West Point oct^r 29^th 1796 Sir, I received this day the Letter of which the Enclosed is a copy, from M^r Fleming, Informing me that he had met with some Difficulties in Settling his account, for monies paid by him for pursuing Deserters, and that 50 Pounds 12/h: C 4 pence having been Delivered upon my requisition, he was going to Debit me with the Sum, and to Leave me to account for the Same to the U.S. you may recollect Sir, what you wrote to me respecting this money for the regular expences of the corps, and the contingencies of the Same, which was to be lodged in the hands of a Person wholly and rigidly accountable to you, and that said person was to [undecipherable] — Expenditure and disbursement of that money agreeably to Instructions given by you. I have observed with great punctuality the forms laid down by you, and Do not conceive myself open to any call for accounts but from you or from the Secretary of war. But in rendering me a debtor to the U.S. and charging me with the accountability of Sums trusted to the management of your agent, this is to subvert that line of responsibility which you wanted to Establish directly from your agent to you, and to Substitute Confusion to good order. I hope you will be able to discover by the account of M^r Fleming, that no money has been uselessly expended upon my requisition, and I will give you all sorts of explanation, you may be in need of, upon the motives which led me to procurate them. Respectfully I am, Sir, [Please to find [undecipherable] to By Philad^a.] your obed^t. Serv^t. Step: Rochefontaine Lt. col. comd. of [the] corps of Art^y W^m Simmons Esq^r. --- [Copy] West Point Oct^r 27. 1796 Sir The preceding is an extract of a letter I received Yesterday afternoon from the Accountant. On Referring to the Duplicates of the account of, and Vouchers for, the 756 ⁷⁴/100 Dollars he alludes to, I find the total amount of monies I disbursed on your and Col. Toussard's orders, and to Captain Donald G Mitchell amount to £ 76. 3. 10, for pursuing Deserters, from the 24^th of last May to the 30^th ultimo. £ 50. 12. 4 of which sum I delivered on your Requisition, except I think, the ten dollars I delivered to Captain Mitchell, which Requisitions are now in the hands of the Accountant; I having sent them to him at the time I sent him the Vouchers, to exonerate me from any culpability in the business. £ 4. 0. 0. of the total amount I delivered on the orders of Col. Toussard, and the Remaining 21. 11. 6 I paid to Captain Mitchell, on a certificate from Col. Toussard. This last sum of money I paid to Captain Mitchell conditionally that if the Accountant would not give me credit for it, he would Reimburse me himself the money. — I did not expect there would have been any demur with the Accountant, in giving me credit for the monies I disbursed on Your & Col Toussard's Requisitions for pursuing Deserters, as I showed you the letter from the Accountant of the 11^th of last June that he has Reference to, immediately on your Resuming the Command of the Corps of Artillerists & Engineers, and you then told me the Accountant meant by 'small sums' what you might think Requisite for pursuing Deserters — which I took for granted to be the case. — As the Accountant mentions that "until the Circumstances are explained on what account such amazing sums have been expended the accounts will Remain unentered." I have debited you & Col Toussard with the Respective Sums I paid on each of your Requisitions, and debited Captain Mitchell for the £ 21. 11. 6 I paid him and have given the United States Credit for the total Amount of the £ 73. 3. 10. The explanations the Accountant wants, are consequently the business of the Gentlemen who made the Requisitions for the disbursements of the money; which I have no Reason to doubt will be satisfactory. I enclose you Copies of the Vouchers I sent to the Accountant for the £ 50. 12. 4. I am with Respects Sir Your most obedient humble Serv^t (Signed) George Fleming of the Ordnance Depart^t P.S. I am as much surprized at the tenor of the part of the Accountant's letter to me relative to the monies I disbursed for pursuing Deserters, as he has all the Charges contained in the Account, as he had the orders & Vouchers with it. Col^t Rochefontaine Commanding the Corps of Artillerists & Engineers