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.At his headquarters in New York, Gen. George Washington is facing the clearest danger — the enemy within.
Washington writes to Second Continental Congress President John Hancock in Philadelphia. Washington warns that the danger in the city is as perilous as the dangers outside. The inevitable approach of the British looms over him.
In his missive, Washington tells Hancock that William Tryon, the royal governor of New York, is encouraging those disaffected with the patriots’ cause, suggesting that the operation, as well as the mood in New York, faces “internal, as well as external enemies.”
George Washington to John Hancock
New York June 10th 1776.
