of Provisions for Boston,
The Rebels to the amount of two or three hundred have taken possession of the Town of Savannah & have erected two Batteries of eighteen Pounders upon a Bluff Land forty feet high which a Ship passing or repassing to Town must go within Pistol Shot off, they have likewise sunk a Vessel in the narrowest part of the Channell, which prevents any Ship of Force going to the Town, there is fifteen Sail of Merchant Ships above the Town mostly loaded with Rice ー If we coud get possession of them, they woud be a sufficient quantity to supply Boston or any other port where they may be wanted for the use of the Kings Troops
To come at these Ships we must get possission of the Town & distroy their batteries, but to effect that I am afraid we have not a sufficient force
But if it is found practicable we will attempt it, but to Insure success a greater force shoud be sent us,
I woud sincerely recommend to your Judgment to send a small force here, In that case If it cou'd be sent, I coud promise to keep this post open, by which means a Constant Supply of Provisions coud be sent to any part of the Continent without depending upon its being sent across the Atlantick
I will not enlarge upon this Subject as Sr James Wright has fully done it in his Dispatches to you
If we find it prudent to attack the Town with the small force we have, & succeed, & to evacuate it afterwards, it would involve the King's Service & Servants in greater difficultys than what they were upon our Arrival, you are Sensible the Orders Major Grant is under is to return Immediately to Boston
Sir James Wright is retired from the Town; he & his Family are now on board of the Scarborough
He can never think of returning there except he has a sufficient force to protect him, he thinks five hundred Men with two ships of War in the harbour, woud keep possession of the Town, & most likely the whole Province.
I hope therefore upon the receipt of this you will be so good as to Dispatch something to us to let us know, wether any force may be expected, but these Circumstances I must intirely refer to your better Judgment.
And only wish I coud Co'operate with you in any respect concerning the Distress'd State, of the Kings affairs in this Country
I am Dear sir [&c.]
In my passage here I took a Schooner from Salem, bound to South Carolina, with about Eight hundred pound Continental Money to purchase a Cargoe of Rice for the Rebel Army at Cambridge which I have got in my possession, I likewise took a Sloop off this Harbour, from StaCroix, having onboard about Two tons & half of Gunpowder, with many other Articles for the use of the Rebels in the Southern Colonies
I herewith Inclose you a South Carolina & Georgia Newspaper. since I wrote the above we have an Account of a hundred men coming into town from Carolina; & some more expected as I am told.
AB