Lieu^t Nehemiah Freeman Temp^y pay-master, West point. Department of War Accountants Office April 16, 1796 Sir I received your letter of the 12^th Inst^t and thereto I have to observe that as the time you intended doing what that contemplated in my letter to you of the 6^th Inst^t the certainty as regards the paying the Corps to the 31 March before you is a point must be attended to, and as your advanced steps will be to pay the Corps agreeable to law this mode is preferable to the turning to the person you mention as to withholding from the Men because they get intoxicated I dont conceive if the Men are guilty of any misdemeanor they are punished by the Articles of War you will therefore pay the men agreeable to the matter above alluded to Enclosed you have a Certificate of Captⁿ Elatins to Bounty due to a [undecipherable] enlisted by Cap^t Lee which you will please to pay out of the unappropriated Bounties at hand and take his receipt on the back of the Certificate After your payments are completed to the end of the Month you will please to settle your accounts Current from your last settlement shewing the balance then remaining in your