General Schuyler to Governour Trumbull

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Ticonderoga, October 12, 1775.

SIR: Your favour of the 29th ultimo I had the honour to receive on the 10th instant, by Captain Stanton. Your Honour has my warmest thanks for your kind wishes. By the Divine favour, my health is so far restored as that I hope in a few days to leave this, and join the Army.

It gives me pain that your Honour should labour under any uneasiness on account of the information Colonel Dyer

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On the 30th of August, in the evening, I returned here, from Albany, after an absence of thirteen days; and on the next day I issued an order, of which the following is an extract:

"Such part of Hinman' s as can be furnished with boats to embark to-morrow, and the remainder (except Balch and Curtis' s Companies) as soon as boats can be provided; to carry with them four barrels of flour and four of pork in each boat; to join the Army, wherever it may be, with all possible despatch. Those of the Regiments who are fit for duty, and have bad arms, to exchange them with those that are sick, and have good arms."

There were then at this place Colonel Hinman' s, Captain Buell' s, Captain Haines' s, and Captain Sedgwick' s, Captain Curtis' s at the landing, and the remaining three Companies at Crown Point, who were also ordered to march. I embarked a little after sunset on the 31st of September, having just before delivered, among others, the following order to Colonel Hinman:

"You will give discharges to all such men as have no prospect of being fit for service this campaign, to whatever Regiments they belong, provided they have the certificate of the Surgeon or his Mates."

I make no remarks on this order, as I believe the propriety of it must be evident to every person; and when I wrote your Honour on the 31st, (not the 21st, as your letter mentions,) I really believed I should have carried five hundred of Hinman' s down the lake. I found, however, soon after my arrival at Isle-aux-Noix, that I had laboured under a mistake, as you will hereafter perceive: for, since your letter on this subject, I find, by examination, that the last return I had of Colonel Hinman was of Saturday, the 12th of August, four days before I went to Albany, and I had no idea that so many had sickened between that time and my return, on the 30th. In this return, two hundred and fifty effective rank and file were returned here, and two hundred and thirty-four at Crown Point — amounting, together, to four hundred and eighty-four; but I now find that, between the 12th and 25th of August, inclusive, fifty-three of this Regiment had gone from this post on furlough; and the number of sick increased with such amazing rapidity, that General Montgomery, between the 16th and 28th of August, discharged thirty-five of Colonel Hinman' s; and the Colonel himself, on the 1st and 2d of September, discharged eighty-seven, and between that and the 16th, inclusive, the further number of eighty-three — so that I believe Mr˙ Lynch was not much misinformed, that Colonel Hinman had not above one hundred men with him when Mr˙ Lynch was here, provided effectives at this place were meant. And I am more induced to believe this, because on the 12th of September, at Isle-aux-Noix, Brigade-Major Dimon, in a general return of the Army, reported only twenty-two of Colonel Hinman' s, officers included, fit for duty; and as they had arrived only four or five days before, there could not be many sick; and of these twenty-two, it is reasonable to conclude that the Crown Point Companies made the greatest part, as they had all along been healthy.

I cannot account for the foundation of the report that Colonel Hinman has suffered his men to depart to their various homes, unless it took rise from the number that went on furlough when Mr˙ Lynch was here; but I had reason to believe they were sick men, sent to recover their healths in the country.

I do not know that any of the troops from Connecticut came without arms, if guns, in whatever condition they may be, can be called arms; but, to speak like a military man, great numbers of every corps in the Army under my command wanted arms. Witness the order of the New-York Provincial Congress, for all the gunsmiths in that large City to quit all other work, and immediately repair the arms of General Wooster' s and Colonel Waterbury' s Regiments. These had then been on little or no service. Witness, also, the several armourers that have been constantly employed, both at this place and Crown Point, in repairing the arms of Colonel Hinman' s Regiment and Colonel Easton' s small corps, from the beginning of the

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Your Honour says you cannot conceive why the Connecticut troops should refuse to be mustered. Nor I, I assure you; but I believe Mr˙ Lynch has not been misinformed on this head, whoever was his informant. I have had a long argument with Colonel Hinman on this subject. He and I differ as to the conclusion; but General Montgomery, the Muster-Master General, the gentlemen of my family, and I believe the Quartermaster-General too, were present, and will all agree with me, that Colonel Hinman refused to muster. I am informed that General Montgomery spoke with Colonel Waterbury on the subject, in my absence; and that so many difficulties arose, that it was judged best to defer the matter until it could be known what was done to the eastward. That the Captains, too, were apprehensive they should lose their one or one and a half per cent˙, allowed by your Colony for paying the men. It cannot be surprising, Sir, that I should not mention any misconduct of Colonel Hinman' s. I have none to charge him with. He has always behaved to me with politeness and attention, and ever showed a readiness, in common with all the Connecticut officers, to obey my orders. I would not be understood, however, that my orders have been always punctually obeyed by the inferior officers and men, either of the Connecticut or any other corps. But this I impute to its true cause, a want of discipline and subordination, and not to any unwillingness.

I enclose your Honour a return of the men discharged here. You will perceive that very many are sent home since my return to this place; but none unless they were reported to me by the Director of the Hospital, Dr˙ Stringer, as unfit for further service — a very few excepted, whose families were in such a distressing situation, that I must have been void of the feelings of humanity, not to have suffered them to go home. It is certain, however, that some have feigned sickness; for Dr˙ Stringer informs me, that on his way up here, about the 6th of September, he met many men that looked very well; and, upon inquiry, some acknowledged they had procured their discharges by swallowing tobacco juice, to make them sick. Others had scorched their tongues with hot chocolate, to induce a belief that they had a fever, &c. Perhaps Mr˙ Trumbull, your son, may give you some information on this head.

I have just received a line from General Montgomery. His anxiety about provisions is relieved, but is in great want of powder, of which I have not an ounce left at this post. A conference took place on the 6th, between St˙ Luke La Corne, an agent of Governour Carleton' s, and two gentlemen of ours, deputed by General Montgomery. I wait with impatience to learn the result. I need an apology for this interlined scrawl, and beg your Honour will impute it to my want of assistance, and to the hurry with which Captain Buell (whom I beg leave to recommend to your Honour' s attention, as a good officer and good man) goes off.

I am your Honour' s most obedient humble servant,

PHILIP SCHUYLER.

The Honourable Jonathan Trumbull, Esq.

P˙ S. Since writing the above, Colonel Hinman (to whom I have taken the liberty to show this letter) informs me, that he acquainted General Montgomery, whilst I was at Albany, that he had got his account of enlistments from Connecticut, and was willing to muster.