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.

124 WASHINGTON'S WRITINGS. L[ET. 49.
operations against New York, my conduct must appear,
if not blamable, highly mysterious at least. Our allies,
with whom a junction has been formed upwards of
three weeks, and who were made to expect, from the
engagements which I entered into with them at Weathersfield in May last, a very considerable augmentation
of our force by this time, instead of seeing a prospect
of advancing, must conjecture, upon good grounds, that
the campaign will waste fruitlessly away. I shall just
remark, that it will be no small degree of triumph to
our enemies, and will have a very pernicious influence
upon our friends in Europe, should they find such a
failure of resource, or such a want of energy to draw
it out, that our boasted and expensive preparations
erfd only in idle parade.
I cannot yet but persuade myself, and I do not
cease to encourage our allies with the hope, that our
force will still be sufficient to carry our intended operation into effect; or, if we cannot fully accomplish
that, to oblige the enemy to withdraw part of their force
from the southward to support New York, which, as I
informed you in my letter from Weathersfield, was part
of our plan. Your Excellency must be sensible, that
the fulfilment of my engagements must depend upon
the degree of vigor, with which the executives of the
several States exercise the powers with which they
have been vested, and enforce the laws lately passed
for filling up and supplying the army. In full confidence- that the means, which have been voted, will be
obtain'ed, I shall continue my preparations; but I must
take the liberty of informing you, that it is essentially
necessary I should be made acquainted, immediately
upon the receipt of this, with the number of Continental levies and militia, that have been forwarded, and
what are the prospects of obtaining the remainder. I