War Office Jany. 179[8] Sir. As you have deemed it expedient to complain in several of your letters & orders and instructions that have issued from my Office I embrace the occasion it has presented to mention to you with candor & frankness some circumstances that may serve to explain them, and to state the general ground, independent [undecipherable] upon which I conceive the right and propriety to form and issue such regulations or orders rest. I hasten the more willingly to enter these explanations to prevent [you] in future from misconceptions respecting your own powers, or any murmurs or uneasiness at the exercise of a right which I conceive to be vested in the President and devolves to the due discharge of his functions as the Executive of the U.S. I shall take up these complaints pretty nearly in the order in which I find them in your letters. In your letter to the Secy. of War dated Detroit Sep^t 18^th 179[7]. you observe. "I beg you to accept my acknowledgements for your intention in transmitting to my subordinates immediately under my eye the circular order which you issued in the name of the President of the U.S; but I should be unjust to my own feelings and to the true interest of the service did I forbear to express to you my chagrin & regret on the occasion, because this thing tends to innovate that chain of dependence from the ranks to the chief in immediate command which constitutes the vital essence of military institutions; because it is without precedent; because it is repugnant to long established principles; because from its very nature it will be evaded and I fear neglected, and because it may be construed into a want of confidence in my conduct, and will tend of consequence to impair the bonds of subordination and to set all order afloat" [In the last place] It is proper to recur to the instruction [the] addressed to the commandants of posts on the N.W. territory which gave rise to these observations in order to [list] their propriety, and 2^d to the circumstances [and] existing state of things or circumstances under which they were issued. 1. The instructions are dated the 14 July 179[7]. and as follows. [here insert them.] 2. [Both] with respect to the existing state of things and circumstances which called rendered the instructions necessary. 1. The whole territory had been filled for some time with [spies] & emissaries who were spreading disaffection among the Indians and exciting them to war. 2. By your instructions dated the 2 of [undecipherable] 179[7]. it was made a part of your duty to instruct the commandants of posts on the N.W. territory as follows: [here insert that part of the instructions] 3. It was not to be collected from any of your letters that this particular part of your instructions had been executed. 4. There resulted the same conclusion that you had not even completely [undecipherable: overlooked] this part of your instructions, from no returns having been transmitted to the War Office agreeably to the 3 article of the instruction which it had been prescribed to you to have [forwarded] to the several commandants. 5. When the Secy. transmitted the instructions of the 14th July (those in question) to the commandants of the several posts in the N.W. territory, he had reason to believe from your letters that you were on your way to [Michilimackinac], and moreover could not have calculated with any degree of certainty at what place or at what time they might [find] [you], [they] having [been forwarded] to you [for?] for the purpose of distribution. In such a state of things, and having thus reason to believe, that you had overlooked this part of your instructions, and that the commandants had not received the regulations [undecipherable] conformably to your instructions [undecipherable] posed for their government, it became my indispensable duty not to suffer the posts [undecipherable] to remain longer without them. To have waited till the instructions could have found you, and till you could have transmitted them to the posts along the Lakes from [Michilimackinac] to Oswego and from Presque Isle to Fort Miami, and all the other posts down to [Malpar?] near to the [undecipherable] would have been neither safe nor prudent. I took the course pointed out by reason and circumstances. I sent them by a quick [undecipherable] [undecipherable] to the posts as [undecipherable] only they were framed and intended to [undecipherable] with the most effect. So far I have thought it proper to offer some of the special reasons [above] for this proceeding. I shall now take notice of some farther ideas which you have presented on this subject. If I comprehend the meaning of your observations they are [to wit]: For the [undecipherable] or government of the army 1. [That] all regulations [by] the [undecipherable] officers relating to [undecipherable] ought to [undecipherable] [undecipherable] be [undecipherable] framed by the general of the army 2. [That undecipherable] of [undecipherable] in command [undecipherable] add [undecipherable] necessary [undecipherable] to [that] chain of dependence from the ranks to the chief in command [undecipherable] constitutes the vital [essence] of military institutions. 2 [That] framing and issuing instructions for the government of particular [undecipherable] officers [undecipherable] [undecipherable] is without precedent [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] and [undecipherable] the U.S. [undecipherable] through the Secy. of War. 2. That to occasion such a proceeding seems to sever entirely upon that chain of dependence from the ranks to the chief in command and [undecipherable] constitutes the vital essence of military institutions. 2 That all regulations on orders for the discipline [or] [government] of the army, [undecipherable] of right or according to military [undecipherable] rules, by framed by and issued from the [General] of the [undecipherable] commanding.