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.

64 WASHINGTON'S WRITINGS. [AET. 49.
TO COUNT DE ROCHAMBEAU.
New Windsor, 4 June, 1781.
SIR,
I had last evening the honor of receiving your favor
of the 31st of May by the Duke de Lauzun, who infbrms me, that he is authorized by your Excellency
and Count de Barras to enter into a free communication with me upon the subject of the council of war
held on board the Duc de Bourgogne, and request my
opinion upon the propriety of their determination.*
* Intelligence had been brought to Count de Rochambeau by his son
and Count de Barras, that a strong armament had departed from Brest, or
would immediately depart, under Count de Grasse, for the West Indies;
and that, after he had passed the Azores, Count de Grasse would detach
a convoy with somewhat more than six hundred recruits, escorted by the
armed vessel Sagittaire, and destined to unite with the French army at
Newport. Money for the army and navy was also to be brought by the
Sagittaire. The news was likewise entrusted to Count de Rochambeau
alone, that Count de Grasse had orders to sail with his fleet to the coast
of the United States in the month of July or August, to relieve the
squadron of M. de Barras; and in case M. de Rochambeau should march
from Newport to unite with General Washington before the arrival of
Count de Grasse's fleet, then the squadron of Barras was to retire to the
harbour of Boston for security, as it was supposed, that, without the protection of the French army on shore, the vessels would be in danger of
a naval attack from the enemy with a superior force. - Memoires de Rochambeau, Tom. I. p. 270.
It having been decided at the conference between the American and
French commanders, held at Weathersfield, that the French army should
leave Newport and march to the North River, the manner of disposing
of the French fleet was taken into consideration immediately after the
return of Count de Rochambeau. The result is explained in the following extract from a letter written by him to General Washington.
"The Count de Barras, instead of going to Boston according to his
orders, has held a council of war, the result of which I send here enclosed. I hope your Excellency will as soon as possible send an order,
that the militia, who are to be stationed on this Island, be raised to the
number of one thousand. They will be joined by four hundred men,
whom I shall leave under the orders of M. de Choisy, a brigadier-general,
and a very good offic-er. I think that the State of Massachusetts may
furnish the five hundred men, that have been demanded by the council