Letter from General Schuyler to General Washington

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Albany, December 9, 1775.

DEAR GENERAL: I do myself the honour to advise your Excellency of my arrival here on the 7th instant. Should have wrote you yesterday, but I was all day in conference with sixty of the principal Sachems of the Six Nations. The matter was merely congratulatory, and introductory to

v4:226

Enclose you copies of letters from General Montgomery and Colonel Arnold, together with one to your Excellency, from the latter, and one from Colonel Knox, I have: wrote to Congress, that the necessity of sending a body of troops into Canada this winter appeared to me very urgent. I was happy to meet Colonel Knox, at Fort George. I have made such an arrangement to get the articles he wants at Fort George, that I am confident they will arrive there in eight days from this, and I shall take the advantage of the very first snow to send them to Cambridge. My baggage is still behind, and therefore cannot send your Excellency the returns; but there is a sufficiency of every thing Colonel Knox wanted, except powder and flints.

I am now in tolerable good health, but I believe a perfect restoration will not take place until the cold weather ceases.

Some of the prisoners have attempted to escape. A Captain Robinson, of the Emigrants, offered the Captain of an Albany sloop two hundred guineas to cany him on board the Asia man-of-war. I shall request the Captain to make affidavit of it.

I am, dear General, your Excellency' s most obedient and most humble servant,

PHILIP SCHUYLER.

His Excellency General Washington.