The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1777-08-25 00:00:00, page 1

From the NEW-YORK PACKET.
Hunger, (New-'Jerfej) ^agu# 6, i„7 l
Mr. Loudon,
J TAKE the freedom to inclofe you a co-
A py ot a letter which I received through
the hands of his Excellency General Wash
ington. The original I have lent to Con
gress. The manner in which it was detect
ed appears upon the letter. I beg the fa
vour of you to publish it, with this letter.
Indeed I could with it to be publilhed in all
the Slates, that the people may lee that eve
ry measure is adopted by our enemies to ac
cumplilh their tyrannical purposes. Nothing
is left unattended which they think may
promote their helbfh defigos. They are te
loft to all sense ot honour and honesty, that
by their own feelings theyjudge it a light
matter for a person to lacrifie his honor aud
conscience by betraying the trull repoled in
Kim by his c<u try, and assisting them to
eftablhh defpotdm upon the ruins of free
dom. This letter was duelled to me as
Commander at Ticonderoga, therefore may
{hew the importance of having the command
es our important posts in the hands of those
who have the greatest attachment a:d the
ftsongtft ties to bind them to the caute of
their country. 1 am, Sir, your most hum
ble servant,
JOHN SULLIVAN.
SI R,
IHAVE long desired to write my mind
ona matter of the very greatest impor
tance to you ; but the unhappy situation of
things has rendered all intercourse very diffi
cult, and has hitherto prevented me : 1 now
find a man is to be lent for a very different
purpoie toyou, by him I shall contrive to
get this letter to you, a*perfon having under
taken toput it in tne place of that which
was designed to be carried to you You
know, me very well, and are acquainted with
many circumstances of my life, and have seen
me in very trying situations, that mght per
hap have been feme excuse, yet I am five
you never knew me guilty of any ungentle
manly acton; I remind you of this to con
vince you that you may fafely tiuft what I
fay to you, as coming from a person who has
never trifled with any man.
You know better than I do the situation
of your Congress, and the confufion there is
among you, and the ruin that impends; you
have felt how unequal the forces of your own
people are towithrtand the power of G^at-
M itain ; and for foreign affiftanc^ I need not
tell you how precarious and deceitful it must
be; France and Spain know they cannot
embark in your quarrel without the greatest
danger of Great Britain turning fuddealy
agai^ft and taking pofleffion of their colo
nies, with so great a force already collected,
end in America ; besides their fears of rai
sing views of independence in their own
colonies, to which they are, much disposed.
But why incukll enlarge on this fubje& ?I
am hue you know the futility of all hopes
^fcffedlua! foreign assistance, and that these
M ONBAt, &^ 2.5, i 7 „j
CONNECTICUT
AND
WEEKLY
Containing the Freshest ADVICES,
Printed and Published by EBENEZER WATSON, near the GREAT BRIDGE.
hopes have been thrown out only to keep up
the spirits of the common deluded people ;
you therefore will not fuffer yourfelf to be
deluded by them ; the m >ft you can expert
from foreigners is, that they will help, at the
expence of your countrymens blood and
happitefs, to keep up a dispute that will ru
in you anddifhefs Great-Britain. It is not
the interest of France or Spain that America
should be independent : but if it were possi
ble that you could entertain any thoughts,
that the hopes of foreign assistance were well
grounded, you cannot but know that such
affillance must how arrive too late. The
LR campaign was almost consumed before
the Enghfh army could get collected, and in
a portion to a& in America ; but now the
campaign is just opening, the whole army
in the greatest health and spirits, plentifully
provided with every thing, most earnest in.
(he cause I do.affure you ; well acquainted
with the c uptry, and placed so as to act
briskly, >iph the g r ea^l efficacy : a few
months wdl therefore probably decide the
contest : you must ether fight or fly ; and in
either case ruin seems inevitable. You wis
the firft man in active rebellion, and drew
with you the province you live in. What
hope, what ex elation can you have ? You
will be one of the firft facrifites to the refenc
mems and justice of Government ; your fa
mily will beiuined, and you must de with
ignominy ; or if you should be so ha^y as
to escape, you will drag along a tedious life
of poverty, mffery, and continual apprehen
sions, in a foreign land.
