Extracts from Gen^l to the Sec^y — 4 Jan^y 98. (23) Gen^l Wilkinson to Sec^y War — Jan^y 4^th 1798 — (Extract from his letter.) Sec^y War to Gen^l Wilkinson 25 Feb^y 1798 — (Extract from his letter.) Is informed that the Sec^y of War designs the publication of an Essay or Regulations for the Army — [undecipherable] Gen^l W. urgently [undecipherable: entreats] Sec^y War from Considerations of the public interest, Not to publish, Some since he the Gen^l can be heard on [undecipherable]. The Sec^y desires the [undecipherable: views] of the Gen^l on [undecipherable] & [undecipherable] him ample time [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] to [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] it [undecipherable] [undecipherable] of Extract from Gen^l Wilkinson to the Sec^y of War. Jan^y. 4. 1798. "By the next mail I will give you my Candid opinions of an Essay for the Government of the Infantry & artillery, and in the mean time it becomes my duty to myself, to the army & to the President to intreat you to forbear the publication of it, as it will if carried into Effect, bring Speedy destruction upon the subordination & discipline of the Troops" Extract from the Sec^y of war to Gen^l Wilkinson Feb^y. 25^th 1798 "as it will be wholly out of my power to appropriate a single moment of my time to consideration of the regulations or any remarks upon them, till after the present Session of Congress is closed, it would be unnecessary for me to make myself to the trouble of a Journey to Philadelphia for the purpose of explaining to me verbally your particular exceptions and the grounds upon which they rest. I request that you will take your own time to do this and commit them to writing as the [undecipherable: preferable] rule, but enable me to judge of them at Leisure & to advantage — It is my anxious wish that they should be as free from [undecipherable] [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] as [undecipherable] and should define with precision & clearness, the real outlines at least of every officers duty and should leave nothing vague or uncertain respecting [undecipherable: either] the manual exercise & field movements, that is susceptible of fixed regulations, and that the whole as they ought should have the Presidential stamp and emanate from his authority — Such being the objects contemplated it is not my intention to hurry the work as I have suggested to you or to bring it in any form whatever before the President till I have collected & weighed all the information I can procure at home & abroad relative to the subject. I expect in the autumn of the present year to receive from Europe a body of french regulations under the regal government comprising the police of their army in the field and garrison and the British regulations promulgated by the Kings authority in 1792 for their army, as well as some other publications from which I hope to derive considerable aid, and till then I do not mean to proceed further in the undertaking. —"