To George Washington from Captain Henry Bedkin, 13 November 1779
From Captain Henry Bedkin
Haverstraw [N.Y.] Novr 13th 1779
Sir
Agreeable to Your Excellencys Command I have the Honor to transmit a Return of my Troop with the Cloathing Horses & accoutrements,1 & at the same time to lay before Your Excellency my further request.
Your Excellency will perceive by my return that I have fifteen Men at present inlisted for three Years & I have the greatest reason to beleive the whole will inlist with me for the War, and as I have been in the service from the beginning of the War, part of the time Adjutant to Col. Moylan’s regiment & acquainted with the service of the Cavalry, I would Humbly request Your Excellency would permit me to recruit as Many Men as will Complete my Troop, that while I continue in the Army I may be inabled to render my Country Service & gain reputation to myself.2 I have the Honor to be Your Excellencys Most obedt Humble Servant
Hy Bedkin Captn L.D.
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Bedkin enclosed a “Return of Captn Henry Bedkin’s Troop of Light Dragoons belonging to Genl Count Pulaski’s Legion in the service of the United States,” prepared at Haverstraw on this date (DLC:GW). The return listed twenty-five men with their dates and terms of enlistment and re-einlistment. A column headed “Remarks” included notations for twelve men: “Discharged” accounted for seven; “deserted,” two; “Volunteer,” one; “Waggoner,” one; and “Confind in Philada,” one. A second page of Bedkin’s return is headed “Account of Cloathing, Arms, Accoutrements horse Furniture & horses receiv’d for my Troop.” This portion of the return reported items received at Philadelphia on 1 June: complete “Suits of Cloathing” for twenty-four dragoons, complete “Arms & Accoutrements” for twenty-two dragoons, and complete “Saddles & horse Furniture” for twenty-two dragoons. The troop also received four tents at Smiths Clove, New York. The return next showed six suits of “Spare Cloathing on hand” as well as “Arms & Accoutrements” and “Saddles & Furniture” for six dragoons. Bedkin’s command received “at different places & times” twenty-four troop horses and four wagon horses, with sixteen troop horses and four wagon horses then present. Bedkin explained the losses: one was “Stolen out the Continantel Stable at Philad’s when on Command”—two were “taken of[f] by deserters from West point”—one was “delivered to the Q. Master at Morristown”—one “Died at Ringwood”—and three were “Delivered to the Q.M. Genl in Majr Genl Lord Sterlings devision.” Bedkin may have prepared this return to assist an inspection “of the men’s arms accoutrements, ammunition, clothing and camp equipage” as outlined in the general orders for 1 July.
2. Rather than recruit, Bedkin and his troop remained on active duty in the north until absorbed into Armand’s Legion on 1 Jan. 1781.