STEALING POWDER FROM THE CONTINENTAL ARMY Important A.L.S by ROBERT H. HARRISON , an aide to George Washington, to William Palfrey in Philadelphia in which Harris relays Washington's concerns that suppliers of gunpowder had been cheating the government on their deliveries of that vital commodity. The A.L.S., 1p. 4to., New York, Apr. 26, 1776, reads in part: "...It is his Excellency's [Washington's] request that you apply to Col. Hancock, the Committee of Safety, or those appointed to send powder to the Camp at Cambridge, & procure an exact List of the Quantity sent from [?], the dates of persons entrusted with it. From the Letters [?] of Congress more appears to have been forwarded or ordered than was ever received. His Excellency is apprehensive that there has been some mal-play among the Carriers... " WILLIAM PALFREY (1741-1780) also served as an aide to Washington from March until April, 1776, when he was appointed paymaster-general. In November, 1780, he was appointed consul-general in France by a unanimous vote of Congress, and embarked in a ship for that country, never heard from again. It appears that Palfrey has docketed the letter on verso: "Robert H. Harrison Letter April 26. 1776 NY ". Very good. In early March, 1776 American forces captured Dorchester Heights, overlooking Boston harbor. Captured British artillery from Fort Ticonderoga was placed on the heights to enforce the siege against the British in Boston. In reaction, the British evacuated the city and set sail for Halifax. Washington then rushed to New York to set up defenses, anticipating the British plan to invade New York City. $700-900