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J A Y TO FLORIDA BLANCA. 307
placed or having resigned, and leaving the magazines very poorly
furnished, reduced our army to very hard straights. They were
ten days without bread, and in a letter which I saw from a member of Congress were these words : ' Our army was four days on
half a herring and a gill of rice a man per day.' Our Assembly,
viz, that of Maryland was sitting. The President received a letter from his Excellency, General Washington, informing him of
the State of the army, and urging a speedy supply of provisions.
They immediately made an Act authorizing the Executive power
to seize on all stores and provisions they could find any where in
the State, which was accordingly put in execution, and large supplies of all sorts were quickly collected and forwarded to camp,
where as great plenty reigned before we came away as could be
wished for.
"A fleet of 166 sail of transports &c, left Sandy Hook the 24th
of December with 6000 troops on board, some say Genl. Clinton
also, and thence conjectured that they were destined for Carolina. However that might be, it was impossible for them to keep
our coast for many days, a dreadful hurricane which continued
fifteen days without interruption having begun on the 1st of the
year. There was no account of them the 20th of February when
my last letter came from thence.
" The North Carolina and Virginia troops marched to the Southward, as also Baylor's Light Dragoons. I understood that the
army at Head Quarters * consisted of ten battalions each of 1500
1 Reference is made here to the Morristown, N. J., encampment, winter of >
1779-80, when the sufferings of the troops were more intense than at Valley
Forge in I777_78.' The following extract from a letter to Jay from Kitty Livingston, his sister-in-law, dated, Phila., Dec. 26, '79, gives interesting details :
"Gen1- Washington's quarters are at the widow Ford's house on the road
from Morris[town] to Persippiney. Gen1- Green's at Arnold's, Gen1- Knox at
Mr. Duyckings, Lord Sterling at Baskenridge, Gen1- Smallwood at Mr.
Kembles, Gen1- Sullivan at Chatham, two Jersey Brigades at Elizabethtown.
The Virginia Brigades have passed thro' town on the way to Charlestown [S.
C.] with Col0- Washington's Squadron. We have never had so many troops in
winter quarters as at present, and they are exceedingly well situated—good
water & fuel all around them. As the Gen1- does not meet Mrs. Washington
here she sets out early to-morrow for camp. We had yesterday a Christmas
dinner in compliment to her at the Chevaliers [Luzerne]. Next Thursday he
gives a ball to thirty Ladies ; to-morrow evening we have a Second at Mrs.
| Title | The correspondence and public papers of John Jay - 1 |
| Creator | Jay, John |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000338 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | J A Y TO FLORIDA BLANCA. 307 placed or having resigned, and leaving the magazines very poorly furnished, reduced our army to very hard straights. They were ten days without bread, and in a letter which I saw from a member of Congress were these words : ' Our army was four days on half a herring and a gill of rice a man per day.' Our Assembly, viz, that of Maryland was sitting. The President received a letter from his Excellency, General Washington, informing him of the State of the army, and urging a speedy supply of provisions. They immediately made an Act authorizing the Executive power to seize on all stores and provisions they could find any where in the State, which was accordingly put in execution, and large supplies of all sorts were quickly collected and forwarded to camp, where as great plenty reigned before we came away as could be wished for. "A fleet of 166 sail of transports &c, left Sandy Hook the 24th of December with 6000 troops on board, some say Genl. Clinton also, and thence conjectured that they were destined for Carolina. However that might be, it was impossible for them to keep our coast for many days, a dreadful hurricane which continued fifteen days without interruption having begun on the 1st of the year. There was no account of them the 20th of February when my last letter came from thence. " The North Carolina and Virginia troops marched to the Southward, as also Baylor's Light Dragoons. I understood that the army at Head Quarters * consisted of ten battalions each of 1500 1 Reference is made here to the Morristown, N. J., encampment, winter of > 1779-80, when the sufferings of the troops were more intense than at Valley Forge in I777_78.' The following extract from a letter to Jay from Kitty Livingston, his sister-in-law, dated, Phila., Dec. 26, '79, gives interesting details : "Gen1- Washington's quarters are at the widow Ford's house on the road from Morris[town] to Persippiney. Gen1- Green's at Arnold's, Gen1- Knox at Mr. Duyckings, Lord Sterling at Baskenridge, Gen1- Smallwood at Mr. Kembles, Gen1- Sullivan at Chatham, two Jersey Brigades at Elizabethtown. The Virginia Brigades have passed thro' town on the way to Charlestown [S. C.] with Col0- Washington's Squadron. We have never had so many troops in winter quarters as at present, and they are exceedingly well situated—good water & fuel all around them. As the Gen1- does not meet Mrs. Washington here she sets out early to-morrow for camp. We had yesterday a Christmas dinner in compliment to her at the Chevaliers [Luzerne]. Next Thursday he gives a ball to thirty Ladies ; to-morrow evening we have a Second at Mrs. |
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