George Washington States the Principle of the Spirit of 1775: The British “are convinced whenever they make an impression, the Country will recur to arms.”

Also a demonstration of the confidence of Washington that was necessary to win the Revolution, a confidence buttressed by recent victories over the British at the Battles of Trenton, Assunpink Creek, and Princeton

 

A remarkable and wide-ranging letter, in which Washington seeks to protect his supplies from British attack and mentions the first major American inoculation campaign

 

“Such as are invalids or too weak to proceed yet from Inoculation or other Causes might remain, till they recover more strength, at the places where the Stores shall be removed to: they will serve as a guard and will aid in repelling any incursion the Enemy may attempt to make for their destruction.”

In 1775, The Massachusetts Provincial Congress approved the creation of a three‐man committee of safety to begin buying military supplies, and it called on every county to enlist one‐third of its men between 16 and 60 in special companies and regiments “ready to act at a minute’s warning.” Every town was urged to make sure that these minutemen had “an effective firearm, bayonet, pouch, knapsack, 30 rounds of cartridges and balls and that they be disciplined [trained] three times a week, and oftener as opportunity may offer.” By the opening months of 1775, some 15,000 minutemen were obeying the Provincial Congress’s call to drill three times a week. They were not an army, but they were the next best thing to one. A remarkably high percentage of their officers were veterans of the French wars.

The more the minutemen drilled, the more aggressive they became. And when these countrymen were notified of the arrival of the British ahead of Lexington and Concord, they banded together in these quickly forms groups to oppose them. Their actions inspired patriotism and led to the so-called Spirit of 1775: a patriotic group of citizens rising to fight off the aggressive invading British.

The success of the American Revolution was a long-shot, as an unorganized group of farmers took on the greatest military power of the day. Its leader George Washington, though a very wealthy landowner with everything to lose, agreed to lead. Victories were few and far between for the Americans, and at times the army under his command was reduced to a few thousand dedicated but ill-armed, ill-fed and ill-housed men. There were a number of moments during the Revolutionary War when it actually seemed over except for British mopping up operations. It can be said that it was the determination, clear vision, and foresight of Washington that held the American cause and army together. He fought on, refusing to consider the possibility of defeat. The success of the Revolution was an astonishing achievement for Washington.

In 1777, George Washington was General of the Continental Army, a position to which he had been appointed two years earlier by the Continental Congress. Only five short months before writing this letter, as part of a campaign to regain momentum after a series of defeats in New York City in 1776, Washington had secured a crucial American victory by attacking and defeating German mercenaries employed by the British to occupy Trenton, New Jersey, on the Delaware River. The famous crossing of the Delaware on December 25, 1776, coupled with his requests for assistance from Congress and other local officials to support his army, caused the army to increase in size. He crossed the river for the second time on December 29 with 5,000 men, intending to force the British out of as much of New Jersey as possible. Washington went on to take part in the Battle of Assunpink Creek, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, on January 2, 1777. He and his army were attacked by a regiment under General Charles Cornwallis, but used their retreat to their advantage by circling around the British troops and surprising three regiments that were on their way to reinforce Cornwallis. It was an American victory. The next day the Battle of Princeton was another American success. These three victories in ten days were a high point of the Revolution. Then, moving through Princeton and eluding what was left of the British forces, Washington’s army secured a position in the hills of Morristown, New Jersey. From there he planned next steps and assessed the status of the war and the demonstrated American determination to rise up against the British.

Looking to counter this series of recent defeats at Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey, the British commander in North America – William Howe – decided to take the war to nearby Connecticut and New York. Howe believed that the destruction of American supply depots located in those the states would give his army a distinct advantage over Washington’s force and compel it to withdraw or disperse. Howe sent his largest raiding force to destroy the American depot at Danbury, Connecticut in late April of 1777. Reaching the town virtually unopposed, the British burned military stores and equipment, as American Militia gathered from the surrounding towns and prepared a counterattack.

Having completed their objective, the British attempted to withdraw on April 27, but met strong resistance along their line of retreat. Attacked from the rear by Connecticut militiamen, and then harassed throughout the morning, the British Infantry continued to march until they encountered a strong American position outside the town of Ridgefield. Using the local terrain and barricades across the roadway, more American Militia under the command of Brigadier General Benedict Arnold forced the British to deploy into line and fought them for nearly two hours, until their defenses were broken by a concentrated British advance.

Reaching the safety of the British Fleet the next day, Howe’s raiders claimed victory. However, their raid had little effect on the overall war. Writing to the Continental Congress, Washington stated that “the damage we sustained at Danbury was not so great . . . the chief loss [being tents].” For Arnold however, his defense of Ridgefield earned him a promotion to the rank of Major General, and the trust of his troops that would help win the Battle of Saratoga five months later.

But more than that, Washington saw in this defeat a the hope of a new nation, one that was willing to defend itself. This militia of citizens, farmers, countrymen, had risen to fight off the British and shown the spirit that would win the war, regular Americans raising up to fight off tyranny.

On May 2, 1777, Brig. General Samuel Holden Parsons wrote to Washington: “The Loss of our Stores at Danbury is an Event very Alarming to the Country. I hope the Effect will not be fatal to the Army: by the Examination of Sundry disaffected Persons: we have Reason to beleive a Second Descent is soon to be made for destroying our little Magazines in Derby, & New Haven.”

This is Washington’s response, summing up the spirit of the Revolution. Letter Signed, as Commander of the Continental Army. two pages, Morristown, New Jersey, May 7, 1777, to General Samuel Holden Parsons. “Dear Sir, I have been favored with your letter of the 2d inst., and am happy to hear the order for assembling men is likely to be attended with so great success. The loss of the flour at Danbury is to be regretted, but I cannot consider it in the important light you seem to do. Those at Derby are to be removed by a resolve of Congress and I hope the work is begun ere now having wrote Generals [Alexander] McDougall and [George] Clinton pressingly upon the subject. Such as are at New Haven and other places contiguous to the [Long Island] Sounds, should be removed as expeditiously as possible to some interior part of the country when they will not be liable to be destroyed on any sudden debarkation of the enemy. It would give me pleasure if the situation of our Army would justify the leaving of strong guards of Continental Troops at every place, subject to the landing of the Enemy, but as it will not, it imports us highly to collect a respectable force at such posts and passes, as are most important and material for us to secure, and which from their consequence, in all probability, are and will be the objects of the Enemy’s attention. I must therefore request that you will continue to forward on, all the hale and effective troops to Pecks Hill without loss of time. Such as are invalids or too weak to proceed yet from Inoculation or other Causes might remain, till they recover more strength, at the places where the Stores shall be removed to: they will serve as a guard and will aid in repelling any incursion the Enemy may attempt to make for their destruction.

“However I am inclined to believe they [the British] will pursue such measures with a great degree of caution. For tho’ they afforded themselves the stores at Danbury, yet it was with considerable loss and they are convinced whenever they make an impression, the Country will recur to arms.

“Respecting the sentence against Thompson, I wrote you fully and the matter is with you. The letter was certainly opened as you supposed, because the superscription on the cover you sent, is not the writing of any of my Family and Mr. [Tench] Tilghman wrote the original. I am Dear Sir, your most obedient servant, G. Washington.” Some soiling and wear to letter; no text missing. Strong signature.