[Private] New york April 13. 1794. Dear Genl. I have received your kind & friendly letter of the 7 inst: and I have only to add that I would give up any consid[e]ration for the common or public good of our Country. However my Situation & Stage in life ought to be commensurate, hence your Suggestion is Both generous & just. The employment in the post office affords me living but a Disagreeable & unpleasant one and I would rather have [undecipherable] in a Department more Congenial to my genius: provided it was permanent, Do you recollect my good Sir, the time when I took the liberty to mention to you before General Washington, at [undecipherable], when I Said the War is now over but have we reared a Single American Engineer in it? We are now as it were to commence another War. but who are or Shall to be our Engineers again? Strangers, may they not place the weakest part of a Fortress where Strangers ought to be, and may not our Enemies, be informed of this (for [undecipherable] all nation She has any profession in the West Indies and in this Continent [undecipherable] to us) I Say may not our Enemies be informed of our Situation and Know the Strength of our forte better than ourselves. That it may not be too late to Search for geniuses in America and give them all the Hope and Attention our Country Could Afford. The Situation of new york will require (in my opinion) four Companys of Artillery in case of a War and two in time peace who Should do infantry duty to these things in a State of respectability various [undecipherable] are in new york respecting Fortifications, the particulars are not worth communicating I hope however Some thing good will arrive from — I am with Sincere respects Dear genl your most obt or very humble Servant [signature illegible] [Address leaf: Private / Major General Knox / Secretary at War / Philadelphia] [Endorsement, partially legible: [undecipherable] from the month of [undecipherable] / immediately / from the mouth of [undecipherable] / [undecipherable] have application / Bills / fort [undecipherable]]