Book Quote #6-Crossroads, 1780

Late August brought more disappointment to the commander in chief. All hope of an attack on New York City disappeared when Washington learned that a British fleet off Brest, France, had blockaded the port, “delaying the Sailing of the second division.” Washington knew that even if the French and Spanish (who were collaborating with the French against the British) lifted the blockade, the fleet would never make it here on time to attack New York. The second division never arrived from France, and no reinforcements came from the West Indies. With few options left, Washington called a council of war and presented the facts. The second division was not coming, and thus a naval superiority did not exist. Supplies were so scarce, that Washington dismissed the militia. He reminded his staff that the South had been a disaster. Charleston had fallen, and General Gates had been routed at Camden, South Carolina, leaving a disaster in his wake. With that being said, Washington asked the opinion of each member in writing as to “what plan it will be advisable for us to pursue.” The consensus was that an attack on New York should take place only in the spring— if reinforcements arrived. The staff was split on whether to send a detachment southward, and Washington himself was unsure about its viability. He told Samuel Huntington that “the result of the intended conference and the measures Congress take to replace the expiring part of the army will enable me to judge hereafter how far it will be advisable and practicable to send reinforcement to the Southward.”