Delegates to Congress . Letters of delegates to Congress, 1774-1789, Volume 9, February 1 1778-May 31 1778
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Henry Laurens to To: Jonathan Trumbull, Sr.


Sir,
9th Febry 1778.

   I had the honour of writing to your Excellency on the 14th Ulto. by Major Spencer & on the 3d Inst.(1) by an opportunity Mr. Webber


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which offered suddenly & unexpectedly I covered & directed properly to your Excellency Acts of Congress of the 19th December & 21st Jany past for retaliating upon the Enemy.

   My Duty is at present to convey the several Acts recited below Vizt.

   29th December 1777 for bringing to punishment when practicable such of the Inhabitants of these States as have joined or shall join the Enemy.

   26th Jany 78-expressing the approbation of Congress of the measures adopted by Your Excellency & the Council of Connecticut for providing public Stores & provisions &ca.

   3d Febry-for compelling persons holding Commissions & appointments under Congress to qualify themselves for acting in their several Offices by taking & subscribing to certain Oaths therein prescribed Your Excellency is requested to cause this to be made public throughout the State of Connecticut.

   Your Excellency will also find inclosed a Warrant on the Loan Office of your State for two hundred Thousand Dollars.(2)

   Colo. Dyer has signified to me that the mode of the Address by Congress to the General Assembly of Connecticut, conveyed under a flying Seal in my Letter of the 23d December had been interpretted as a slight & given some offence to Your Excellency.(3) It is at the request of that Gentleman I trouble you with the present explanation. When the paper abovementioned was sent to me I was in extreme pain confined in Bed. I perceived it had escaped Congress in an unusual dress & bespake a new Channel of Correspondence in almost all the States & that there were also some roughnesses in the Composition which required amendment. I therefore requested a sensible Member of Congress whose Sentiments I found to be consonant with my own, to present the piece to the House for a review. This Gentleman, as he informed me, pointed out the objections alluded to, in the House, & proposed a reconsideration, but Congress being deeply engaged in other affairs of great moment declined receiving it, saying in general, the president would send it in a proper manner. Under this intimation I judged it proper to pass the Address through Your Excellency's hands in the manner abovementioned, in order that the Contents might be previously known to your Excellency & the Council. I am persuaded Sir, there was no design in Congress to overlook Your Excellency & I beg Your Excellency will be assured it is impossible for me to attempt the smallest degree of disrespect towards a Character which I have long held in the highest Esteem-under this declaration I have the honour to subscribe with great truth, Sir,


Yours &ca.


Note: LB (DNA: PCC, item 13).


1 See Laurens to James Duane, February 3, 1778, note 2.




2 Congress had ordered the issuance of this warrant on January 27, 1778. JCC, 10:94. Laurens also wrote a brief letter this day to John Lawrence, the Continental


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loan office commissioner in Connecticut, informing him of "an Act of Congress of 20th December last cancelling a Warrant on the Loan Office Connecticut for 200,000 Dollars of the 16th September in favour of William Buchanan Esquire which had been returned unpaid." PCC, item 13, fol. 178; and JCC, 8:748, 9:1042. Furthermore, he wrote brief notes apprising Joseph Henderson and Eleazar Wales of their February 3 appointment as commissioners of accounts for the northern district and informing Moses Emerson of his February 3 appointment as commissioner of accounts at Hartford. PCC, item 13, fols. 178,180; and JCC, 10:113-14.




3 Laurens had unintentionally offended Governor Trumbull by addressing a copy of his December 23, 1777, circular letter to the states, to the speaker of the Connecticut Assembly rather than to the governor himself. Although Trumbull did not mention his chagrin in his January 16, 1778, reply to Laurens, his son Joseph complained about the putative slight in letters to Eliphalet Dyer and James Lovell, both of whom hastened to reassure the younger Trumbull that Laurens had not meant to give offense to the governor. See PCC, item 66, 1:372-73; James Lovell to Joseph Trumbull, January 27; and Eliphalet Dyer to Joseph Trumbull, February 8,1778.