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“WE SHALL FALL VERY SHORT OF THE NECESSARY QUANTITY OF COATS”
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WASHINGTON, GEORGE. Letter Signed, “G:Washington,” as Commander-
in-Chief, with his Franking Signature on address leaf, to Governor George Clinton,
reporting that he has written Congress to convey the necessity of their supporting Col.
[Udny] Hay, explaining his efforts to obtain clothing for the troops, and describing the cur-
rent and expected supply of coats. 1 page, folio, with integral address leaf (detached); expert
tissue repairs to tears at folds on verso, few small holes at intersections, seal tears and minor
soiling to address leaf, remnants of prior mounting overall on verso of each page.
“Head Quarters / New Windsor,” 22 December 1780
[15,000/25,000]
“
Dear Sir, Your Excellency’s favor of the 15th did not reach me ‘till this morning. I immedi-
ately dispatched an extract from it to Congress, and very warmly recommended to them the
necessity of supporting Col. Hay, in the performance of his Contracts. I most sincerely hope we
may find him successful in the impress, for I see no dependance upon any other quarter.
“
I had, two days ago, directed a very liberal allowance of all kind of Cloathing (except Coats of
which he got about 200 very good) to be delivered to your State Cloathier, for the four
Regiments near Albany. Weissenfeldts had a compleat supply previous to going to Fort
Schuyler. We shall fall very short of the necessary quantity of Coats—few of the troops have
had any delivered to them this season. We expect about two thousand from Boston, and unless
we should have an arrival from France, that will be our whole stock.”
At the time of writing, supplies for maintaining the Continental Army had become desperately
inadequate. In the letter to Congress mentioned in the present letter, Washington urgently
requests that Colonel Hay be supported in requisitioning flour so that the troops might have
sufficient bread for winter, “as by this energetic exertion of the State of New York the Army
will probably be kept from dissolution.” Clinton’s letter, to which the present letter is
Washington’s reply, describes the urgent plight of the state troops with respect to clothing by
stating that they “are become so utterly destitute of Clothing as not only to be unfit for Duty
but that many of them must greatly suffer as the cold Season advances.”
(detail)