Papers of John Adams, volume 6
1778-07-03
Agreeable to your verbal order I have given Directions to stop the Reparation of the Arms at Nantes, paying the Workmen their Wages Gratifications and Conduct Money according to agreement. I beg to know if this is agreeable.1 I am very respectfully Hon Gentlemen Your most obedt Servant
This letter resolved, in part, the controversy that had begun in April over the Commissioners' efforts to end Williams' activities at Nantes as an American agent. Initially the Commissioners may have wished simply to return the RC to Williams with their comments, for on the second page of the letter is a note dated 10 July, in JA's hand, informing Williams that “the within directions given by you, being according to our Verbal orders to you, are approved.” Deciding, however, that a more detailed reply was needed, JA and Arthur Lee composed the answer referred to in the descriptive note above. In it they approved Williams' actions and requested that he send an order for the goods on hand at Nantes, including 63 barrels of beef, to J. D. Schweighauser. Williams complied on the same day, writing to a Mr. Cossoul and ordering him to send the beef and other merchandise, including 196 swivel guns and 49 cases of arms, to Schweighauser. The Commissioners notified Schweighauser of Williams' action in a postscript to their letter of 9 July (JA, Diary and Autobiography
, 4:155, 158–159, 147).
1778-07-04
Last night arrived here from Baltimore the Brigantine Saratoga, Captn. Murray, who has brought 2 Packets from Congress for the Honble. the Commissioners, and as many for Yourself. My Letters are of the 28th. May, at which time it was generaly understood there, that the Enemy were about embarking from Philadelphia with all haste, and that Genl. Washington was advanceing towards the City in order to annoy them as much as possible. About the 25th. He detached the Marquis de la Fayette with 2500 Men to the East side of the Schuylkill to watch the Enemies motions. As soon as they had Notice of it, Genl. Clinton went out to Attack him in the Night with most of his Army, expecting to surprize him—but the Young noble man having discoverd the Enemy when within about a Mile of him, he made a safe retreat over the River to our Army—upon which Genl. 259Clinton retreated to Town with great precipitation leaving and few Prisoners and wounded behind.1
All the Men of War have left our Bay (Chesapeak) since the 18 or 19th. May. The People have been made excessively happy by the Publication of the Treaty between us and this Power. They have gone so far as to indulge themselves with Dancing in consequence of it.
I have delivered the above mention'd Packets to Mr. Schweighauser, Continental Agent at this place, to be forwarded to Passi. This Vessel left Chesapeak the 11th. June.2 I am with the greatest Respect Dear Sir Your very Obt. Servt.
The action at Barren Hill would probably have been a serious American defeat had it developed into a major battle. On 18 May, Lafayette and 2,200 men, fully one-third of Washington's available troops, crossed the Schuylkill River northwest of Philadelphia and occupied Barren Hill. Gen. Howe soon learned of Lafayette's movements and on the night of 19 May, in the hope of ending his American service with a victory, sent approximately 7,000 troops to encircle the American position and cut off any retreat to Valley Forge. Through ineptitude, the British left the road to Matson's Ford unblocked, thus permitting Lafayette to retire on the 20th across the river with minor casualties and his force intact (John W. Jackson, With the British Army in Philadelphia, 1777–1778, San Rafael, Calif., 1979, p. 226–229; Ward, War of the Revolution
, 2:562–567).
This sentence together with the initial two paragraphs of this letter were translated into French and printed in Affaires de l' Angleterre et de l' Amérique, “Lettres,” vol. II, cahier 48, p. xliv–xlv.