Washington, George, as Commander-in-Chief

Circular letter in the hand of Tench Tilghman signed ("G:^{o Washington"), 4 pages bifolium (13 x 8 in.; 335 x 205 mm), Philadelphia, 19 December 1781, to Governor Benjamin Harrison of Virginia, regarding details about the state quotas of troops mandated by Congress; brittle and browned, leaves detached, first leaf guarded on left margin, numerous skillful repairs to tears on first leaf, long fold separation on second leaf cutting through one line of text, seal tear at top margin of both leaves.}

Fitzpatrick 23: 397–399

Circular letter in the hand of Tench Tilghman signed ("Go Washington"), 4 pages bifolium (13 x 8 in.; 335 x 205 mm), Philadelphia, 19 December 1781, to Governor Benjamin Harrison of Virginia, regarding details about the state quotas of troops mandated by Congress; brittle and browned, leaves detached, first leaf guarded on left margin, numerous repairs to tears on first leaf, long fold separation on second leaf cutting through one line of text, seal tear at top margin of both leaves.
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State quotas of Troops. This circular letter was sent to all the Governors of the Southern Theatre (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia). Even though the British had surrendered at Yorktown in October 1781, they still held New York, Wilmington, Savannah, and Charleston. In this letter addressed to Virigina governor Benjamin Harrison, Washington writes: "You will have been furnished by His Excellency the President of Congress with the Resolve of the 10th instant calling upon the several States to compleat their respective Quotas of Troops by the 1st. of March next. In order to ascertain the deficiencies, I am directed to transmit to the Executives of the States, Returns, under particular descriptions, of the number of Men each has in service. The Troops of your State composing part of the Southern Army, it would occasion an immense loss of time were I first to call for the Returns and then transmit them back from hence or wherever I may happen to be."

Washington makes manifest Congress's motivations for continuing state quotas: " ... [I]t is unnecessary to impress upon your Excellency the necessity of complying as fully as possible with the requisition of Congress above mentioned. It is a well known fact, that the critical and dangerous situation to which all the southern States were reduced, was owing to the want of a sufficient regular force to oppose to that of the enemy, who, taking advantage of the frequent dissolutions of our temporary Armies, had gained such footing in the four most southern that their Governments were totally subverted or so debilitated, that they were not capable of exerting sufficient authority to bring a regular Army into the Field. Happily the Scene is changed, and a moment is allowed us to rectify our past errors, and, if rightly improved, to put ourselves in such a situation that we need not be apprehensive of the force which Great Britain has remaining upon the Continent ..." After a long struggle, the British finally evacuated Savannah on 11 July 1782.  The Battle of Combahee River in South Carolina on 27 August 1782 marked the last fighting between British and American forces, and in November 1783, the last of British troops evacuated New York City and headed for home.