Resignation of Brigadier General James Wilkinson

Wilkinson submits his resignation as Brigadier General of the Pennsylvania militia and recommends his successor. [ Gen. James Wilkinson to Pres. Dickinson, 1784 ] Sir, I shall offer no apology for this address; it must doubtless be unexpected, but the occasion will, I flatter myself, excuse it. Being about to take a long leave of the State of Pennsylvania, I conceive it my duty to abdicate the Offices of Brigadier & Adjutant General, which I hold in Her militia; I am sorry that I cannot observe the ceremony of inclosing the Commissions, as they are not at present within my reach:--And the motive of my Application is the Interest I take in the welfare of that meritorious, respectable part of Society, the late Military of America; I am prompted by principle & sympathy to promote their prosperity on every proper occasion, by every consistent means in my Power. On the present return of the Election for Fayette County, Major John Harden stands second for the Sheriff's Office; permit me briefly to state to your Excellency this man's merit, without detracting from that of his Competitor.--Mr. Harden served in the alert of the Army under the Generals (then Colonels) Morgan & Butler, in the Northern Campaign, 1777. His Rank was that of a Lieutenant, and I can, as the Adjutant General of the Army under General Gates, assert that he was exposed to more danger, encountered greater Fatigue, and performed more real service than any other Officer of his Station; with Parties never exceeding 20 Men, he in the Course of the Campaign made upwards of 60 Prisoners, and at a Personal Encounter in the rear of the Enemie's position, he killed a Mohawk [express?], and brought in the dispatches which he was conveying from Gen'l Burgoyne to the Commanding Officer at Ticonderoga, with the loss only (indeed) of a Lock of Hair which the Indian's Fire carried away. It is sufficient for me, Sir, to testify his merits, the Justice which characterizes your administration will do the rest. I have the honor to be, with highest respect, Your excellency's most Obedient & most Humble Servant, James Wilkinson [Directed] His Excellency John Dickinson, Esqr., Philadel'a.