in
York, Pennsylvania, where a key meeting of the cabal was reportedly held In the fall of 1777,
British forces captured
Philadelphia, the seat of the
Second Continental Congress, which was forced to relocate to
York, Pennsylvania. A series of military setbacks (principally the losses at
Brandywine in September and
Germantown in October) caused many in the
Continental Army and Congress to question
George Washington's leadership of the war effort. In contrast, the northern army of General
Horatio Gates had won a signal victory over
John Burgoyne's forces, compelling Burgoyne to surrender his entire army after the
Battles of Saratoga. Gates controversially claimed credit for the victory. Some historians feel that this was more due to the actions of
Benedict Arnold, who, in the first battle on September 19, effectively and almost independently defended his positions against repeated British assaults. It was also alleged that Gates had failed to provide Arnold with adequate reinforcements which would have turned the battle into an outright American victory, although there is not universal agreement on this matter. Gates was politically well connected to Congress. Some congressmen such as
Richard Henry Lee,
John Adams, and
Samuel Adams wanted tighter Congressional control of the war effort and supported Gates. Although John Adams did not specifically call for Washington to be replaced, he worried that Washington was being made into a military idol, and was fearful of the effects of this upon republicanism. Military custom dictated that, after Saratoga, Gates would have sent his official report to Washington, who was his immediate superior. However, Gates sidestepped Washington and sent his report directly to Congress. Washington sent his staff officer, Colonel
Alexander Hamilton, to meet Gates and tell him on Washington's behalf to send three of his brigades to Washington's troops outside Philadelphia. The logic was that Washington required more troops to fight British commander
William Howe's forces, which had just taken the capital, whereas Gates had no major British force to contend with. Gates desired to hold onto the brigades and suggested that another British force might attack. He then agreed to send only one 600-man brigade, which Hamilton discovered was the weakest of the three requested. Finally, Hamilton exacted a promise from Gates to send two brigades. At the same time, Gates wrote to Washington, rebuking him for sending Hamilton. "Conspiracy" is perhaps too strong a term to use in describing varied actions taken by disaffected officers and Congressional delegates unhappy with the course of the war. Most of those involved only shared the view that Washington was a less-than-perfect commander in chief, and very few of their activities were coordinated. General Gates was used as a
stalking horse to replace Washington, and had himself also engaged in some lobbying for the command, but he was not responsible for the strong response within the Congress. Opposition to Washington's command in Pennsylvania was anchored by
Thomas Mifflin, a former Congressional delegate and also a former quartermaster of the
Continental Army who had previously worked closely with Washington. His view of Washington as a rank amateur was supported by Lee,
Benjamin Rush, and probably others. A number of foreign officers who had been commissioned into the Continental Army were also critical of Washington. These notably included
Johann de Kalb,
Louis Lebègue Duportail, and
Thomas Conway. ==Conway's letter==