From George Washington to Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig Weltner, 17 December 1779
To Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig Weltner
Hd Qrs Morristown 17th Decr 1779
Sir
I have been favored with your letter of the 7th.1
A warrant has been issued and the money recieved by the officer employed on this occasion for the whole amount of the abstracts, and that expended for reinlisting.2
There being no arrangements formed for recruiting in the country, and the State bounties for short services so greatly exceeding the Continental, as to afford small prospect of success in such attempts, all I can do is to recommend to your best endeavours the reinlisting those men whose times of service are nearly expiring before their leaving the regiment, upon such encouragement as is allowed by Congress; that is to every soldier or man reinlisting for the war a bounty of 200 Dollars, and a gratuity to the office[r] of ten.3
With regard to commissions to the officers you have named it is not at this time in our power to take up the matter And At least till some further arrangements take place things must remain in their present situation. I am &.
Df, in James McHenry’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. The letter of 7 Dec. from Weltner, who commanded the German Battalion, to GW has not been found.
2. GW’s warrant book for 16 Dec. records $535 30/90 given to Capt. Michael Boyer of the German Battalion for “expences coming here & returning” (Revolutionary War Warrant Book 4, 1779–1780, DLC:GW, ser. 5).
3. For this bounty and gratuity, see John Jay to GW, 12 March, n.3, and 13:108–9, 298–99; see also GW to Jay, 27 Jan., n.1, and to Armand and to Casimir Pulaski, both 8 February.
Weltner, then commanding at Sunbury, Pa., received a letter from the Board of War written at Philadelphia on 28 Dec. with recruiting instructions and money (see 1st ser., 8:62).