General Washington to John Hanson,
President of Congress.
Philadelphia, 30th November, 1781.
Sir:
While I congratulate your Excellency on your appointment to fill the most important seat in the United States, I take the same opportunity to thank you, with great sincerity, for the very polite manner in which you are pleased to tender me the advantages of your correspondence. As a mutual free communication cannot fail to be attended with great satisfaction to me, and will undoubtedly be productive of very useful consequences to the public cause, you may be assured I shall pay very particular attention to your letters. I sincerely accord with you in sentiment, that our public affairs at present assume a promising aspect, but suffer me to begin the freedom of our correspondence by observing to your Excellency, that, upon our future vigorous improvement of the present favorable moment depend the happy consequences, which we now promise ourselves as the result of all the successful events of the last campaign.
I am,
Your very obedient servant,
George Washington.
- John Hanson, President of the United States in Congress Assembled, 1781-1782. by Thomas, Douglas Hamilton, 1847-1919.