[Duplicate] Treasury Department March 29^th 1797 Sir, Your letter of the 17^th Ultimo informing me of the measures taken to supply the Troops in Tennessee has been duly received — In consequence of your statement of the difficulty of procuring supplies — and which difficulty will be encreased by an additional number of Five hundred Men now on their march to Tennessee — it has been deemed most adviseable to provide for the supply of that part of the Army intended to be stationed in your District, in the general Contract entered into with Colonel James O'Hara, a copy whereof is transmitted herewith for your government. I have therefore to request that you will enter into no Contracts whatever after the receipt of this letter — but that you will continue to furnish the Troops with Rations &c. by means of temporary arrangements until M^r O'Hara is prepared to enter on the buisness — If before the receipt of this letter however, you should have made any agreement or Contract for any specific time, it is to be understood that in in such case M^r O'Hara is not to commence issuing until the expiration of the term for which the said agreement or Contract was made. As it is highly necessary that the Contractor should be made acquainted with what has been done by you in this business for the purpose of enabling him to make his arrangements, it is my wish that you give me the earliest information possible on the subject. I am with Consideration Sir Your most Obed Servant [signature: Wm Wolcott] David Henley Esq^r Agent for the Department of War Knoxville