Now, Sullivan ! I have a method to pro
pose to you, if you have resolution and^ cou
rage enough for ir, that will fare you, and
your family, and estate, from this imminent
delirudbon : it is in plain English to tread
back the flips you have already taken ; and
to do some real, essential service to your King
and country, in affixing to re-eftabbfh public
tranquilly and lawful government. "You
knowl will not deceive you : every one who
will'exert h mfr If for Government will be re
ceived :and I do assure you firmly upon my
honour, I am empowered to engage parti
cularly with you, that it shall be the case
with you, if you will sincerely endeavour to
deleave your pardon. It is not desired cf
you to declare yourfelf at all, until you can
dispose matters so as to bring the province
with you ; in order to which, you should, as
much as possible, under different pretences,
contrive to fend every man out of the pro
vince, from whom you apprehend difficulty,
and to keep at home allthofew ho are friend
ly to Government, or desirous of peace; in
the mean time endeavour to give me all the
material intelligence you can colled (and
you can get the bed) or if you find it moil
convenient, you can convey it to General
Burgoyne § and by your using my name, he
will know whom it comes from, without
your mentioning your own name. As soon
as you find you can do it with fafety, and
feccefs, deciare yourfelf, and you will find
$ MB
NUM, BMty,
COURANT,
^ HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCES
assistance you very little expert in restoring
the province to lawful government; H y<u
do not choose to undertake this, another
will ; and if you continue obstinate on the
ground you are now on, vou may depend up
on it, you wiil fuddeniv find it fal, and burst
Under you, tike the springing cf a mine,?
What I recommend to you, is not only pru
dent, fafe and necessary § it fs right, it H
honourable. That you early embanked ir
the rebellion, is true ; perhaps you miftoc^
the popular delusion for the cause of your
country (as many others did, who have turn
ed to their duty) and you engaged in it
warmly ; but when you found your error;
you earnestly. returned, you saved the pro
vince you had engaged for from devaftatiori
and ruin, and you rendered moit effeotul
services to your King and country ; fo r
which I engage you my word, you will re
ceive pardpn, you will secure your effaces
and be farther amply rewarded. Your p^ft
conduct 'has been unworthy, your return will
be prafe worthy. What is all this expence
cf human life for ; these deluges of human
blood ? Very probably only to set ^fat,
some lawless despotic tyrant in the room of
our lawful King
I conceive you muff be fjrrhunded with
embarrassments ; y^u may perhaps find dif
ficulty in getting a letter to me; pcffibly
the fellow who Carries this to you, may be
6' to be truftedr bethinks indeed he Carries
you a letter very different from this, and I
fupp.fe will be frightened a good deal when
he finds the charge thah has been put ufoff
him, and that lam in pofteffion of the letter
he was intended to carry. ^ Yet T have un
derstood he has a family here, and will, I
luppofe, wish to return, and knows wed
enough it is in my power to procure him
pardon, and reward ; and I imagine he tho ks
(as I trust most people do) that I am never
forgetful ofa man who does any thing to
oblige me : you will confider how far you
may trust him, how far it is prudent to do
it § and you can found him, and fee whether
he wishes to return, and whether he is like
ly to arfwer the purpose; and ifyou think
proper you may engage to hitri, that I wilt
protest him, and reward him, if he brings me
fafely a letter from you.
I could fay a great deal more on this fuo
je&, but I must elofe my letter, left it fiauuid
be too late. Be finc&e and Ready, and give
me an occasion to snow myfelf
Your sincere friend,
PETER LIVIUS.
Meffireal; Jure 2, 1777.
To John Sullivan, Esq;
This letter was taken outof a canteen with
a falfe bottom, by General Schuyler, at Fort
Edward, this 16th day cf June in tfd
presence of
Benjrmin Hicks Captain.
Henry D. Livingston, A D. C to Gen.
Schuyler. John W. Wendell, Captain.
John Lanfing,jun, Sec'ry toGeo. Schuyler;
I certify upon honour, that this letter ^
Both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.