Continental Congress, " New Toek, 27 June, 1776," postscript dated "June " 28th."]

On the following day, General Washington wrote thus : "I suppose "the whole fleet will be in, within a day or two." [It aU arrived <m that day.'] " I am hopeful, before they are prepared to attack, that I " shall get some reinforcements. Be that as it may, I shall attempt "to make the best disposition I can of our troops, in order to give them "a proper reception, and prevent the ruin and destruction they are " meditating against us," (General Washington to the President of the Continental Congress," New Yoke, 29 June, 1776.")

A few days after General Washington had thus conveyed the intelligence of the weakness of his command, to the Continental Congress, the Adjutant-general of the Army is said to have written to a member of the same Congress, on the same subject, in these words: "With an "Army of force, before, and a secret one, behind, we stand on a point "of land with six thousand old troops, if a year's service of about half "can entitle them to the name, and about fifteen hundred new levies, "of this Province, many disaffected and more doubtful. In this situ- " ation we are : every man in the Ar.ny, from the General to the Pri- "vate, acquainted with our true situation, is exceedingly discouraged. "Had I known the true posture of affairs, no consideration would have "tempted me to have taken an active part of this scene ; and this sen- "timent is universal," (Adjutant general Joseph Seed "to a Member of " Congress," "New Yoek, July 4, 1776," quoted by Dr. Gordon, in his History of the Rise, Progress and Establishment ofthe Independence of the XMited States of America, Edition, London : 1788, ii., 278.)