your commands with all possible expedition, and hope to be in Philadelphia Thursday next, and wish earnestly to find you there. I must take the liberty to entreat it of you, not to leave the Congress until you are provided, not only with all the powers, but all the means their power can bestow. If it is indispensably necessary you should leave Philadelphia before I get there, I hope to find with Colonel Harrison your positive and particular commands, in regard to any business you may leave unsettled behind you. The request for the riflemen was well received in this Province, and in Maryland. Major Stevenson commands one of the companies from hence, and I believe Captain Morgan the other, both excellent for the service. Colonel Cresap told me on Monday morning that his son had eighty riflemen ready to march; those go for one of the companies from Maryland. Immediately upon the arrival of your express, I despatched your packets to your brother and Colonel Stephen. If their answers don’t come in half an hour, I will bring them with me.

My grateful thanks are most respectfully due to the Congress, for the very handsome manner in which they conferred their commission.

I Will not intrude more upon that time which is now so precious to you, only to assure you I will not lose a moment in paying you my personal attendance.

With the greatest respect for your character, and the sincerest attachment to your person, I am, dear General, your most faithful and obedient humble servant,

HORATIO GATES.

To the President and Members of the Provincial Congress of the Province of NEW-YORK:

The Memorial of WILLIAM ELPHINSTON, Conductor of Ordnance Stores, humbly sheweth:

That your memorialist was taken prisoner at Crown Point, on the 11th of May last, by a detachment of the Provincial Army. After which event, finding that those persons who formerly were very desirous of purchasing his bills, refused to purchase any more, he obtained a pass for coming to New-York. Since his arrival here, he finds that the Continental Congress have published a resolve forbidding any one to negotiate bills for the pay of any officer in the Army or Navy. By this means your memorialist is reduced to the want of every thing. The nett amount of your memorialist’s pay is one guinea per week. Therefore your memorialist earnestly entreats you will be so good as to take his case into consideration, and to allow him so much subsistence as to your wisdom and goodness shall appear reasonable, until such time as permission is granted for negotiating bills in the usual way. And your memorialist, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, &c.

WILLIAM ELPHINSTON,
Conductor of Ordnance Stores.

New-York, June 22, 1775.

ELISHA PHELPS TO NEW-YORK CONGRESS.

Albany, June 22, 1775.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOURS: According to a resolve of the Honourable Continental Congress, concerning the appointment of Commissaries, &c., his Honour, Jonathan Trumbull, Esq., Governour and Commander-in-Chief in and over His Majesty’s English Colony of Connecticut, has appointed me to be Commissary for the Northern Army, and commissionated me accordingly, to receive at Albany, and forward the supplies of provisions for the forces at Lake Champlain, from the Provincial Congress of New-York.

Having arrived at Albany for that purpose, find Mr. Bleecker, commissary of the stores, (by yourselves already provided,) absent; and no supplies for said Troops (as I can understand) are in this place, but in Mr. Bleecker’s custody; and his deputy refuses to resign said stores to me, as he has no direction for the same. Therefore, it is not in my power to forward supplies, &c., according to my commission, and the resolve of the Continental Congress. Beg leave to apply to you for advice in the premises, and as the necessity of the case seems to require it, hope for a speedy answer. Mr. Strong, acting commissary heretofore, has purchased about thirty head of fat cattle for the use of said Troops, and now draws on me for pay. I have applied to the Committee in this place, but find no provision made for that purpose. Pray your Honours to send money for the same, or to direct, as you in your wisdom shall think proper.

Interim am your Honours’ humble servant,

ELISHA PHELPS.

To the Honourable Provincial Convention for the Province of New-York.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM WETHESRSFIELD, CONNECTICUT, TO A GENTLEMAN IN PHILADELPHIA, DATED JUNE 22, 1775.

Before this you must know, I conclude, that there has been a battle, in which fell the honourable, the noble Doctor Warren. For fear you may not have the particulars, I will endeavour in part to relate to you how the affair was, according to the best accounts I can gather by letters from the camp. Last Friday afternoon orders were issued for about eighteen hundred of the Provincial Troops, and two hundred of the Connecticut, to parade themselves at six o’clock, with one day’s provision, equipped with packs, blankets, &c. Their orders were given at nine o’clock, and they marched with their teams, trenching tools, &c., on Bunker’s Hill, to heave up an intrenchment, which you are sensible is near the water, ships, &c. They worked most surprisingly that night, and were discovered at sunrise by a sailor from the mast-head. The British Army commenced a heavy fire from Copp’s Hill, near Cutler’s Church, in Boston, and from all the ships which could be brought to play, which continued till near night.

About one o’clock, A. M., the Americans at Cambridge heard that the Regulars were landing from their floating batteries. The alarm was sounded, and they were ordered, down to the breastwork at Charlestown; and Captain Chester writes me, that before it was possible for him to get there, the battle had begun in earnest, and cannon and musket balls were plenty about their ears. Chester and my brother were both in the engagement. They re-enforced our men that had left the breastwork in fine order, though they passed through the cannonading of the ships, bombs, chain-shot, ring-shot, &c; but then their superiour number of artillery and men, (for they were three to two,) forced our men to retreat, after a warm engagement of an hour and a half. Thank Heaven, but few of our men fell, considering the advantages they had over us, our men being much fatigued with working at the intrenchments, and I believe not in the best preparation to meet an enemy. The British Troops, to their eternal disgrace, shame, and barbarity, set Charlestown on fire with torches.

My brother says we were obliged to retreat to Prospect Hill, (alias Winter Hill,) where we made a stand, and declared we would all die before we would retreat any farther; but the British Troops did not think fit to come out from under the protection of their shipping. The loss of Americans is supposed to be, of wounded, missing, and slain, about one hundred and twenty. A large, genteel, well-dressed gentleman, who first mounted our breastwork, was overset by one of our impudent Americans, who took so good aim as to prevent his ever mourning another, as he tumbled him into the intrenchment just as he cried, “the day is our own.”

We greatly rejoice to hear of the coming of the good, the brave, and great General Washington, and shall receive him with open arms.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM A GENTLEMAN AT STOCKBRIDGE TO A GENTLEMAN OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, DATED JUNE 22, 1775.

A firm foundation now turns up to view for the influence of the Stockbridge Indians amongst the Six Nations; and matters stand well with the Canadian Indians. If I had time I would relate to you every particular of what befel the messengers of our Indians to the Six Nations and the Canadian Indians. To be short, they were taken and bound by the Regulars, and carried into Montreal, where, by a Court-Martial, they were condemned to be hanged for a slight suspicion that they were sent to engage the Indians to fall upon the Regulars. This event turned much to our advantage, and has fully fixed the minds of the Indians there