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376 HISTORY OF MARYLAND.
for troops and supplies. Accompanying the letter of the congressional committee was another circular letter from Washington, in which he urged in a
particular manner that the quotas of men should be raised and sent to the
army without the least delay. The number specified from Maryland was a
quota of four regiments, amounting to two thousand two hundred and five
men, who were to rendezvous at the head of the Elk.
This letter of the committee and Washington's were received by the
governor while the legislature was in session. He immediately laid them before
that body, and they on the 22d of June, through Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, President of the Senate, and Jonathan Beall, Speaker of the House of
Delegates, addressed the following letter to Washington upon the subject:
"In General Assembly, Annapolis June 22,1780.
" Sir—
" The extreme difficulty of embodying and marching the number of militia required
of this State by your Excellency and the Committee of Co-operation; the impracticability
of marching them in due time, owing to the total want of camp equipage, arms and
accoutrements, the difficulty of procuring wagons and horses, the approaching harvest,
and the importance and necessity of securing it, have induced us to lay before your
Excellency the following proposition. If it should meet with your approbation, and that
of the Committee, we will stretch every nerve to carry it speedily into execution.
"We propose to exert our utmost endeavors to raise two thousand regulars to serve
during the war, fourteen hundred and sixty-nine of this number to complete our battalions,
according to the late proposed augmentation. The residue we propose to form into a
regiment to act in the place of the militia required, and this State will furnish and fill up
the regiment to its full complement to join the Continental army, whenever we shall be
called on to furnish aid of militia; and we flatter ourselves that, as long as we furnish
our quota of regulars and this additional battalion, we shall not be required to furnish
militia, unless in cases of extreme exigency.
" This plan, if generally adopted, would put under your Excellency's direction and
command a regular and efficient force on which you could constantly depend. It would
save a great expense to these States in carriage, provisions, arms and accoutrements. It
would conduce to reconcile the minds of the people to the heavy charges of the war,
when assured they should be left at home to cultivate their lands and reap the fruits of
their industry. It would certainly tend to increase our crops, and afford the means of
maintaining a much greater regular army than can be supported under frequent calls of
the militia. It would, in some degree, prevent those emigrations of our men westward,
which is become a very serious and alarming consideration to these States in general, and
to this in particular.
" If your Excellency on a view of all circumstances, should think it more conducive
to the public interest to order the fourteen hundred and sixty-nine recruits, destined to fill
up our battalions, to join the army under your immediate command, they shall be sent
forward with all the despatch in our power.
"If this proposal should meet with your Excellency's approbation,and that of the
Committee, it will be necessary we apprehend, to draw from our battalions, under the
Baron de Kalb, a number of officers to command, form, and discipline these new recruits.
" If the two thousand two hundred and five militia should be thought absolutely
necessary, and preferable to the plan proposed, we will use our utmost endeavors to forward them on ; but we fear, however strong our inclination, it will not be in our power
to send out that number by the time required." J
1 Correspondence of the Revolution, iii., p. 3.
| Title | History of Maryland - 2 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000413 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | 376 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. for troops and supplies. Accompanying the letter of the congressional committee was another circular letter from Washington, in which he urged in a particular manner that the quotas of men should be raised and sent to the army without the least delay. The number specified from Maryland was a quota of four regiments, amounting to two thousand two hundred and five men, who were to rendezvous at the head of the Elk. This letter of the committee and Washington's were received by the governor while the legislature was in session. He immediately laid them before that body, and they on the 22d of June, through Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, President of the Senate, and Jonathan Beall, Speaker of the House of Delegates, addressed the following letter to Washington upon the subject: "In General Assembly, Annapolis June 22,1780. " Sir— " The extreme difficulty of embodying and marching the number of militia required of this State by your Excellency and the Committee of Co-operation; the impracticability of marching them in due time, owing to the total want of camp equipage, arms and accoutrements, the difficulty of procuring wagons and horses, the approaching harvest, and the importance and necessity of securing it, have induced us to lay before your Excellency the following proposition. If it should meet with your approbation, and that of the Committee, we will stretch every nerve to carry it speedily into execution. "We propose to exert our utmost endeavors to raise two thousand regulars to serve during the war, fourteen hundred and sixty-nine of this number to complete our battalions, according to the late proposed augmentation. The residue we propose to form into a regiment to act in the place of the militia required, and this State will furnish and fill up the regiment to its full complement to join the Continental army, whenever we shall be called on to furnish aid of militia; and we flatter ourselves that, as long as we furnish our quota of regulars and this additional battalion, we shall not be required to furnish militia, unless in cases of extreme exigency. " This plan, if generally adopted, would put under your Excellency's direction and command a regular and efficient force on which you could constantly depend. It would save a great expense to these States in carriage, provisions, arms and accoutrements. It would conduce to reconcile the minds of the people to the heavy charges of the war, when assured they should be left at home to cultivate their lands and reap the fruits of their industry. It would certainly tend to increase our crops, and afford the means of maintaining a much greater regular army than can be supported under frequent calls of the militia. It would, in some degree, prevent those emigrations of our men westward, which is become a very serious and alarming consideration to these States in general, and to this in particular. " If your Excellency on a view of all circumstances, should think it more conducive to the public interest to order the fourteen hundred and sixty-nine recruits, destined to fill up our battalions, to join the army under your immediate command, they shall be sent forward with all the despatch in our power. "If this proposal should meet with your Excellency's approbation,and that of the Committee, it will be necessary we apprehend, to draw from our battalions, under the Baron de Kalb, a number of officers to command, form, and discipline these new recruits. " If the two thousand two hundred and five militia should be thought absolutely necessary, and preferable to the plan proposed, we will use our utmost endeavors to forward them on ; but we fear, however strong our inclination, it will not be in our power to send out that number by the time required." J 1 Correspondence of the Revolution, iii., p. 3. |
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