Catharine W. Livingston to John Jay and Sarah Livingston Jay, 21 November 1777
Persippiney Nov r . 21 st 1777
My Dear Sister & Brother
It is with very great pleasure I announce to you, the recovery of your little Boy from the Small Pox;–please to accept of the Congratulations of the Family on the happy event:– No person ever was more favor–d in that disorder, he had only one pustle, & scarce a days illness– The D r . bid me tell you that he ^ had ^ behaved Manfully thro the whole– He intends sharing the Thousand pounds with Hannah. 1 If Sally ^ you ^ have at any time felt a regret at having left him least he should be spoil–d, be assured there never was a better Child, I have my doubts if ever any equaled him in goodness, I have but one Complaint to lodge against him, & that is that is, that we cannot make him talk;–it is something very extraordinary in our Family; but I flatter myself he will prattle every thing before he leaves us– I have more than one reason for wishing that to be the case– I hope to morrow–s Post will bring some tidings of your return to Fish Kill; only two Letters, one from each of you, since your absence has come to hand, this is the fifth from Persippiney, 2 I hope this & those already sent will share a better fate than yours I am convinced have– This Evening we received a Letter from Pappa, he informing us that we have lost Fort Mifflin, 3 with about thirty men killed, before our Troops evacuated the Garrison, & seventy wounded. The wounded with the rest of the Troops made their escape before the Enemy took possession; 4 Our Men were so galled by the grape shot of a large India Man who came within one hundred yards of the Fort, that it was impossible to stand it; they removed, all the Stores & fired the Barracks, when they found the place no longer tenable–
Gen: Washington is reinforced with two Thousand Troops from the Southward, & Five from the Northward & some hundreds from this State, of the Militia, of the Pensylvania Militia only twelve hundred have lent him their assistance– 5 The Philadelphians have ^ lent ^ Gen: Howe twenty thousand pound sterling & He has given the Old Money of Pensylvania, New Jersey, & New York a Currency– 6 The Quakers mount guard & do all Military duty that is required of them– 7 Billy Allen is full Col: in the Enemys service, & is to raise his Regiment in his native State– Young Nat Phillips died in Philadelphia of the wound received at Brandy-Wine. 8 They write from our Camp that the Philadelphians come out in shoals, that some of them had not bread for several days before they left the City– Gen: Clinton 9 did not Sail with the fleet, he has been seen very lately at New York, & ^ on ^ Staten Island– Lord Petershem is gone with Bure: dispatches, 10 He has said that if he should lose them he would not ^ be ^ believed in England– ^ he intend d . joining the Minority as he is convinced of the impossibility of their conquering us ^ . I hope our successes to the Southward will be ^ yet ^ more favorable than those to the Northward, but I fear something serious will happen before the close of the Campaign tho it is late in the Season– I wish I had Duche–s Letter 11 to Gen: Washington to send it to you, the like I believe you never saw, it is a most insolent performance
Yesterday I returned from Eliz th . Gen: Dickenson is at that Post with between eight hundred & ^ a ^ Thousand Troops– My Fathers House for six weeks was ^ made ^ a Guard House, for a Bullock Guard the first instance I believe of a Governors House being so degraded, I do not exaggerate In telling you the Guards have done ten times the Mischief to the House that the Hessians did, they have left only two locks in the House taken off many pains of glass, left about a third of the paper hanging, burnt up some mahogany banisters, a quantity of timber, striped the roof of all the lead, one of the men was heard to boast that he had at one heat taken 30 p d . of Lead off– The furniture that Mamma left there when Sally & myself was last down is stolen except a few things of which there is only some fragments–it is as in the time of Pharoah what the Canker worm dont eat the Locusts destroy–
M r . Hood of Brunswick & Uncle Ph: French & many others have Petition–d Gen: Dickinson 12 to ^ let them ^ return to this State– Cousin Clarkson has at length obtain–d a permit to go in to New York– Aunt Van Horne & Uncle Clarkson 13 have differed, the Consequence she is removed to a House formerly belonging to M r . Cruger. I feel much Compassion for her, & the girls, tho I can–t approve their conduct, they have now thrown themselves out of the Protection of all their Friends. David 14 called on us in his way ^ to ^ the Southard, he passed thro Kent, & was extremely sorry he did not know of your being there, He gave us a horrid description of the Place– In my last I inform–d you that we had not in a long time heard of ^ nor from ^ Brother B: no Letters from him, or Matt 15 have since that come to hand. B: we are told has had a Duel on hand, & acquited himself with honor, & is now in Boston– 16 I wish he would return to us, we are quite lon[ely in] Billy–s absence– 17 Gov neur is at present in the neighbourhood & has paid us several Friendly visits, his sudden Gravity I am at a loss to account for– I have imperceptibly got to the last side of my paper, you can–t complain of ^ postage for ^ blank paper, perhaps more would be agreable. The least intimation of which will be carefully observed by your truly Affectionate Sister.
The Family join with ^ me ^ in offering respects to your Worthy Father with his Family, & their Affectionate regards to yourselves–