War office Jany. 1798 Sir. I should It appears to be proper th[at] at some notice [strikethrough: should] [strikethrough: be taken of] certain observations in some of your late letters as well to [strikethrough: relive our] [strikethrough: effectual] [strikethrough: future] correspondence in future [strikethrough: complaints as to] from similar your complaints may be considred under two heads 1. You complain that orders and instructions have [strikethrough: issued from] this office to [strikethrough: officers as incomprehensible as write to officers them or to] officers of [strikethrough: posts] within — that under your immediate command, [strikethrough: that] ought of right ~ [strikethrough: should] [strikethrough: have transmitted] to have been issued by you to [undecipherable] or [strikethrough: passed through you to them] 2. That [strikethrough: such] proceedings tend to produce insubordination and is contrary to the military practice. [strikethrough: on] The nature of [undecipherable] these orders in question & I shall first [strikethrough: assign] to you some [strikethrough: occasions] [strikethrough: them of the special] reasons which [strikethrough: led to the] orders in question and then the general ground upon which the orders [strikethrough: to] instructions are such [strikethrough: interferences] of two acts as interfere You complain [strikethrough: that] [undecipherable] interferences will your [strikethrough: powers] [strikethrough: as] [undecipherable] That instructions were [strikethrough: the immediately] [strikethrough: specific official duties] 2 that [undecipherable] [strikethrough: detachments for the Regt. and detailed] instructions relative to the [undecipherable] military police of the posts immediately under your command [strikethrough: of the posts —] were issued from the war office without [strikethrough: passing them —] As I could not comprehend the good or utility of this sending back[strikethrough: wards] [strikethrough: there] to and fro [strikethrough: between] [undecipherable] after the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] command and [strikethrough: enforcing that it did not] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [strikethrough: No occasion] [strikethrough: indeed] [undecipherable] it was to promote the accomplishment [strikethrough: or a] [strikethrough: better] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [strikethrough: fulfillment of the] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] your develop[s] a sufficient motive for its [undecipherable] at all to the content of New [undecipherable] when I know [undecipherable] that you were at the time of giving this order to Cap. the Commandant of [undecipherable] [undecipherable] to stop [strikethrough: St.] Pope from proceeding till an answer could be obtained to your letter and the detach[ment] under Cap Green could be got ready I hust[ed?] [undecipherable] Sir [undecipherable: Asop?] [undecipherable: Having] complained in some of [strikethrough: your] late letters of certain orders and instructions [strikethrough: that] may have issued from [undecipherable] my office, I embrace the occa[sion] it has presented me with to state to you with the [strikethrough: content can] [undecipherable] the circumstances which called [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [strikethrough: may seem] them and the grounds upon which the [undecipherable] [undecipherable: priority] [undecipherable: order of] [undecipherable: those orders] [undecipherable].