[d Carrington] [XXXII-41 842^a / 115 / 777] My dear Sir Richmond August 7. 1792 I have had the pleasure to receive your very friendly letter of the 24^th ult. and am much obliged by the notice you take of the several recommendations I have taken the liberty to trouble you with; amongst them I really think M^r Price & M^r Claiborne particularly promising Characters - they are as yet untried, but their general conduct and appearances give as favorable indications as can be had at their time of life; neither of them exceed 22 years of age — and both are possessed of the local connections and claims & must receive attention in this business. I attend, my good friend, to your remarks and I [undecipherable] the case of Gen^l Greene. I did expect that [undecipherable] during the [undecipherable] of Congress [undecipherable] would not [undecipherable] for you to comply with any request by the papers alluded to, and that you would be differently [undecipherable] after the adjournment to let me me have them. my solicitude to get them is such, that I must still repeat my request, they are not numerous or lengthy. It is true a Bill was finally passed by a creditable majority for [undecipherable] restitution to the Family; but the friends of the War and of those who were brought forward as Witnesses, Still Stand arraigned. The [undecipherable] in print; for they can read when those who knew the falsities they contain, will be no more. they ought to be vindicated in print. My own idea is, that certain Officers of the Southern Army, ought by memorial to request of Congress an investigation as to the [undecipherable] made, [undecipherable] the Generals military conduct, and if they do not I shall certainly publish in [undecipherable] contradiction under my own Name, as well [undecipherable] upon the charge, as that which affects myself & the Witnesses. You may rely upon this, that the man who made these imputations was, [undecipherable], the [undecipherable], who pretended to have been a [undecipherable] in the defense of the Country, the [undecipherable] with [undecipherable] on his conduct, and when he will give you & presume, with such confidence, publicly to arraign the proceedings by which the Country was freed from Conquest, [undecipherable] such was its detection, it is more than merely the duty of those who have [undecipherable] reason to espouse the calumniators. they were bound to be Branded with infamy, if they respect it. You have doubtless noticed the [undecipherable] concerning the [undecipherable] about Camden. You see Gen^l [undecipherable] is charged with having within a certain period in the vicinity of that place, more than 3500 effective Men, [undecipherable] the Militia of the Country, well appointed, happily disposed for fighting, Gen^l Rawdon who had not more than 1200. that they could have been brought to have been [undecipherable] — You may also observe a very significant word, "We", clearly intimating that the calumniator was present. Now in page [undecipherable] you will find every Officer - [undecipherable] [undecipherable] that [undecipherable] any confidence, not [undecipherable] carried with him from [undecipherable], Rifles [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] River in S. Carolina, about 200 regular Infantry — Washington Cavalry; & about 150 North Carolina Militia; [undecipherable] has been previously detached to operate on the [undecipherable] British British Post, & the [undecipherable] in concert with Marion, with this force Greene appeared before Camden, and, it was demonstrated by the exploit he had there, and by the discharge of North Carolina Militia [undecipherable] to the evacuation of the place as he never had [undecipherable] Jonas Sumpter within the time mentioned, nor did he receive the addition of a Single Man; and at the close of the evacuation, we were in pursuit of Rawdon, the weakest army; 'tis true as it has been true that Rawdon could have been brought to have been [undecipherable], cut off, that [undecipherable] an opinion that the attempt Required too much he could have [undecipherable]. You will recollect the opinion that was [undecipherable] that at that time all the Posts in the Country were invested. Then you are aware that there were the chief objects, besides [undecipherable] and Charles [undecipherable], occupied by British Posts, of which [undecipherable], were invested [undecipherable] as [undecipherable] placed in the positions, except that [undecipherable] with his Corps took Orangeburgh specified by the [undecipherable] General of Militia and some [undecipherable], unless you will call it an [Richmond Aug. 7. 1792 XXXII-41] an [undecipherable] of a place for [undecipherable] Militia to ride now & then & look at it — so few were there posts from our apprehension of danger, that when Lee [[undecipherable] interlinear note] reached the Neighbourhood of Fort Motte, his advanced party captured several British Officers who were visiting a family at some distance from it, and as Greene afterwards advanced to Ninety Six, Several [undecipherable] parties were surprized and suffered some loss, who were ranging the Country within the distance 20 or 30 Miles about that Garrison. It is unnecessary for me now to give you a further detail of this Business, you have enough to satisfy you that the Calumniator can easily be convicted of his falsehoods; this [one?] addition I will make; that it was Greene's constant endeavor to bring Sumpter to his assistance, & that he never got him within his [undecipherable] but once — he then gave him the most honorable & promising command that was delegated [undecipherable] his Army, and that it was so misconducted as to disappoint the [undecipherable] in its expectations. The object of this command was, the capture of a British Regiment comman[ded] by a Col^o Coates at a place called Monks Corner, or [undecipherable] Creek & two pieces of Artillery were annexed to Sumpter's own Corps, & the command of [the] whole given to him. and although every circumstance favored his success, he suffered the Regiment to move off in haste. Lee was displeased at the conduct, and pressed after the Regiment, joined by a [undecipherable] Col^o, I believe Hampton, with [undecipherable] of the Militia, & took some of the Enemy — Sumpter returned, God knows where, for he has never reported to [undecipherable] Greene, nor did Greene, even [undecipherable] from Lee, once again during his concern in that Country, until he got into Charleston. + I have observed the Report of Congress to which you refer, and can not [undecipherable] less for the dignity of Government than the characters against which it was leveled. to every Man who will read it impartially the temper in which it was fabricated is evident, and the refutation of it will give me pleasure. It is a mortifying reflection that integrity and diligence joined to abilities in Office, are not always sure guides of reputation. those who engage in those [undecipherable] must be content to receive the Shafts which are directed against them, relying upon the legitimate [undecipherable] of an honest [honest] Country. You ask how the Federal Machine works in Virginia — were I to credit some characters who trot through the Country and go sometimes even as far as Philadelphia, [it?] would seem that it is scarcely recognized as an existing thing amongst us — I however judge from my own Observation which necessarily goes to every part of the Country, and do pronounce that it operates well — that the great Body of the people [undecipherable] the charge, and acknowledge that their Interests prosper under it. The French Revolution is, next to that which was effected here, the most interesting object now attracting the attention of the world — It is a great & a good cause — but I have always [undecipherable] for the fate of it, since I discovered that the National Assembly discarded all experience when they were forming the Government. That Machine is calculated for nothing but to generate folly — nor can the Nation succeed in defending [strikethrough: themselves] itself until the Generals assume to themselves, from the necessity of the case, the direction [of] their Armies Armies — this must have been the case in America had our Congress consisted of several hundred unchecked Members. I beg you my good friend to let me have the papers I wrote for as early as [undecipherable] and that you will [undecipherable] me to with great sincerity Your friend & [undecipherable] B. Carrington [Richmond Aug. [undecipherable] / Col. B. Carrington] Gen^l Knox. P. S. I understand from Col^o Wadsworth that M^r Mellen to whom the enclosed letter is addressed, is now in Philadelphia settling the late grants of Congress to Gen^l Greene's Estate. the Letter is vastly important, & I will thank you to deliver it to him with your own hands. Y[our]s Sincerely [undecipherable] B.C.