Letters From William Nichols

December 16, 1758: Extract of letter published in the London Magazine Vol. XXVII Click Here

May 6, 1778:  From William Nichols to George Washington (see below) Click Here

October 7, 1780: From William Nichols to Henry Laurens Click Here (Who was H. Laurens? Click Here)

Extracts from Above-Mentioned Letters

May 6, 1778: From Captain William Nichols To George Washington

Picture
George Washington
Reading [Pa.] May 6th 1778

May it please your Excellency;

Capn Wm Nichols, late Commr Of His Brittannick Majestys packet the Eagle, most humbly beg leave, to petition Your Excellency, to grant him leave to go on his parole to philadelphia, to see if Could get a Capn in the Continental Service, who is now a Prisoner, to be Exchang’d for him, As am Inform’d, by Elias Boudinot Esqr. Commissary General for prisoners, that Capn Edward Travis, whom Your Excellency did me the honour to Nominate against me, is Already Exchang’d; If your Excellency would do me the great Honour, to propose any Commr of a Continental Ship of War, (Below a Frigate,) flatter my Self, The Admiral, The Rt Honble Lord Viscount Howe would Immediately Comply with,1 which with my most humble, & respectfull Compliments, beg leave to Subscribe my Self Your Excellency’s Much Oblig’d, & most Obedient Humble Servant

Wm Nichols

ALS, DLC:GW.

1 For more on Nichols’s attempts to get himself exchanged for Capt. Edward Travis, see John Clark, Jr., to GW, 8 Nov. 1777, and Henry Lee, Jr., to GW, 20 Jan. 1778 (second letter), n.2.

Cite as: The Papers of George Washington Digital Edition, ed. Theodore J. Crackel. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, Rotunda, 2008.Canonic URL: http://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/founders/default.xqy?keys=GEWN-print-03-15-02-0057 [accessed 03 Jan 2010]Original source: Revolutionary 
War Series (16 June 1775–14 September 1778), Volume 15 (May—June 1778)