“According to William Knox, one of Germain’s undersecretaries, his lordship was on his way to the country when he stopped by the office to sign his mail and was reminded that nothing had been written to Howe specifying what action was expected of him. Lord George was annoyed. His carriage was waiting, he did not want his horses to be kept standing, and his tolerance for frustration was just about nil. He made it clear he had no intention of spending another minute at the office…”
– Richard M. Ketchum from Saratoga: Turning Point of America’s Revolutionary War