Conway Cabal The Conway Cabal refers to a series of events in late 1777 and early 1778 suggesting that George Washington be replaced as commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War . It was named after Brigadier General Thomas Conway , whose letters criticizing Washington were forwarded to the Second Continental Congress . When these suggestions ( which were often little more than criticisms and expressions of discontent with either Washington or the general course of the war ) were made public , supporters of Washington mobilized to assist him politically . Conway ended up resigning from the army , and General Horatio Gates , a leading candidate to replace Washington , issued an apology for his role in the events . No formal requests were ever made asking for Washington ' s removal as commander in chief . There was no sign of any formal conspiracy amongst the various malcontents , although Washington was concerned that there might be one . It was the only major political threat to Washington ' s command during the war . Background . In the fall of 1777 forces of the British Army successfully captured Philadelphia , the seat of the Second Continental Congress , which was forced to relocate to York , Pennsylvania . The series of military setbacks ( principally the losses at Brandywine in September and Germantown in October ) caused many in the Continental Army and Congress to question George Washington ' s leadership of the war effort . In contrast , the northern army of General Horatio Gates had won a signal victory over John Burgoyne ' s forces , compelling Burgoyne to surrender his entire army after the Battles of Saratoga . In addition to claiming credit for the victory at Saratoga ( which some historians feel was due more to the actions of Benedict Arnold ) , Gates was politically well connected to Congress . " Conspiracy " is perhaps too strong a term to use in describing varied actions taken by disaffected officers and Congressional delegates unhappy with the course of the war . Most of those involved shared the view only that Washington was a less than perfect commander in chief , and very few of their activities were coordinated . General Gates was used as a stalking horse to replace Washington , and had himself also engaged in some lobbying for the command , but he was not responsible for the strong response within the Congress . Opposition to Washington ' s command in Pennsylvania was anchored by Thomas Mifflin , a former Congressional delegate , and also the former quartermaster of the Continental Army who had previously worked closely with Washington . His view of Washington as a rank amateur was supported by Richard Henry Lee , Benjamin Rush , and probably others . A number of French officers who had been commissioned into the Continental Army were also critical of Washington . These notably included Johann de Kalb , Louis Lebègue Duportail , and Thomas Conway . Conway ' s letter . Thomas Conway was an Irishman who was educated in France and had served in its military . He joined the Continental Army as a brigadier general , and served with some distinction under Washington during the Philadelphia campaign , although he and Washington did not get along , and his condescending attitude annoyed other American officers as well . General Conway had been appointed as Inspector General of the Army . In October 1777 Conway began lobbying Congress for a promotion to major general , including in his writings criticisms of Washington . Washington opposed Conway ' s promotion , as he felt there were many American - born officers more deserving of promotion who would be upset by such a move . As part of Conway ' s efforts , he wrote a letter to Gates in which he was reported to have said , " Heaven has been determined to save your Country ; or a weak General and bad Councellors would have it . " General William Alexander ( Lord Stirling ) received a letter from Gates ' adjutant , James Wilkinson , that contained this quotation . He forwarded the letter to Washington , who received it on November 8 , 1777 . This led Washington to consider the possibility that his subordinates were scheming behind his back to replace him . He was already aware that Gates in particular was politically well connected and popular due to his success at Saratoga . Washington wrote Conway a brief letter : " Sir , a letter which I received last Night contained the following paragraph . In a letter from Genl Conway to Genl Gates he says " , and then quotes the above passage . Conway immediately acknowledged having written to Gates , but denied having written the quoted passage . Conway also again criticized Washington in this letter , writing that " although your advice in council is commonly sound and proper , you have often been influenc ' d by men who Were not equal to you in point of experience , Knowledge , or judgement . " Washington never saw the actual letter Conway sent to Gates . Henry Laurens did however , and sent Washington an excerpt : " What pity there is but one General Gates ! but the more I see of this Army the less I think it fit for general Action under its actual Chiefs [ . . . ] I speak [ to ] you sincerely & wish I could serve under you . " General Mifflin , a man Washington also distrusted , and to whom Conway had also expressed concerns over the army ' s leadership , informed Gates of what had transpired . Gates wrote a letter to Washington complaining that " [ t ] hese letters have been stealingly copied " by persons unknown to him , and that he was sending the letter to Laurens , not Washington . This attitude did nothing to placate Washington , and his relationship with Gates deteriorated . Board of War . From Conway ' s letter Washington assumed that he and Mifflin were close . In mid - November , Congress decided to appoint Mifflin and Gates to the Board of War . Conway ' s letter of resignation was referred to the board , which rejected it . Conway was given a promotion to major general , and assigned to a new post , the army inspector general . There is no evidence that any of the participants ever formally attempted to oust Washington .