[Address panel] [Docketing at top right, rotated: Commissary General of Military Stores / [undecipherable]] [Stamp: Received from State Dep't. Nov. 24. 1894. R.C.O.401810.] [15 —] Samuel Hodgdon Esq. Superintendent of Military Stores fav — Philadelphia West point January 19^th 1797. Sir, I received yesterday your letter of the 13^th Inst. explaining [strikethrough: requesting] your views respecting the Public Stores to be Delivered to the Several Detachments of the Corps of Art. & Eng. of which you will find here monthly a Statement; I think it will have the desired effect of checking the improper application, you might even prevent them if you would require of the Commanding officers of Detachments an Estimates of the clothing necessary for six months to come, by ex: in the month of Jany, application might be made to you for all the clothing & other Stores for the ensuing Summer. — in June to July, another application might be forwarded for the winter Supplies — as there would be time Enough before it would be actually wanted the Estimates might be sent here for Examination & comparison with the actual Situation of the Detachment. which are regularly sent here of the Detachments — but from the immediate application to the Sec. of war for all Supplies, the officers are all persuaded that from the commencement they are at the head of a command, their troops form a Corps by itself, Subject to no controul but that of the Sec'y. of war, — under whose authority they are provided with whatever they are in want of, the amount of Deliveries falling into an improper channel are lost, and after a while it is impossible to trace where the Stores have been furnished and how they have been apply'd I have long been of opinion with you, that the Quarter Master's office is the proper place where ought to be collected the returns of Supplies furnished to the Several Detachments, and where the accounts of Deliveries, ought to be transmitted, for they may be at all times checked by the return and formation of the Detachments, — thus the Quarter Master may every Six months or whenever applied for by you, be able to procure you a general return of the Stores received from your Store, of the Deliveries agreeable to Laws, and of the Public Stores on hand in every detachment. I have written twice to Cap't Littlefield to know where & with whom he left that pair of overalls mentioned as sent to you. I suspect it is in Philad'a that he charg'd Somebody to have it transmitted to you. Respectfully I am, Sir, Your obed't Serv't Bec. Rochefontaine Lt. Col. Comd. of y. corps of Art. & Eng. [is D'r Hunter returned to Philad'a ?] Sam: Hodgdon — Esqr.