216 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



and consult with tlie Commander-in-cliicf, on the 

 subjects therein mentioned. The member of the 

 board was myself. 



" To show the prostrate situation of our pecu- 

 niary concerns, I mention that 1 had not in the 

 chest of the office, without interfering with the 

 daily common demands lor contingencies, a suf- 

 ficient sum for my outfit and personal expenses. 

 Not toreseeing any extra claims for ca.sualties, I 

 had not provided out of my own funds against 

 them. At Trenton, on our way to camp, I lost 

 a horse. I could have ordered one out of the 

 quarter-master's stables ; but I avoided the ex- 

 ample, knowing the low state of that depart- 

 ment. I was obliged to borrow of Mr. Morris 

 the money necessary to replace my loss. On 

 our arrival at head-quarters, we had frequent 

 conferences with the General. I was soon con- 

 firmed, in what I had before been convinced of, 

 that our succe.=s, in the contemplated attack on 

 New^-York, v/as far worse than doubtful ; and 

 that was the plan of the campaign, notwith- 

 standing historical representations to the con- 

 trary. Among them, I see recently published, 

 ' a. project oi Comte Rocham beau,' announcing 

 his having, a long time precedently, formed a 

 deliberate plan ibr the fortunate achievement 

 which closed our war. And yet I know that the 

 change of the plan at first fixed on for the cam- 

 paign, was .sudden and accidental. All our con- 

 ferences were predicated on measures solely re- 

 lating to the intended attack on New- York." 



The change of the plan originated with Wa.sli- 

 ington alone : but let Mr. Peters's o^vn words be 

 again used: 'One morning at the beat of 

 reveille, Mr. Morris and myself, who occupied 

 the same marquee, were roused by a messenger 

 from head-quarters, and desired ibrthwith to re- 

 pair thither. "We were surprised at the circum- 

 stance ; every thing having been the evening 

 before perfectly tranquil. We were more so on 

 our meeting the General, who, the moment he 

 saw me, with expressions of intemperate pas- 

 sion, (which 1 will not repeat,) handed to me a 

 letter from the French admiral, who commanded 

 six or seven ships at Rhode Island : ' Here,' said 

 the General, ' read this ; you understand the 

 French ;' — then turning away : ' so do I now 

 better than ever.' Mr. Morris and myself stood 

 silent, and not a little astonished. The letter in- 

 fonned the General that the writer had received 

 by an express frigate, an-ived from the fleet of 

 Comte de Gra.sse, at sea, orders to join that fleet 

 in the Chesapeake, as the Comte had changed 

 his destination, on information that the bay of 

 New-York was dangerous for liis heavy ships ; 

 and if any thing could be done in the southeni 

 quarters, cooperation was offered during the few 

 ^^•eeks of his intended stay in those waters, to 

 avoid the West India humcane season. Secre- 

 cy vv'as enjoined, and \ve went our way. On 

 returning to breakfast, we found the General as 

 composed as if nothing extraordinary had hap- 

 pened, and measures concocting for the emer- 

 gency. I had often admired these conquests 

 over himself. That evening, or I think the next 

 day, a letter an-ived from the Marquis de Lafiiy- 

 ette, from Virginia, announcing the arrival of 

 the French fleet in the Chesapeake. I have 

 seen it asserted, that this was the first intimation, 

 and an appfarance of a preconcerted plan -was 

 given to it at camp. This is another inaccurate 

 historical fact. 



" In the coui-sc of the day, I was asked by the 

 General : 'well, what can you do for us, under 

 the present change of circumstances V I an- 

 (468) 



swered, 'plea.se to inform me of the extent of 

 your want.s.' Being, after some time, so inform- 

 ed, generally, I replied : ' I can do every thing 

 with money : nothing without it ; but what can 

 be transported hence must be relied on.' I 

 looked impressively on Mr. Morris, who said, 

 ' I understand you ; I must have time to consider 

 and calculate.' " 



Mr. Morris shortly after told the general that 

 he had no tangible effects ; but if anticipations 

 on the credit of his personal engagements would 

 succeed, he could supply the means for trans- 

 poi-ting the army from New-Jersey to the Ches- 

 apeake. 



" In a day or two," continues Mr. Peters, " we 

 left camp, under injunctions of secrecy, (v^'hich 

 we faithfully observed.) until the general de- 

 veloped his final objects and measures to Con- 

 gress. 



" On our arrival at Philadelphia, I set to work 

 mo.st industriously, and masked the object for a 

 time. By the zeal and extraordinary efforts of 

 the staif departments, particularly that of ord- 

 nance and military stores, sixty pieces of batter- 

 ing cannon, and a greater number of field artil- 

 lery, wore completely provided and finished in 

 three or four weeks, and as any portion of the 

 train \\ as ready, sent oft' on its way to the south- 

 em enterprise. Not a single gun was mounted 

 on my arrival at Philadelphia, nor a rauuner or 

 a sponge, or other attirail, nor any considerable 

 quantity of fixed ammunition. No European 

 magazine or arsenal could have done more in 

 the time, and under like circumstances. Gene- 

 ral Knox, who aiTived in twelve or fourteen 

 daj-s, had a great share of the merit of this ef- 

 fort. Mr. Morris supplied the money or the 

 credit ; and without derogation from the merit 

 of the assistance rendered by State authorities, it 

 may truly be said, that the financial means fur- 

 nished by liim were the main springs of trans- 

 portation and supplies for the glorious achieve- 

 ment which effectually secured our independ- 

 ence. Ho issued his notes for, I think, one mil- 

 lion four hundred thousand dollars. They passed 

 freely, and at the value of specie, and were in 

 time all redeemed. The Bank of North Amer- 

 ica, which he founded, with money supplied 

 from abroad, and by taxing the credit of his par- 

 ticular friends, and many other good friends to 

 their country, assisted him most eminently. 

 We gave our securities to the amount of a great 

 proportion of its capital stock. My bond was 

 returned to me only a few days ago ; amount- 

 ing, as I think, to thirty thousand dollars. Who, 

 then, knowing these things, can doubt of his 

 having been among the most prominent saviours 

 of his country !" 



Those v^ere times, as Mr. Peters adds, "when 

 wants were plenty, and supplies lamentably 

 scarce." The fearless manner in which property 

 and personal responsibility were risked, is wor- 

 thy of all praise. It ■was the tone of the day ; a 

 spirit of disinterested love of countiy prevailed, 

 and a vigilance that no exertions could tire ! 



In December, 1781, Mr. Peters resigned his 

 post in the War Office, upon which occasion 

 Congress — " Resolved, that Mr. Peters's letter of 

 resignation be entered on the Journal, and that 

 he be informed that Congress are sensible of his 

 merit, and convinced of his attachment to the 

 cause of his country, and i-etum him their thanks 

 for his long and faithful services in the War De- 

 partment." 



After Mr. Peters left the War Office, he*was 

 elected a member of Congress, and assisted in 



