The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

238 LIFE OF WASHINGTON. [1777.
to combat the enemy. Congress, embarrassed by the
novelty of their duties and the indefinite nature of
their powers, deliberated, with caution, and were seldom
ready to act in military affairs, till incited by the counsels
or earnest entreaties of the Commander-in-chief. For
several months he had urged upon them the necessity
of a larger number of general officers in the army,
and in February five additional major-generals and ten
brigadiers were appointed.
On this subject he always spoke with delicacy in
his letters, rarely expressing an opinion as to the qualifications of individuals, and avoiding equally the appearance of partiality and of a wish to interfere in any
degree with the appointing power. Various considerations produced delays and sometimes contentions in
Cobngress respecting military appointments. Local predilections interposed the chief obstacles. The claims
of the respective States were to be regarded, according
to which the general officers were to be taken from
each in proportion to the number of troops it furnished.
By this rule the best officers in the country could not
be selected, if it happened that more than one or two
resided in the same State. Moreover there were frequent disagreements among the delegates of a particular State, in regard to the comparative merits of the
candidates of such State, especially when the pretensions of each were supported by the influence of friends
or parties. This mode of appointing officers not only
brought some into the service, who were incompetent
to their high station, but created dissensions in the army
about rank, and added to the many troubles that
harassed the Commander-in-chief.
Soon after General Howe arrived at Staten Island
from Halifax, a correspondence was opened between
him and General Washington respecting the exchange