Council of Maryland, 1781-1782. 59

[Council to His Ex^y Gen^l Washington.]

We were yesterday honored with your Favor of the 22^d. We
should have been very happy, had it reached us a few Days sooner,
and before the Rising of the General Assembly, that we might have
laid before them the Sentiments contained therein, which we are
well assured would have operated as the greatest Stimulus to their
Exertions, though we believe they wanted no additional Incentive to

January 28
Liber No. 78
p. 320

comply as fully as possible with the Requisitions your Excellency
alludes to. After a great Deal of Time spent, and long Deliberation
on the Subject, they passed the Supply Bill, of which the enclosed
is a Copy, and we much question, were we to call them together
again, whether they would be able to do more under our present Cir-
cumstances. When they next meet, which is to be the first of Tune,
by Adjournment, and probably may be earlier, the Subject Matter
of your Letter, shall be the first Business submitted to their Consid-
eration. The Assembly also passed a Bill for recruiting our Line
giving the entire Direction of the Business to General Smallwood,
and providing Means for furnishing him with 20,000£. Specie for
the Purpose. We are inclined to believe the Bill would be effectual,
provided we could be supplied with 2500 Suits of Cloathing, which
at the Desire of the General Assembly, we have requested of Con-
gress, and as your Excellency must know that we have, for the last
two Years, furnished our Line entirely with this Article, without the
smallest Assistance from Congress, we hope you will not deem us
unreasonable in soliciting your Influence to have our Application com-
plied with the more especially as we can say with great Truth, that
it is absolutely out of our Power to provide for the present Year.

p. 321

[Council to President of Congress]

The General Assembly, upon Information that Congress had im-
ported or purchased a large Quantity of Soldiers Cloathing for the
Army, directed us to apply, in a particular Manner, through your
Excellency, for twenty five hundred Suits for our Line, which we
hope will be furnished to us, as it is absolutely beyond our Ability to
provide this Article. We need not remind Congress that we have, for
these two Years past, cloathed our Men entirely, without the smallest
Assistance from the Continent. If the Whole of the Cloathing re-
quested cannot be supplied immediately, we would wish to be in-
formed when we may expect to receive it. The Assembly have passed
a Recruiting Bill which we believe would be effectual, provided we
had Cloathing to give the old Soldiers, as well as the new Recruits.
We are also directed by the Assembly to make Application for 3000
Stand of Arms, an Article, of which we are almost destitute, from
having lent to the Continent, in the Year 1776, upwards of 3000
Stand, to arm our Regulars and the Flying Camp, none of which
were returned, and at different Times since that Period, to arm the

Ibid.