To George Washington from Major William Perkins, 14 May 1780
From Major William Perkins
Providence 14th May 1780
Sr
I have been favour’d with your Excellency’s order of April 10th1—have exerted myself ever since in procuring Teams, and with some difficulty have procured about Twelve continental Teams that will go foward to morrow loaded with Powder which is all I can muster at Present in this State.
The inclos’d is a Copy of a Resolve of the Council of War of April 8. & as Genl Gates left me with order to obey all orders from the Council & could do no less than2 comply as appears on the back of the enclosed Resolve;3 and likewise a Resolve of the Genl Assembly to leave more Powder than you have order’d me4—would be glad of your Excellency’s orders in that Respect.
As the Assembly will not recommend the removal of any of the Stores by Water, & as the round Shott, Grape, Shells, old Small Arms, and many other things may be sent by water without damage, and with less expence, would desire to have your Advice on that Head; for to send them all by land by the Teams we now have, it will take the whole Summer to compleat the removal.5 Yr Excellency’s most Obedient Hume Servt
William Perkins
LS, DLC:GW.
1. In his letter to Perkins of 10 April, GW directed the removal of the brass cannon and Continental stores in Providence to the magazine in Springfield, Massachusetts.
2. The writer inadvertently penned “that” for this word.
3. Perkins enclosed a petition to the Rhode Island Council of War dated 7 April at Providence and a resolution that the council adopted on 8 April in response to that petition (both DLC:GW). The petitioners, who owned the sloop Argo, were “fitting the said Sloop for a Cruse against the Enemy of the United States” and requested “the Honourable Council to Lend them the War Stores.” The council’s resolution granted the petitioners’ request with conditions of “Bond in the Sum of Two Hundred Thousand Pounds Lawful Money to return all the Articles they receive in the same Condition as they receive them; and in Case any of the Articles be expended or Lost that they then procure others of equal value, and return in the room of those Used or Lost.” Perkins noted on the back of the resolution that he delivered artillery, ammunition, and ordnance. The privateer Argo cruised in late May and later in the summer (see Providence Gazette; and Country Journal, 3 June and 22 July 1780).
The order from Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates to Perkins has not been identified.
4. The enclosed “true Copy” of the Rhode Island legislature’s resolution reads: “Whereas his Excellency General Washington by his Order to Major Perkins for removing the Artillery and Millitary Stores from this State to Springfield in the Massachusetts State hath directed him to leave One Thousand Pounds weight of Powder for the Use of this State; and that Quantity being considerable short of what appears to be necessary for the Service of the State.
“It is recommended to Major Perkins to leave over and above the said Quantity to the Amount of Fifteen Hundred weight in good Musquet Cartridges, and in Cartridges best suited to the Artillery & Cannon which belong to this State; each in due Proportion.” The final paragraph addressed the use of “continental Teams” and explicitly “recommended that the Artillery and Heavy Stores be removed by Land” (DLC:GW; see also , 9:59–60).
5. Perkins probably sought guidance because the council’s recommendation conflicted with GW’s direction to move the heavy stores by water (see GW to Perkins, 6 May, found at Jabez Bowen to GW, 25 April, n.2).
Anticipating the arrival of a French expeditionary army, GW wrote Perkins from Morristown on 24 May: “If the Continental Artillery and Stores should not have been removed from Providence when this reaches you, you will be pleased to let them remain till further orders” (Df, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW; see also GW to William Greene, same date, found at GW to Greene, 23 May, source note).