Wayne, Anthony, 1745-1796 [Minutes of field council held during attack on Bull's Ferry blockhouse]

Co-signed by six field officers, including Brigadier General William Irvine of the 2nd Brigade of the Pennsylvania Line. The minutes of a council of war held during an attack on Bull's Ferry blockhouse. It appears that Knox wrote this on the verso of a letter he received from Captain Zebulon Pike while in the field. Says ammunition was nearly expended and even though artillery had made it within 60 or 70 yards of the blockhouse, it could not be captured and a withdraw was ordered. The attack at Bull's Ferry was a lopsided defeat, as Wayne's force of 2000 troops could not dislodge the 70 Loyalists under Thomas Ward. The letter written by Captain Zebulon Pike (1751-1834) to Anthony Wayne was also created on 21 July 1780. Pike says that he followed through on Wayne's orders to have Wayne's letter to Captain Lawrence delivered by a dragoon, but that Lawrence could not be found. Militia informed the dragoon that Lawrence took his company to Fort Lee. Reports on British troops who landed by boat near Valentine's Hill. Reports that about 2000 troops with wagons and baggage have landed. Says he has not built a fire because "it might ocasion an anxiety." Left edge has been repaired.