Correspondence of the American Revolution: Being Letters of Eminent Men to George Washington, from the Time of His Taking Command of the Army to the End of His Presidency, Vol. 3

Contents:
Author: Robert Morris

U.S. History

From Robert Morris.

Philadelphia, 15 June, 1781.

DEAR SIR,

I have been honored with your very kind and obliging letter of the 4th instant, and should sooner have replied, but I am kept here in a kind of suspense by the very slow manner of proceeding in the Assembly of this State. I am Financier elect, but that is all; for had I taken the oath and my commission, my seat in the Assembly must have been vacated. And I think it of the utmost consequence to preserve my right of appearing there, until the tender and penal laws are totally repealed; for I consider those laws as destructive of all credit, even amongst private people in dealings with one another. But to the public officers, after the experience we have had, it is evident that the existence of such laws much longer, must totally preclude them from every possibility of credit; and in our circumstances the war cannot be carried on without it. I have already made such an impression on this subject, that I feel pretty sure those laws will be repealed in this State within these few days; and I expect the other Legislatures will readily follow the example.

I am also pressing our Assembly to levy effective taxes in hard money. There are stronger objections made to this than the other measure, and they are more pertinaciously insisted on. But still they will, either wholly or partially, come into this also; and if once the ice is broken, they will see such advantages flowing front these foundations, as will readily induce them to follow up the plans that evidently prove, in the operation, how beneficial they are to the country.

Insuperable obstacles have hitherto prevented me from bending my course towards your camp, and it seems yet uncertain when it may be in my power; for although I stipulated with Congress that they should not rest any part of the present campaign on me, yet they cannot refrain, and already much of my time and attention is engaged in that way. Not having taken any commission, prevents me from calling on the several departments for such returns as I should choose to have with me when I wait on your Excellency; for my objects are to reduce our public expenditures as nearly as possible to what they ought to be, and to obtain revenues in our own country, to meet those expenses as nearly as can be; and then to show foreign nations, engaged in the war, that we must look to them for the balance. And I am very confident, when they shall see exertions on one hand, and economy on the other, they will be willing to assist us all they consistently can. The promise you so cheerfully make, of granting all the support in your power, increases my own confidence, and I will, before long, engage in the duties of my department, with all the energy I am master of; that is, provided these tender and penal laws are done away. I have the pleasure to hear, that Mr Lowry has sent one thousand barrels of flour to camp. From General Schuyler, I have not yet heard. I have the honor to be,

Your Excellency’s most devoted, humble servant,

ROBERT MORRIS.

Contents:

Related Resources

American Revolution

Download Options


Title: Correspondence of the American Revolution: Being Letters of Eminent Men to George Washington, from the Time of His Taking Command of the Army to the End of His Presidency, Vol. 3

Select an option:

*Note: A download may not start for up to 60 seconds.

Email Options


Title: Correspondence of the American Revolution: Being Letters of Eminent Men to George Washington, from the Time of His Taking Command of the Army to the End of His Presidency, Vol. 3

Select an option:

Email addres:

*Note: It may take up to 60 seconds for for the email to be generated.

Chicago: Robert Morris, "From Robert Morris.," Correspondence of the American Revolution: Being Letters of Eminent Men to George Washington, from the Time of His Taking Command of the Army to the End of His Presidency, Vol. 3 in Correspondence of the American Revolution: Being Letters of Eminent Men to George Washington, from the Time of His Taking Command of the Army to the End of His Presidency, ed. Jared Sparks (Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1853), 339–341. Original Sources, accessed March 29, 2024, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=PWL7GJVNDTKS7NP.

MLA: Morris, Robert. "From Robert Morris." Correspondence of the American Revolution: Being Letters of Eminent Men to George Washington, from the Time of His Taking Command of the Army to the End of His Presidency, Vol. 3, in Correspondence of the American Revolution: Being Letters of Eminent Men to George Washington, from the Time of His Taking Command of the Army to the End of His Presidency, edited by Jared Sparks, Vol. 3, Freeport, NY, Books for Libraries Press, 1853, pp. 339–341. Original Sources. 29 Mar. 2024. http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=PWL7GJVNDTKS7NP.

Harvard: Morris, R, 'From Robert Morris.' in Correspondence of the American Revolution: Being Letters of Eminent Men to George Washington, from the Time of His Taking Command of the Army to the End of His Presidency, Vol. 3. cited in 1853, Correspondence of the American Revolution: Being Letters of Eminent Men to George Washington, from the Time of His Taking Command of the Army to the End of His Presidency, ed. , Books for Libraries Press, Freeport, NY, pp.339–341. Original Sources, retrieved 29 March 2024, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=PWL7GJVNDTKS7NP.