[Cover sheet notation:] [Constant Freeman no. [undecipherable] [undecipherable]] Savannah, 27^th February 1796. Sir, On the eighth instant I acknowledged the receipt of your letter of the twenty first of December — and of the fourth & eighth of January. I have since received a duplicate of yours of the fourteenth of last month, but the packages marked A & B have not come to hand. I shall now endeavour to answer your letter particularly and to give you all the information in my power upon the business connected with your department. The appointment of [Major?] Hope to one of [the?] [companies?] of the militia was made by the [Governor?] of Georgia on his being directed by Government. Mr Hope is generally esteemed in this country as a [sprightly?] brave man. You will be pleased Sir, to charge me with the mistake made in the calculations for the pay of Lieut [Ball?] and McColl, as they will effect the detachment at Fort Williams — The error in the [payroll?] from the first of June to the thirty of November [1795?] one hundred dollars over[stated?] — I am not at present able to rectify, as the duplicates of all my papers are at [Augusta?] — it is probable however that there is a mistake with which you may charge me and which I shall have in my power to correct — I made the payment in behalf of [Lt.?] [Ball?] — The men who are born in this country will [generally?] [enlist?] in [Brandock?] and Savannah — they are generally enlisted in 1789 or early [upon the passing?] of the Military Act of the [President?] of April — The Act of the twenty eighth of September 1789 refers to the enlistments of Congress of the twelfth of October 1785, and of the third of October 1787 by which the men are entitled to the four dollars. The note is indeed in their names, and so that on the application of their [enlistment?], they continued in service; if you would [please?] take from the muster rolls from the first of November to the thirty first of January 1793 and check from the first of January to the thirty first of June 1793 you would perfectly understand the business. The next day after I had transmitted the pay rolls which had been paid to Col. Pope I discovered an error — I know [payments?] made to the [fund?] on the Roll N° 6, N° 10 of my Account Current. N° [9?] [see?] the same period as does N° 9 (N° 10 of my Account Current). I immediately wrote to Col. [Dement?] the Commanding officer of the [County?] for information as to whether the men had been paid — not whether Col. [Pope?] [is?] [the?] case [—] [I shall?] pay the men. It appears by [Col.?]'s last letter, a copy of which I [enclose?], that the [soldiers?] [were?] not [provided?] with [you?] — he also [British?] Wine and [James?] Way actually performed the duty of [this?] [militia?] the twenty fifth day of March 1793. That [Julian?] Stafford, John Johnson [the?] [names?] [Page?] & [Indian?] [prices?] were to be paid on the Roll N° 10. I [formerly?] directed [nobody?] to pay them in this [community?]. I [cannot?] [convince?] myself with the amount of [Stafford?], [Johnston?] [Page?] & [Priors?]'s pay on N° 10 as [my?] Account Current for which I shall give Col. Hope a receipt [for?] [the?] [values?] on the money. If Col. [Parent?]'s letter should [never?] be considered as [sufficient?] as [for?] [you?] [must?] wish — [Is?] it [be?] [proper?] to insist upon a muster roll so long after the Service has been performed? The payroll N° 11, (N° 12 of my Account Current) was certainly accompanied with a muster roll. I have now a copy [kept?] in my [portfolio?]. The roll N° 12 (N° 13 of my Second Account) I have not any muster role, but as it is made [out?] and [supported?] by [witnesses?] [—] I must make one observation that if the [funds?] [attention?] to [forms?] should be rigidly [neglected?] of the Militia [any?] old regular troops it would be almost impossible to obtain their rolls — You cannot compel the States to adhere to any rules and you are to consider consider that the militia in this country are but imperfectly organized. If the foregoing statement is not perfectly satisfactory I shall afford readiness to [answer?] the amount of the payment made by Georgia to Lt. [Streen?]. It is my wish, and I make the greatest exertions to [run?] under all orders & directions. Because, and you can not mine any conception of the occasion & trouble I have to encounter. I shall be extremely happy when I shall have closed the militia business. I had directed the payment of the militia last twenty five cents from each of [Lt.?] [officers?] who had signed a receipt of their proper payment. And [as?] [others?] this is the case because the Acts of Congress of the fifth of March 1792 and of the second of January 1795 made this adherence to the militia. I [suppose?] [you?] for [superior?] militia [disorders?]. I enclose you an [account?] of a letter from Major [Habersham?] of this [evidence?]. Col. Hope has made the stoppages [agreeable?] to this account. I can make no list for the militia payments for service performed by order of the militia in the year 1793 and the early part of 1794. These come on the [ground?] as those which have been already transmitted for which no appropriations have been made by the U. States — and are clear all — but [Hope?] has [—] the appropriation of [Act?] is not completed. [But?] now it is considered as fulfilled — I [return?] to your [letter?]