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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC03256 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to 1781 |
| Title | George Mason to George Mason Jr. discussing the American Revolution |
| Date | 3 June 1781 |
| Author | Mason, George (1725-1792) |
| Recipient | Mason, George Jr. |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Discusses George Jr.'s brothers' roles in the war. Says the Americans under Nathaniel Greene are fighting bravely, but are overmatched by the British, who seem intent on taking Virginia. Cornwallis and his men have just arrived in Virginia to support Benedict Arnold's troops. Discusses the forces of Lafayette and Wayne in Pennsylvania. Hopes that a French fleet will soon arrive, but doubts this will happen. Says that most Virginians support the revolution and the alliance with the French. Many Virginians "grow uneasy, & restless, & begin to think that our Allies are spinning out the War, in order to weaken America, as well as Great Britain, and thereby leave us, at the End of it, as dependent as possible upon themselves." Knows this is not true, but understands why poorer men feel this way. He does not doubt France's commitment to the war, but wishes they would send more troops. Believes "France surely intends the Separation of these States for ever from Great Britain; but by drawing out the thread too fine, & long, it may unexpectedly break in her Hands." Letter is a "Triplicate." George Mason was actually George Mason IV, and George Mason Jr. was George Mason V. |
| Subjects | Revolutionary War American Statesmen Military History Continental Army Global History and Civics Revolutionary War General France Navy |
| People | Mason, George (1725-1792) Mason, George (1753-1796) Arnold, Benedict (1741-1801) Cornwallis, Charles Cornwallis, Marquis (1738-1805) Greene, Nathanael (1742-1786) |
| Place written | Gunston Hall, Virginia |
| Theme | The American Revolution; Naval & Maritime; Foreign Affairs |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | George Mason was one of the authors of the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776, which served as a basis of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution. Although Mason played an important role in the Constitutional Convention of 1787, he refused to sign the final draft of the Constitution because he objected to compromises over the slavery and tariff questions. Mason was an early advocate of gradual slave emancipation. Historical Background: In October 1780, Major General Nathanael Greene replaced Horatio Gates as commander of the American army in the South. Greene proceeded to divide his troops into three smaller forces, one of which worked alongside the rebel guerrilla bands. Greene's plan was to avoid fixed battles, seize outposts and isolated settlements, and let Cornwallis chase the American armies around the countryside. Then, when the British were exhausted, Greene would attack. In January 1781, one of Greene's armies, led by Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, attacked 1100 British troops at Hannah Cowpens, in western South Carolina. All but 140 of the British troops were killed, captured, or wounded by American sharpshooters. Two months later, Greene destroyed more than a fourth of Cornwallis's army at Guilford Court House, North Carolina. Cornwallis claimed victory because the Americans abandoned the battlefield. But as one Briton observed acidly: "Another such victory would destroy the British army." |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Transcript | Show/hide |