On July 2(5 he wrote to Cornwallis to have three regiments dispatched to New York from the Carol inas, saying: - 1 shall probably want them, as well as the troops \jou man be able to spare me from the Chesapeake, for such, offensive or defensive operations as may offer in this quarter." The order was countermanded after the coming of the 3,000 Hessians, but it shows how promptly the presence of the allied armies in our county bore fruit. Washington wrote to Lafayette on this point: " I think we have already effected one part of the plan of campaign settled at Weathersfield -- that is, giving a substantial relief to the Southern States by obliging the enemy to recall a considerable part of their force from them. Our views must now be turned toward endeavoring to expel them totally from those States if we find ourselves incompetent to the siege of New York." But in spite of the re-enforcements which Clinton had received, Washington had no intention of abandoning New York until the situation should become more clearly defined. While Availing to hear from the fleet, he wrote to the governors of

OPERATIONS

the New England States complaining of their failure to send him more troops. " I am unable," lie said, " to advance with prudence beyond my present position. While perhaps in the general opinion my force is equal to the commencement of operations against New York, my conduct must appear, if not blamable, highly mysterious at least. Our allies, who were made to expect a very considerable augmentation of force by this time, instead of seeing a prospect of advancing must conjecture upon good grounds that the campaign will waste fruitlessly away." This letter certainly evidences a very earnest purpose to carry out the New York campaign on its merits.