10 Facts About Conway Cabal

Conway Cabal was a group of senior Continental Army officers in late 1777 and early 1778 who aimed to have George Washington replaced as commander-in-chief of the Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Conway Cabal ended up resigning from the army, and General Horatio Gates, a leading candidate to replace Washington, issued an apology for his role in events.

Conway Cabal then agreed to send only one 600-man brigade, which Hamilton discovered was the weakest of the three requested.

Thomas Conway Cabal was an Irishman who was educated in France and had served in its military.

Washington in turn had grown to distrust Conway Cabal, finding his personal conduct arrogant and unbearable.

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Conway Cabal 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 Cabal's promotion, as he felt there were many American-born officers senior in rank to Conway Cabal and more deserving of promotion who would be upset by such a move.

Conway Cabal was already aware that Gates in particular was politically well-connected and popular due to his success at Saratoga.

Conway Cabal immediately acknowledged having written to Gates, but denied having written the quoted passage.

General Mifflin, a man Washington distrusted, and to whom Conway Cabal had expressed concerns over the army's leadership, informed Gates of what had transpired.