Sir, Boston Octor. 28th 1776

This acknowledges the honor of yours 15th Instant,1 and am sensible of the necessity of Spirited exertions, in order to furnish our army with Cloathing & under this impression I2 have & shall continue my exertions; accordingly I have considerable quantities on hand, packed & ready to deliver to the order of the General as the first resolve of Congress directed, But a subsequent resolve directing they should be sent forward, shall apply to our Assembly upon the Subject.

313

As you were pleased to recommend, I have applied to the owners of the goods in the Elizabeth,3 but am without an answer.

Haveing favored me with the begining a Correspondence I feel myself strongly impelled to cultivate it, promiseing myself entertainment & improvement therefrom.

Nothing is more worthy observation than the success of our privateers. The measures takeing to raise the Battallions of Continental troops, Committees of Court being sent to both Armies, & a 3d Committee, Commissioning officers to recruit from Colony Battallions, and people at large; The necssity of a Strict discipline in the new army, and also of repressing the Extortion of Suttlers, are too obvious to pass unnoticed.

I cant help reminding you of a hurtful & discourageing delay in the naval department, and hope e’er long so useful a wheel in the Machine will be sett going; I presume a principle reason of delay is, the want of guns, but the incouragement to privateersmen has been such, together with the inadequate establishment of officers &c., on board the frigates, have conspired to render them useless.

I suspect General How will keep the field all winter, and as our Army will suffer prodigiously for want of tents, It is in agitation to take all the prize Sails, & it will be a very considerable Supply. Its also proposed to take without Ceremony all woolen goods that can be found, for the use of the army, allowing a proper & adequate price.

The attention of your honble. Board is I find to a Currency. I should be glad to hear a solid objection to an american bank, similar to the bank of England. If there is not hard money sufficient, Its my opinion we had better begin even with our Shoe buckles.

Your Loan officers will not answer at so low a premium. We give 6 per Ct., and possibly in the present posture of affairs, our securities are not much inferior to Continental, at Least not in the Estimation of a Massachusetts Man.

I have only to ask pardon for obtrudeing my sentiments and assure you I am Sir your humble Servt.,

Sam. A. Otis

RC ; addressed: “To The Honble. Robt Treat Pain Esq Member of Congress Philedelphia Per Post”; endorsed.

1.

Not located.

314 2.

Samuel Allyne Otis (1740–1814), the younger brother of James Otis (1724/5–1783) and Mercy Otis Warren (1728–1814), graduated from Harvard in 1759. A Boston merchant before the Revolution, Otis was appointed official agent of the United States Clothier-General James Mease in September 1777. By 1779 he was Deputy Quarter Master General of the United States. He served in Congress (1787–1789) and in April 1789 was elected secretary of the U.S. Senate ( Sibley’s Harvard Graduates , 14:471–480).

3.

Probably the case of the brigantine Elizabeth, which had been captured along with the goods belonging to several owners. See Naval Documents of the American Revolution, 6:1263–1265.