[Private] Fort Washington January 2^nd 795 My dear Sir, You will perceive that I have in my public Letter of yesterday, recognised your public and private Letters of the 4.^th & 5.^th ultimo. I deemed it necessary, as that Letter was to become a matter of record, that it should bear on its face, the motives which had governed me, in my declaration of the enquiry which I had solicited from the President, and of the prosecution of the Charges alledged against Major General Wayne; this was essential to elucidate the consistency of my conduct, and therefore my answer is made to comprehend such points of your private Letter, as were applicable to the occasion. Among the various regrets which the difference of Major General Wayne & myself may have excited, none have been more heartfelt than my own; as my public solicitudes were mingled with the sense of personal wrongs, which believe me my dear Sir, have not originated in nice feelings, or false delicacies, but have sprung from causes as palpable as the Sun in its Meridian Splendour — I have never expected that General [strikethrough: Wayne] have lodged any official information against me, this would have been a commitment, with which I should have been well pleased, because neither his intrigues with O'Fallon, John Armstrong, John Smith, or other of my Enemies, nor all the injuries & indignities offered to me, have ever provoked me to an act of indiscretion, much less a breach of duty — You observe that General Wayne in his public Letter has praised me "Merited applause"; this was unavoidable; because there were too many Witnesses of my conduct on the 20.^th of August; nevertheless so regardful am I of the respect due to Station, when the official report came out, I written on the General & publicly Thanked him for the mention he had been pleased to make of my humble Services on that day; though in truth his detail of the affair, bears little more resemblance to the actual Scenes of the right Wing, than Hopkinsons "Battle of the Kegs"; But, Can you my dear Sir, believe, that it is signally honorable to a General Officer, who Commands the right wing of an Army, who fights his Command without orders from his Chief, & is not honored with his presence for a moment during the Action, to be classed with Captains & Subalterns who did little & saw less? I think I may safely appeal to the sensibility, & Soldierly pride, punctilio & experience of Major Gen.^l [undecipherable: C. Knox], for an Answer in the negative — It is highly flattering to me, that you should[strikethrough: have] justificed my Conceptions of the principle of Gen.^l Scotts appointment; for of all the Mortifications of my life, those which sprung from the Idea of his taking Command of me, were the most agonizing. Yet my enthusiasm in the public cause, triumph'd over the Anguish of my Soul. If I have since treated the Gen.^l with little Ceremony, I owed it as well to you as to my own injuries, for he not only betray'd your Confidence in the mysterious transmittal of the Map, & in other respects, but did [underline: calumniate] you, by declaring publicly, that you have expressed to him your felicity on Gen.^l Wayne's taking Command in this Quarter, as it have relieve you "from the persecution of my damn'd long Letters"; I give you this information at this time, because, I understand the General is about paying you another visit; And from the same Motives I enclose you for your private Satisfaction, the Copy of some Communications which hav taken place between that Gentleman & Myself — Your assurance that my Military reputation Stands well, is truly greateful; I hope my moral Character, which I must claim is irreproachable, and the testimonial which you gave me on the 12.^th of July, of your own & the Presidents confidence in my patriotism, is a source of repose to me, amidst the buzzings of those insects, who calumniously labor to vilify my fame, by imputations of antifederalism, impatience of Government & other dispositions equally inconvenient, unfounded & Scandalous — I am persuaded that when you refer to the Series of my Communications, such Calumnies can take no hold of you, and that it is unnecessary for me to profess my political principles, or to declare, that neither hopes, nor fears, sympathies nor antipathies shall ever for a moment shake my devotion to a [underline: Government of Laws] — Should you carry into execution your proposed Resignation of Office, I hope you may find in private life, more tranquillity than is the usual allotment of public Station: That abstracted from the tumults of the world & surrounded by domestic bliss, rosy health may attend you & yours through a long life of happiness. It will give me unfeigned pleasure, to bear witness to the completion of this invocation & should opportunity ever present, I beg you to be assured that it shall not escape me — I have the honor to be Sir Your Most Ob.^t & humble Serv.^t James Wilkinson B. G. Major Gen.^l Knox