ss, on Foreign Affairs_, for Oct. 22,
Dec. 23d and 29th, Vol. II. pp. 34, 35, 37.

* * * * *

ROBERT MORRIS TO THE COMMISSIONERS.

Philadelphia, 21st December, 1776.

Gentlemen,

I am now the only member of Congress in this city, unless Mr Walton,
of Georgia, and Mr Clymer, my colleague, still remain, which I am not
sure of. I cannot pretend to give you a regular detail of our manifold
misfortunes, because my books and papers are all gone into the
country, as is my family. But these unfortunate events commenced with
the loss of Fort Washington, by the reduction of which, the enemy made
about two thousand seven hundred prisoners, and at this critical time,
they, by treachery, bribery, or accident, intercepted some despatches
from General Washington to Congress, also some of the General's
private letters, particularly one to Mr Rutledge, in which he had
fully laid open the unfortunate situation he was then involved in, by
the short enlistments of our army; for the times of most of them
expired on the 1st of December, and the rest on the 1st of January,
when the whole army would leave him, as they had undergone great
fatigue during the whole of the campaign; had suffered amazingly by
sickness and the approach of winter, added to an appearance of much
suffering for want of clothes.

All these things he stated fully, and the enemy became possessed of a
most authentic account of his real situation. They determined to take
advantage of it, and before General Washington had time to make any
new arrangements at Fort Lee, on the west side of the North River, to
which he had crossed, with about eight thousand men, a large body of
troops landed above, and another below him, so that he was near being
enclosed with a force vastly superior. In this situation, he had
nothing left for him, but to retire directly off the neck of land, on
which that fort stands, leaving behind him considerable baggage and
stores, with most of our large cannon and mortars. He retreated to
Hackensack, and was there in hopes of making a stand, until the
militia of the country should come to his assistance, but the
vigilance of the enemy did not give him time for this. They pursued,
and he retreated all the way through the Jerseys to Trenton, and from
thence they forced him across the Delaware, where he still remains, to
oppose their passage across the river.

Lord