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Title: Washington, George to Richard Henry Lee, 1777 May 17;
Identifier(s): apsrevcity:16286
Description: Letter from George Washington to Richard Henry Lee. Requests instructions for what to do with so many foreigners appointed by Congress to field officer over native born Americans. Complains that foreigners have "no attachedor tyes to the Country, further than Interest bind them [...] are ignorant of the language they are to receive & give order in, consequently great trouble, or much confusion must follow: but this is not the worst, they have not the smallest chance to recruit others, and our Officers thinks it exceedingly hard, after they have toild in this Service, & probably sustaind many losses to have Strangers put over them, whose merit perhaps is not equal to their own; but whose effrontery will take no denial." Washington also describes and raises concern about foreign artillary officers and engineers that are badly needed. However, he desires them to be properly vetted and that their "pompous narrative of their Servive" combined with the excuse of losing their papers not be taken at face value. The end of the letter references Michael Kovats de Fabriczy (Kováts, Mihály), whom Washington does not necessarily trust as implied in his description. The two colonels referenced at the beginning of the letter are François Lellorquis de Malmédy and Charles Armand Tuffin.; American Philosophical Society
Subject: Political Philosophy; Waging the War; Philadelphia (Pa.)--History--Revolution, 1775-1783; Great Britain--Colonies--America--History--18th century; United States. Declaration of Independence--Signers; United States--Politics and government--18th century; United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Public opinion; La Rouërie, Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de, 1751-1793; Malmedy, François Lellorquis de, 1750?-1781; Kováts, Mihály, fabricy, 1724-1779
Date: 1777-05-17; 2021