3811. HOWE (Lord William), Invasion of Virginia.—
What upon earth can Howe
mean by the manœuvre he is now practicing?
There seems to me no object in this country
which can be either of utility or reputation to
his cause. I hope it will prove of a piece with
all the other follies they have committed. The
forming a junction with the northern army up
the Hudson River, or taking possession of
Philadelphia might have been a feather in his
cap, and given them a little reputation in Europe—the former as being the design with
which they came, the latter as being a place of
the first reputation abroad, and the residence of
Congress. Here, he may destroy the little
hamlet of Williamsburg, steal a few slaves, and
lose half his army among the fens and marshes
of our lower country, or by the heat of the
climate.—
To John Adams. Washington ed. i, 207.
Ford ed., ii, 134.
(Alb.
1777)
