Doctor Wellford, Fredericksburg Dear Sir I enclose the [undecipherable] of [undecipherable] &c to my letter in your behalf which [undecipherable] to cover of me for this personal I consider [undecipherable] I ought to have told you before I had got him to change your [undecipherable] from [undecipherable] to [undecipherable] to Doctor Simcoe [undecipherable] to the [undecipherable] I could get done, & I believe you had better write. Yours always H Lee. Richmond 20^th Dec^r 1795 [Copy] General Henry Lee Dear Sir War Office, Dec^r 12^th 1795 I have just received your letter of the 6^th concerning M^r Biddingres and Doctor Wellford. I am sorry to differ from you in respect to the latter's argument to support his demand for what he deems a moderate fee, which I am not [help] thinking an extra ordinary comparison. By Doctor Wellford's enlisting and assuming the [undecipherable] of his profession, in this cause, he must be considered as obliged, and consequently charged with certain duties which in common with other citizens, he is bound to [undecipherable] at the just call of his country. The service to be performed will naturally be apprised to the citizens according to their situation and while the merchants and labourers are bound to appear & act with bravery and Ammunition, the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] in [undecipherable] [undecipherable] are under equal obligation to help with the [undecipherable] an endowment pronounced [undecipherable] of them to [undecipherable] a more [undecipherable] profession, & all in [undecipherable] of the [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] may be called out in the midst of [undecipherable] and the worst [undecipherable] at the [undecipherable] reason in [undecipherable] - if this you know was expressly the case [at] Philadelphia, on the [undecipherable] for the [undecipherable] compensation allowed by the [undecipherable] serving in the ranks. While he [undecipherable] and you will receive somewhat comparatively easy. Doctor Wellford urges as a reason to support his [undecipherable], that the employment was temporary, & that the principle which regulated the compensation to [undecipherable] Staff in the [undecipherable] that a permanent corps will not apply in his case. But we are not to expect that all anomalies will be temporary? they [undecipherable] not [undecipherable] in their nature, & had if the Doctor's reason be a good one, should not the pay of the Officers and Soldiers be also doubled? But whoever thought of making such a proposition as the latter? The rate, while the authority of the country shall make the provision, the Officers & Soldiers must be content with the ordinary pay; and every one, whatsoever his profession, who enjoys the advantages, must consider himself amenable to the duties of Citizens. Doctor Wellford urges his employment was not confined to the duties of a Surgeon General, but embraced a number of arduous Duties growing out of the line of that Department. Let him then be allowed the emoluments of Director General, which surely will cover the whole - to this I shall have no objection, but I cannot agree to a total departure from principle. Major Biddingres's papers will be immediately delivered to the Accountant. I am very respectfully Dear Sir your ob^t Ser^t General Henry Lee. (signed) Js McHenry