Sender: Richard Henry Lee
Recipient: Patrick Henry
Philadelphia 21st Oct 1778.
My dear Sir:
This will be delivered you by Major General Lincoln, a brave and able
Officer, who goes to command the Troops that are to oppose any attempt
of the enemy upon Charles Town in South Carolina. As the General can
give you the news of this place I should not have troubled you with
this letter, were it not for the following purpose. It was proposed to
send 50,000 dollars to the paymaster in Virginia for the purpose of
forwarding the thousand men designed to assist South Carolina – Whereupon
I reminded the Congress of a motion long since laid upon their table,
in consequence of letters from yourself & Mr. Page informing that
arrears were due to the continental soldiers in Virginia & the
militia that had been called into continental
service1 – And I proposed making the 50, an
hundred thousand dollars, and to word the resolve for the purposes “of
paying the arrears due to the continental soldiers in Virginia, and to
the militia of that state which had been the last year in continental
service,” as well as for forwarding the thousand men to S. Carolina.
This was readily agreed to, and the money (100,000 dollars) is ordered
forward.2 Now Sir, I presume that Gen.
Lincoln will, on your application, and showing him the resolve, take
measures, by ordering the payment himself if the accounts of arrear are
ready, and if not, by authorizing you to call on the paymaster for the
money when these accounts are prepared. I beg leave to refer you to the
General for our news being in great haste.
I subscribe myself with
much esteem and affection yours,Richard Henry Lee.
P.S. Since I wrote the letter on the other side, I find upon conversation
with Gen. Lincoln that if the pay rolls of the militia should not
happen to be ready when he passed through Williamsburgh, that it would
not be in his power to order payment, as he could not delegate his
authority – Therefore, I proposed the inclosed resolve which I hope will
remove all difficulty.3 Farewell,
R. H. Lee.
Notes:
Printed in William Wirt Henry, Patrick Henry, 3:196 – 97. Printed also in James Curtis Ballagh, The Letters of Richard Henry Lee, Volume 1, 1762 – 1778, pp. 443 – 44.
1 Governor Henry’s 23 May letter to the Virginia delegates requesting their
assistance in obtaining a settlement of the state’s Continental
accounts had been read in Congress on 15 June, but at that time
Congress ordered “That the consideration thereof be postponed.” See
JCC, 11:606 – 7; and PCC, item 71, 1:143 – 47.
2 For this 20 October resolve, see JCC, 12:1026.
3 Congress had just authorized Benjamin Harrison, Jr., deputy paymaster in
Virginia, to honor warrants drawn on Henry as soon as militia
officers could submit authenticated records of service. As this
resolve was adopted on 22 October, Lee doubtless added this
postscript on that date. JCC, 12:1038 – 39.
