TO RICHARD HENRY LEE.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library; the text, dated July 12, 1777, is in W. V. Wells, Life of Samuel Adams, vol. ii., pp. 484-486.]
PHILADA July 22 1777
MY DEAR SIR
Your very acceptable Letter of the 12th came to my hand yesterday. The Confederation, is most certainly an important Object, and ought to be attended to & finishd speedily. I moved the other Day and urgd that it might then be brought on; but your Colleague Colo H opposed and prevented it, Virginia not being represented. It is put off till you shall arrive; you see therefore the Necessity of your hastening to Congress.
We have still further & still confused Accounts from the Northward. Schuylers Letters are rueful indeed! even to a great Degree, and with such an awkward Mixture as would excite one to laugh in the Midst of Calamity. He seems to contemplate his own Happiness in not having had much or indeed any Hand in the unhappy Disaster. He throws Blame on St Clare in his Letter of July 9th. "What adds to my Distress is, that a Report prevails that I had given orders for the Evacuation of Tyconderoga, whereas not the most distant Hint of any such Intention can be drawn from any of my Letters to General Sinclare or any other Person whatever." He adds "What could induce the General Officers to a Step that has ruind our Affairs in that Quarter, God only knows." And indeed Sinclares own Letter of the 30th of June dated at Ty. would induce one to be of the same Opinion, for he there says "My People are in the best Disposition possible and I have no Doubt about giving a good Account of the Enemy should they think proper to attack us." Other Parts of his Letter are written in the same spirited Stile. The General Officers blame N E for not furnishing their Quota of Troops. It is natural for Parties to shift the Fault from one to the other; and your Friend General Steven, who seems desirous of clearing his Countryman from all Blame, in a Letter to your Brother says "Eight thousand Men were thought adequate to the Purpose. They (N E) furnishd about three thousand—for Want of the Quota the Place is lost & they stand answerable for the Consequences." The General forgets that five of the ten Regiments orderd from Mass. Bay were countermanded and are now at Peeks Kill. I will give you an Abstract of the Forces at Ty & Mount Independence the 25th of June taken from the Muster-master General Colo Varicks Return.
Fit for Duty of the 9 Continental Regiments Commissiond & Non commissiond & Staff Officers included 2738
Colo Wells' & Leonard's Regiments of Militia [their time expired the 6th of July] 637
Colo Long's Regimt of Militia [engagd to 1st of Augt] 199
Major Stephens' Corps of Artillery 151
5 Companies of Artificers 178
Whitcombs Aldrichs & Lees Rangers 70 _____ 3973
Men at Out Posts not included in the Above 218
Sick in Camp and Barracks 342 _____ 4533
Besides a Number of Recruits belonging to the Continental Regiments arrivd at Ty. between the 18th & 29th of June, that are not included in the above Abstract. General Schuyler in his Letter of the 9th of July says, "I am informd FROM UNDOUBTED AUTHORITY that the Garrison was reinforced with twelve Hundred Men AT LEAST, two days before the Evacuation." When the Commander in chiefe writes in so positive Terms, one would presume upon his certain knowledge of Facts; BUT AS HE WAS NOT PRESENT WITH HIS ARMY, let us suppose (though it does not seem probable by the general gloomy Cast of his Letters) that he has overrated the Numbers, and set down 967 and it would complete the Number Of 5500. Deduct the sick 342, and I am willing also to deduct the two "licentious and disorderly" Regiments from Massachusetts who left Sinclare, though he acknowledges they kept with him two days upon the March, and there remaind near five thousand. Mentioning this yesterday in a publick Assembly, I was referrd to the Generals Information to his Council of War, who says "the whole of our Force consisted of two thousand & Eighty nine effective Rank & file." But allowing this to be the Case, Is an Army the worse for having more than one half of its Combatants Officers?
Notwithstanding Nothing is said of it in the publick Letters Genl Sinclair writes to his private Friend that the Enemy came up with the Rear of the retreating Army, & a hot Engagement ensued. Other Accounts say that many were killed on both sides, that our Troops beat off the Enemy & that Colo Francis of the Massachusetts & some of his officers were among the slain.
I shall not write you any more Letters for I hope to see you soon.
Adieu my Friend,