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accompanies you, and with whom I wish you to consult when any difficulty arises. If you find any papers relating to any intended operation against the cause of America, or any letters from British Governours or officers, or agents of the Ministry, you will make a list of such papers and letters, copy whereof you will deliver to Sir John Johnson, and another, together with such papers and letters, you must transmit to me. You and Mr. Duer will both give your words of honour that you will discover to no person whatever the contents of any papers or letters which are of a private nature, and which do not affect the cause of America. Although Sir John is to be closely guarded, he is by no means to experience the least ill-treatment in his own person or those of his family; and you are to be particularly careful that none of the men under your command, or any persons whatsoever, destroy or take away the most trifling part of his property, except arms and ammunition, which you are to secure and bring down with you and deliver to Mr. Philip Rensselaer, store-keeper, with a charge to keep them safe until further orders from me. In securing Sir John Johnson, and in searching his house, I wish the least tumult possible, and to that end you are not to suffer private soldiers to enter it, unless by your immediate order. You will constantly keep strong guards and good look out, that you may not experience a surprise, both in marching to and whilst you remain there; and on your return, having secured Sir John Johnson and brought him to Albany, you are there to cause him to be guarded with the same attention, and to send me notice of his arrival.

I am, sir, your humble servant,

PHILIP SCHUYLER.

To Colonel Dayton.


GENERAL SCHUYLER TO SIR JOHN JOHNSON.

Saratoga, May 10, 1776.

SIR: After candidly scanning, coolly considering, and comparing the variety of information which imputes to you the most hostile intentions against the country, I could have wished, for the sake of human nature, to have found them groundless. Unhappily they are too well supported by the testimony even of those who were intrusted with the secret of your intended operations, and whose remorse has induced them to so full a discovery as not to leave a doubt on my mind that you have acted contrary to the sacred engagements you lay under to me, and through me to the publick. It is, therefore, necessary for the safety of the inhabitants, and the weal of the country, that I should put it out of your power to embroil it in domestick confusion; and have therefore ordered you a close prisoner, and sent down to Albany, to be thence conveyed to his Excellency General Washington, thereby discharging you from your parole. But influenced by, and acting upon, principles which will never occasion a remorse of conscience, I have at the same time ordered that no insult should be offered to your person or family, and that your property should be guarded and secured with a scrupulous attention; for, sir, Americans engaged in the cause of liberty remain uninfluenced by the savage and brutal example which has been given them by the British troops, in wantonly setting on fire the buildings of individuals, and otherwise destroying their property.

I am, sir, your humble servant,

PHILIP SCHUYLER.

To Sir John Johnson.


GENERAL SCHUYLER TO LADY JOHNSON.

Saratoga, May 14, 1776.

MADAM: Mr. Duer, who is so good as to take charge of this, will advise you of the pain Sir John’s conduct has occasioned me, and how much I have been distressed at the sad necessity which obliges me to secure his person. He will also inform you how much I suffered on his account last winter; but although he has forgot the obligations he lies under to me, yet his usage will be such as if he had not, for I am incapable of prostituting my office to resentment. I entreat you, therefore, to make yourself perfectly easy on that head. Should you choose to accompany or follow Sir John, all the care and attention will be paid you which is due to your rank and sex; but if Sir John chooses that you should remain, an officer’s guard will be left, if required, to prevent any insult that might be offered by imprudent or malicious people to yourself or your family.

I am, madam, your most obedient, humble servant,

PHILIP SCHUYLER.

To Lady Johnson.


SIR JOHN JOHNSON TO GENERAL SCHUYLER.

Johnson-Hall, May 18, 1776.

SIR: On my return from Fort Hunter yesterday, I received your letter by express, acquainting me that the elder Mr. McDonald had desired to have all the clan of his name in the County of Tryon, removed and subsisted. I know none of that clan but such as are my tenants, and have been for near two years supported by me with every necessary, by which means they have contracted a debt of near two thousand pounds, which they are in a likely way to discharge, if left in peace. As they are under no obligations to Mr. McDonald, they refuse to comply with his extraordinary request; therefore beg there may be no troops sent to conduct them to Albany, otherwise they will look upon it as a total breach of the treaty agreed to at Johnstown. Mrs. McDonald showed me a letter from her husband, written since he applied to the Congress for leave to return to their families, in which he mentions that he was told by the Congress that it depended entirely upon you; he then desired that their families might be brought down to them, but never mentioned anything with regard to moving my tenants from hence, as matters he had no right to treat of Mrs. McDonald requested that I would inform you that neither herself nor any of the other families, would choose to go down.

I am, sir, your very humble servant,

JOHN JOHNSON.

To Philip Schuyler, Esquire.


COLONEL DAYTON TO GENERAL SCHUYLER.

Johnstown, May 22, 1776.

SIR: I arrived here on Sunday last, with a party of about three hundred men under my command. In consequence of your orders, delivered to me by General Sullivan, immediately on my arrival I sent Major Barber with a letter to Sir John Johnson, desiring him to acquaint me at what time the Highlanders would be assembled at Johnstown, that I might escort them to Albany, agreeable to your letter by express.

Major Barber was informed by Lady Johnson that Sir John had received your letter, in consequence of which he had assembled the Highlanders, who said that Mr. McDonald had no right to make any application to Congress on their account, and that they were determined not to surrender themselves; and that Sir John had resolved to retire with these people into the woods. She insinuated, that if our people pursued them, they were resolved to defend themselves, and that they were not altogether unprepared.

Soon after our arrival in town, several warriors of the Mohawk nation passed by our tents, on their way to Johnson-Hall, painted and armed according to their manner when they go to war. In consequence of this, I thought it proper to defer my operations until Mr. Douw and Mr. Yates retired from Fort Hunter, that I might know in what light the march of our troops was considered by the Mohawks. On the return of those gentlemen, they informed me that the warriors were much dissatisfied with the march of our troops, and that their countenances threatened the most hostile intentions; but that the sachems seemed dissatisfied, and promised to meet me at Johnstown about ten, the next day. I must refer you to Mr. Caldwell for the particulars of this conference with the Indians, which did not end until Tuesday afternoon. I flatter myself you will approve of my conduct in this matter. Mr. Douw and Mr. Yates will, of course, communicate to you everything relative to this negotiation.

If we may give credit to the intelligence we have received, Sir John, with upwards of three hundred persons, several of whom are said to be armed, attempted on Tuesday morning to make his escape through the woods to Canada. I imagine, for my own part, it is more probable that, by the assistance of some Indian guides, he may attempt to make his escape to Niagara, and I have taken every possible precaution to prevent his escaping by that communication. With

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