Adams Submits to Judgment of Cabinet & Generals on Military Appointments; Gloomy Appraisal of Military Preparations
Item
Type
Letter Signed
Title
Adams Submits to Judgment of Cabinet & Generals on Military Appointments; Gloomy Appraisal of Military Preparations
Description
Adams addresses the relative rank of the major generals, saying that when he chose to sign them all on the same date, he decided to abide by either an amicable decision among the group or the judgment of General Washington. Says he would have invited Washington to Philadelphia long ago if he did not need to remain at the bedside of his deathly-ill wife; waxes on the gloominess of this year. Asks McHenry to appoint officers as he sees fit, and send Adams more blank commission papers to sign as needed. Leaves appointments in the hands of McHenry, the generals, and the other members of the Cabinet. Expresses dismal feelings about the state of the army and martial preparations, disapproving of the low wage of private soldiers and believing that "there is no more prospect of seeing a French army here, than in Heaven."
year created
1798
month created
10
day created
22
author
sent from location
Quincy [Mass]
recipient
in collection
in microfilm
in publication
note
Cited in McHenry to Adams, 10/30/1798, and McHenry to Washington, 11/10/1798.
cited note
Cited document addressed to the War Office
notable person/group
James McHenry
John Adams
President of United States
Secretary of War
Abigail Adams
wife
generals
cabinet
army
private soldiers
French army
general officers
Secretary of State
Secretary of Treasury
Secretary of Navy
attorney general
regiments
George Washington
notable location
Quincy
Massachusetts
France
southward
Trenton
New Jersey
notable item/thing
commission
recruiting service
document number
1798102240301
page start
1
number of pages
4
Item sets
Transcribe this document
Document instances
| In image | In source | Location in source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| [view document] (12 pages) | IDE18 (12 pages) | Collection: John Adams Papers | R: 391 |
| [view document] (4 pages) | KFH07 (4 pages) | Collection: MMC, McHenry, James: mm85004543 | [unknown] |
| [view document] (3 pages) | IDL16 (3 pages) | Collection: John Adams Papers | 3802, R: 119 |
| [view document] (0 pages) | [no image] | Microfilm: James McHenry Papers | [unknown] |
| [view document] (0 pages) | [no image] | Publication: The Works of John Adams | [unknown] |
Document names
| Type | Name | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | John Adams | Quincy [Mass] | [n/a] |
| Recipient | James McHenry | [unknown] | [n/a] |