Lieut Nehemiah Freeman Department of War, Temp'y Pay Master West Point Accountants Office April 16, 1796 Sir I received your Letter of the 12 Inst [undecipherable] thereto I have to observe that as this time you intend being absen[t] that contemplated in my Letter to you of the 6^th Inst the contents [undecipherable] as regards the paying the Corps to the 31 March before you le[undecipherable] Point must be attended to, and in your absence Steps will b[undecipherable] to pay the Corps agreeable to law — This mode is preferable to [undecipherable] the business to the person you mention as to withholding [undecipherable] from the Men because they get intoxicated I don't conceive [undecipherable] if the Men are guilty of any misdemeanor they are punish[undecipherable] by the Articles of War You will therefore pay the Men agre[undecipherable] my Letter above alluded to Enclosed you have a Certificate of [undecipherable] relative to Bounty due to a Soldier enlisted by Capt Lee who[undecipherable] You will please to pay out of the unappropriated Monies [undecipherable] hands and take his Receipt on the back of the Certificates After your payments are completed to the end of [undecipherable] Month you will please to settle your account Current [undecipherable] time you leave West Point shewing the balance remaining [undecipherable] [undecipherable] that day those forwarded by your Letters of the 10^th Feb.^y & 21 March are both perfect and are entered accordingly — I am &c William Simmons