University of Virginia Library

TO EDMUND PENDLETON.[1]

Dear Sir,—I am favored with yours of the 27th
ultimo. This letter will be the most agreeable of
any I have long had the pleasure of writing. I begin
with informing you that the Commander-in-Chief and
the Count Rochambeau,—the former with a part of
the American army, and the latter with the whole
of the French,—are thus far on their way for the
Southern Department. The American troops passed
through the town yesterday. The first division of
the French army to-day. The second will pass tomorrow.
Nothing can exceed the appearance of this
specimen which our Ally has sent us of his army,
whether we regard the figure of the men, or the
exactness of their discipline.

Yesterday also arrived, from his special mission

to the Court of France, Colonel John Laurens.
Although his success has not been fully commensurate
to our wishes, he has brought with him very
substantial proofs of the determination of that Court
to support us. Besides a considerable quantity of
clothing and other valuable articles, there are upwards
of sixteen thousand stand of arms. It is
rather unlucky that they found it expedient to put
into Boston, instead of this place, from whence the
distribution of them would have been so much more
easy.

I wish I could have concluded the intelligence
without adding that Admiral Hood, with thirteen
sail of the line from the West Indies, lately arrived
at New York, and after being joined by Graves
with eight ships, put again immediately to sea. The
French squadron under De Barras had previously
sailed from Newport. As the expected arrival of
De Grasse from the West Indies could not be unknown
to Hood, there is little doubt that his activity
is directed against the junction of the two French
fleets.