Editing Conway Cabal (section)

==Conway's letter==
[[Thomas Conway]] was an Irishman who was educated in France and had served in its military. Recruited by American diplomat [[Silas Deane]], he arrived at Washington's headquarters in [[Morristown, New Jersey]] in the spring of 1777. With Washington's support, Congress made him a brigadier general in the Continental Army, and he served with some distinction under Washington during the Philadelphia campaign. His time in combat included distinguished service at [[Battle of Brandywine|Brandywine]] and [[Battle of Germantown|Germantown]].{{sfn|Ferling|2010|p=226}} In October 1777, Conway began lobbying Congress for a promotion to major general, including in his writings criticisms of Washington. Washington in turn had grown to distrust Conway, finding his personal conduct arrogant and unbearable. Conway had publicly admitted that his desire for promotion was rooted in the fact that if he became a major general in the Continental Army, he could become a brigadier general once he returned to the French service. Washington opposed Conway's promotion, as he felt there were many American-born officers senior in rank to Conway and more deserving of promotion who would be upset by such a move.{{sfn|Flexner|1974|pp=111-113}} He identified Conway as someone "without conspicuous merit" and that his promotion would "give a fatal blow to the existence of the army." He continued adding, "It will be impossible for me to be of any further service if such insuperable difficulties are thrown in my way." This was seen as an implicit threat to resign.{{sfn|Flexner|1974|p=113}} As part of Conway's efforts at self-promotion, he wrote a letter to Gates in which he was reported to have said, "Heaven has been determined to save your Country; or a weak General and bad Counsellors would have {{sic|rui|nd}} it."{{sfn|Ferling|2010|p=225}}{{sfn|Buchanan|2004|p=294}}

[[Image:Johann de Kalb.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Johann de Kalb]] (portrait by [[Charles Willson Peale]]), was also critical of Washington.]]
General [[William Alexander, Lord Stirling|William Alexander]] (Lord Stirling) learned of this quotation in a drunken revelation by Gates' adjutant, [[James Wilkinson]].  Alexander forwarded the quote in a letter to Washington, who received it on November 8, 1777.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cox |first=Howard |title=American Traitor: General James Wilkinson's Betrayal of the Republic and Escape From Justice |publisher=Georgetown University Press |year=2023 |isbn=9781647123420 |location=Washington, DC |pages=44–45 |language=en}}</ref>  This led Washington to consider the possibility that his subordinates were scheming behind his back to replace him.  He was already aware that Gates in particular was politically well-connected and popular due to his success at Saratoga.{{sfn|Ferling|2010|pp=225-226}}

Washington wrote Conway a brief letter: "Sir, a letter which I received last Night contained the following paragraph.  In a letter from Genl Conway to Genl Gates he says", and then quotes the above passage. Conway immediately acknowledged having written to Gates, but denied having written the quoted passage.  Conway also again criticized Washington in this letter, writing that "although your advice in council is commonly sound and proper, you have often been influenc'd by men who Were not equal to you in point of experience, Knowledge, or judgement." Washington never saw the actual letter Conway sent to Gates.  [[Henry Laurens]] did however, and sent Washington an excerpt: "What pity there is but one General Gates! but the more I see of this Army the less I think it fit for general Action under its actual Chiefs [...] I speak [to] you sincerely & wish I could serve under you."{{sfn|Buchanan|2004|p=294}}

General Mifflin, a man Washington also distrusted, and to whom Conway had also expressed concerns over the army's leadership, informed Gates of what had transpired.  Gates wrote a letter to Washington complaining that "[t]hese letters have been stealingly copied" by persons unknown to him, and that he was sending the letter to Laurens, not Washington. This attitude did nothing to placate Washington, and his relationship with Gates deteriorated.{{sfn|Buchanan|2004|p=296}}