Daily conferences were held by Washington with his officers after leaving Valley Forge, and especially after leaving Kingston. The official Reports of Washington show that Lee positively declined the command of this advance corps, until its large increase rendered it certain that it held a post of honor, and would be pushed upon the enemy. Lafayette was first assigned to this command after a hot debate in council as to the propriety of attacking Clinton’s army at all; and General Lee used the following language, when the assignment of Lafayette was made with his concurrence, that “he was well pleased to be freed from all responsibility for a plan which he was sure would fail.” But when Lafayette gladly accepted the detail, and was so constantly reënforced as to have under his command nearly one-third of the army, with the pledge of support by the entire army, General Lee, as next in rank to Washington, immediately realized his grave mistake, and when too late, claimed the command by virtue of his rank. He then wrote to General Lafayette as follows: “It is my fortune and my honor that I place in your hands; you are too generous to cause the loss of either.” Lafayette, in his Memoirs, thus alludes to this surrender by Lee of claim to command by virtue of rank, after having peremptorily and scornfully declined it: “_This tone suited me better_”; and the letter already cited was his response. Washington’s reply to this magnanimous waiver by Lafayette of so honorable a command is as follows: “General Lee’s uneasiness on account of yesterday’s transaction, rather increasing than abating, and your politeness in wishing to ease him of it, have induced me to detach him from this army with a part of it, to reënforce, or at least to cover the several detachments at present under your command. At the same time, I have an eye to your wishes; and have therefore obtained a promise from him, that when he gives you notice of his approach and command, he will request you to prosecute any plan you may have already concerted for the purpose of attacking, or annoying, the enemy. This is the only expedient I could think of, to answer the views of both. General Lee seems satisfied with this measure.” On the evening of the twenty-sixth, the entire army moved forward, leaving all superfluous baggage, so as best to support the advance. On the twenty-seventh, a severe rain-storm suspended the march for a few hours. But the advance corps had been strengthened, as suggested by Lafayette; and when Lee assumed command it numbered fully five thousand effective troops. The main army also advanced within three miles of English Town and within five miles of the British army. The American forces, now eager for battle, were equal in numbers to the enemy, with the advantage of being on the flank of the long extended British columns which could not be consolidated for action with their full strength.