Letter from George Washington to Elbridge Thomas Gerry
(Dated January 29, 1780)

This letter was written by Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, George Washington, to Elbridge Thomas Gerry (1744-1814), a member of the Second Continental Congress, while the Army was encamped in Morristown, New Jersey.

Washington urges Congress to maintain an army ready for action through reinforcements as a way to keep up "...every appearance of preparation & vigor...."  He writes that maintaining the troops will elevate the spirit of the cause.

Gerry would become the fifth Vice President of the United States and is remembered for his namesake of "gerrymandering," a process of manipulating electoral districts for political party advantage.

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Elbridge Thomas Gerry was a member of the Second Continental Congress who focused on military and financial matters and advocated for better equipment and pay. Johns Adams once remarked “If every man here was a Gerry, the liberties of America would be safe against the Gates of Earth and Hell”. He became the 5th Vice President of the United States and served under James Madison. Despite all this, he is best remembered as the namesake of gerrymandering, the process of manipulating electoral districts for political party advantage.

Washington wrote this letter to Gerry on  January 29, 1780, while Washington was encamped at Morristown, New Jersey. The winter of 1779-1780 was  hard on Washington’s forces, bringing severe winter weather with many snowstorms. Major General Johann de Kalb described the harshness of the experience: “Those who have only been in Valley Forge and Middlebrook during the last two winters, but have not tasted the cruelties of this one, know not what it is to suffer.” 

Soldiers had to build their own huts to very specific dimensions (14 ft. by 15 ft., 6 ft. 6 in. tall at highest point). Each hut housed 12 soldiers. Washington ordered that any huts not meeting these measurements should be torn down. This was an effort to protect soldiers from the elements: exposure and malnutrition could be more deadly than the enemy. 

In addition to facing the harshest winter of the war, soldiers also suffered from shortages of food and supplies. Heavy snowfall could block roads and make it difficult for much needed supplies to be delivered. Washington mentions the state of the supplies in this letter, stating “I ardently pray that it may never again be as it has been of late. We were reduced to a most painful and delicate extremity; such as rendered the keeping of the Troops together a point of great doubt.” Washington was worried that the army would mutiny or disband. Many soldiers deserted the army at this time- records from the encampment show that around 1,000 soldiers deserted. Many left with the intention of rejoining the army in the spring. 

Like Hale’s letter and Tallmadge’s orderly book, this letter stresses the importance of maintaining an army that is ready to fight. Washington was worried about maintaining the number of soldiers, especially if soldiers did not reenlist after their enlistments were finished. He asked Congress to recruit reinforcements, writing, “The Army without reinforcements, by the expiration of the inlistments of so many Men…will be much reduced than will be compatible with our interest and policy.” He urged, “every appearance of preparation & vigor, and really to do what our abilities and the circumstance of our finance may well justify.”

Washington believed that remaining vigilant and keeping the army well-supplied was the key to victory. Although it doesn’t give us many details about the actual events of the specific time, this letter does provide us with a brief look into Washington’s thinking, what he thought would be important to winning the war. 

Questions to consider: Why is this letter considered valuable? Would the same letter be considered as valuable if it wasn’t written by a well-known historical figure? 

While soldiers had to be ready to face the enemy at any time, there was a lot of waiting around during the Revolutionary War. During this down time, many soldiers took part in a popular pastime that is still with us today: drinking.