. I beg leave to refer you to my letter to the Secretary of [War?] dated [September?] [1795?] and of the twentieth of September 1795 respecting the Service. You will please also to refer to Col. [Dement's?] attendance beyond the time contemplated by the garrison — The pay of the officers has not, in many instances, been calculated. I had no rule to guide me, where the commands disagreed so strangely and their ranks. On the eleventh of January I transmitted to you Capt. Dickinson's Account Current. I should have then sent you his vouchers but they were too bulky & [this?]. I now transmit them to the [Auditor?] [Clement?] & [Co.?] & [submit?] them to you. I have already written fifty [dollars?] to Col. [Dement?]. Mr. [Honself?] requested me to inform him what were the balances due to Lieut. [Shier?] deceased. You will ob-serve [shown?] by [witnesses?] that he has not received any pay — I also send you Capt. Dickinson's account for the expenditure of one hundred dollars, when he was sent by [Capt.?] [Peters?] from Charleston to the [Rackleunding?] [to?] [build?] money for the troops, conformably to the orders of the [Enclosing?] of [War?] — I have paid the balances due to [Mr.?] [Park?] and [Mr.?] [Turner?] of the Artillery company, since I have examined Capt. Dickinson's [record?]. [Major?] [McCall?] has [requested?] me [receive?] and [transmit?] [Copies?] of [this?] [his?] [rolls?] from N° 21 to 30 inclusive, accounting for the pay from [this?] [time?] to [town?] [delivered?]. One hundred and forty three dollars which you will be pleased to [pay?] [to his?] order [if they?] should be [approved?] upon an examination — he has gone to [St. Simons?] on his return he will deliver the vouchers to be forwarded. I also [send?] [McAllister's?] Account [Current?] — [I?] [wonder?]. He [kept?] [these?] from me [in?] [the?] [attorney?], this was contrary to my instructions. But the circumstances were such, that the men could not justly attend themselves to receive their pay — to avoid all disputes I have [prepared?] this account, as there cannot be a doubt but the men did receive the money. You will please to observe that [deduct?] [charged?] to Mr. [Gibson's?] account — and that I have also deducted for [Clay?], when I placed the balance due to Capt. [Armstrong's?] troops in the hands of Col. Hope. [Balance?] is my Account Current N° 9. My wish [is?] and [I promise?] [I?] [have now?] from sending a statement [before?] [you?] all the [monies?] [upon?] [which?] he has collected, or will be [kept?] [inspected?] [—] I will check you to [command?] close. I shall [keep?] [about?] four [—] [until?] this account according to [their?] numbers [eleven?] mentioned — The balance of three thousand, [six?] hundred and forty six dollars and [22?] [for?] account [for?], by having on hand [fifteen?] hundred and four dollars — and the [end?] by not having [clear?] my funds [as?] since the [sixth?] of December [1793?]. I should [think?] it should remain open until I can [finally?] settle my accounts at your office. It is also also to be [observed?] that there are certain contingent expenses which I have not charged. I will thank you to inform me whether any documents have been made at your office as to the estate of [Elias?] [Lyman?] — his [accounts?] [were?] [deceased?]. [About?] how [he?] [was?] to [pay?] to [his?] Administration — as soon as I receive the information. Major [Charles?] [Donaldson?] is [due?] to [Mr.?] [McCall?] two hundred and thirty dollars for the payments made to his wife — [enclosed?] is the certificate you [receive?]. If the commanding officer in this county should be furnished with money I am of opinion that he might from time to time, pick up some recruits — I have made [several?] [advertisements?] as far [as?] the [subject?]. I should be obliged to you for instructions thereon. Lieu^t William Morris of the Corps of [Engineers?] will deliver this and all the papers therein mentioned — he has been paid by [Capt.?] [McCall?] in full for his pay & subsistence up to the first of January — Lieu^t [Tenard?] of the [same?] Corps, who accompanies him, has not received any subsistence since his acceptance — I had [however?] [paid?] him up to the thirty first of December 1795. [One?] of the [money?] [on?] is an officer of the militia [and?] is commanded last year one of the posts on the frontiers. I propose to go to Charleston in a few days to receive the money which has been remitted to [Mr.?] [Parent?] on my [request?]. I expect to [once?] [tell?] [him?] to return. I shall [pay?] all [I?] [owe?] for the [remaining?] — I wish I could at [the?] [formal?] time [for?] the [remaining?] [of?] the [large?] estimates; as soon as I shall have completed this business I will go to [Henry?] when I shall [observe?] your directions as to [settling?] the accounts of [Cap^t.?] [Eaton?] & [Timber?]. I am with great esteem William [Simmons?] 1795 A. D. M. Your most obedient, servant [A. W. [undecipherable] [undecipherable]]