On This Day: The lack of supplies in New York has become critical

The following is an installment of “On This Day,” a series celebrating America’s 250th anniversary by following the actions of Gen. George Washington, the Continental Congress, and the men and women whose bravery and sacrifice led up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

One year after Lexington and Concord, and after one week at his new headquarters in New York, Gen. George Washington’s sole focus is on readiness. Writing to the New York Committee of Safety, Washington asks what method exists for assembling 2,000 to 2,500 militia — and how quickly — if a British fleet appears. 

He knows that a sophisticated series of lookouts and signal relays along the harbor is needed, and he stresses that in his correspondence.

The lack of supplies deepens Washington’s worries. He sends a desperate letter to Connecticut governor Jonathan Trumbull Sr.

Washington reports alarming returns showing a serious deficiency of musket balls