[Docket: Colonel Rochefontaine's Letter to the Temporary Paymaster at West Point. Feb. 11^th 1796.] M^r. Freeman care of [undecipherable] Willis M^r. [undecipherable] Westpoints February 11^th 1796. Sir you misunderstood me or I explained myself very wrongly if you thought that I threatened to dismiss you from the Service; the Idea would be a foolish one, for a court Martial only has that Right. — but I conceive it is y^r Duty to appoint and to c[undecipherable] their Duty, all the Staff officers of the corps when they cease to believe me their Superior officer; and, particularly when they believe that they are any way independant of me in the line of their Duty as Military agents or Staff officers. — a Subaltern may be a very good officer in every other respect, and may believe that when he has been once appointed by M^r. or Q^r. M^r. of the corps he is to be independant from his superior officers in the line of those Duties. — my ideas are diametrically opposed to that opinion the Staff officers are only the agents of the commandant in the Details which he cannot possibly fill —. If you can conform yourself to that opinion, you may expect that I will never [strikethrough: att] think of altering my former opinion toward you, which is that you deserve the greatest Esteem & consideration for punctuality & order in the office & Detail of Pay Master. I am Sir your ob^t Serv^t. [underline: Step. Rochefontaine] [undecipherable]