LETTER SIGNED BY GEORGE WASHINGTON TO COMMODORE JOHN HAZELWOOD AT THE CLOSE OF THE PIVOTAL SIEGE OF FORT MIFFLIN, THE HEROIC STAND WHICH ALLOWED WASHINGTON TO MOVE HIS TROOPS TO WINTER QUARTERS AT VALLEY FORGE

Letter signed by George Washington, as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, to Commodore John Hazelwood (1726-1800). Head Quarters [Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania], 19 November 1777. With integral address panel to Commodore Hazelwood. 

1 pages, 8vo, visible 7 3/8 x 12 1/8 in., address panel visible 5 7/8 x 6 1/8 in. Handsomely presented in modern mat and gilt frame with informational plaque and reproduction of Portrait of George Washington Taking the Salute at Trenton. 

Here, General Washington writes to Commodore Hazelwood in the immediate aftermath of the loss of Fort Mercer in November 1777. He writes in full: 

"Sir, I am favor'd with yours of the 15th instant covering the Resolution of a Council of War, held the preceding day upon the Subject of my Letter of the 13th.

The General Officers who has been sent from here in order to examine into & determine upon the Measures to be adopted in that Quarter have, I expect, by this time put matters in such a Train as will be most conducive to the public Interest, & agreeable to the Officers concerned. Should any thing be left undetermin'd by them, I shall be able from their report to form my Opinion thereon & shall immediately communicate it to you. In the mean time I have no doubt but you will afford every assistance in your power, to repell any attempt which may be made to clear the Channel or reduce the fort.

Inclosed you have a Letter from Presidt Wharton which he requested might be forwarded to you. I am Sir your mo: Obedt Servant"

On 26 September 1777, the British Army, supported by Hessian mercenaries, commanded by General Sir William Howe, occupied Philadelphia. The Americans quickly responded with a blockade to prevent supply shipments with a small flotilla commanded by Commodore John Hazelwood, supporting Forts Mifflin on Mud Island in the middle of the Delaware River near the mouth of the Schuylkill, and Fort Mercer just across the river at Red Bank, New Jersey.

At the start of the Siege, Fort Mifflin was occupied by a small force of Pennsylvania Militia, none of whom could operate the cannons. Though reinforced by militiamen and Continentals, the fort was never occupied by more than 500. The British began to attack Fort Mifflin in earnest in October, launching naval assaults as well as bombardments from land batteries.

Beginning on November 10th, the British began their final deadly assault, culminating on the 15th. The letter written by Hazelwood to Washington (not included here, but recorded in The Papers of George Washington) on the 15th, to which Washington refers, relays the loss of Fort Mifflin and the mounting British bombardment which had begun on the 10th. Hazelwood wrote, in part: "are all unanimously of opinion in regard to our holding this Station with the Fleet. While we were on this business their Fleet came up & attacked the Fort. I immediately carried all our force against them, & after a long & heavy Cannonading, with the assistance of a two Gun Battery, we rove or caused their Ships to drop down, but they getting their Ship Battery & a Sloop Battery up in the inner Channel close under our Fort Mifflin & under cover of all their Cannon & Bomb Batterys, & keeping up such a warm & hot fire, it was impossible for the Fort & that brave & good Officer to hold it longer, without that Ship could be destroyed. I order’d one half of our Galleys with as brave an Officer as I had, to destroy the Ship & Sloop, but he returned & said it was impossible while they was so well supported by all their Batterys, so at last that brave & good Officer Major Thayer was obliged to set fire to their works & quit the Fort—Our Fleet has received much damage, & numbers kill’d & wounded, which cannot now be exactly ascertained, but as soon as I can get a return made out, shall send it. We shall hold our Post as long as possible, & shall anxiously wait to have your answer to this, Whether Your Excellency approves of our determination—Our Men & Officers behaved with spirit & bravery."

Although Fort Mifflin was abandoned on the 15th, they were able to delay the British occupation as they left the American flag flying. Believing that a small force of Americans remained to defend the fort, the British did not occupy Fort Mifflin until the 16th. 

The Patriots fled to Fort Mercer, where they held for a few more essential days. In the present letter, Washington informs Commodore Hazelwood that officers have been sent to "examine into & determine upon the Measures to be adopted in that Quarter". On November 17th, Washington had instructed Generals St. Clair, Kalb, and Knox to travel to Hazelwood at Fort Mercer and examine the remaining Delaware River defenses. 

Washington closes his letter to Hazelwood: "In the mean time I have no doubt but you will afford every assistance in your power, to repell any attempt which may be made to clear the Channel or reduce the fort."

On November 17th, Lt. General Charles Cornwallis led his troops across the Delaware to assault Fort Mercer, prompting the evacuation and its abandonment. Commodore Hazelwood set his ships ablaze to prevent them from falling into British hands. The British would take hold of the Fort on November 20th, just one day after this missive was penned. 

Although both forts ultimately fell to the British, the stalwart and brave resistance proved pivotal to the war effort. The delay allowed General Washington to move the rest of his troops into winter quarters at Valley Forge. 

An exceedingly important letter signed by George Washington from a pivotal moment of the American Revolution. 

References

“Commodore John Hazelwood to George Washington, 15 November 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives. [Original source: Frank E. Grizzard, Jr. and David R. Hoth, editors. The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, Vol. 12, 26 October 1777 – 25 December 1777. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 2002, pp. 268–269.]

“George Washington to Commodore John Hazelwood, 19 November 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives. [Original source:  Frank E. Grizzard, Jr. and David R. Hoth. editors. The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, Vol. 12, 26 October 1777 – 25 December 1777. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 2002, pp. 317–318.]

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Not examined out of frame.