[17 Dec^r 1798 To W^m S. Smith East Chester] [undecipherable text due to extensive ink damage on page] War Department 17^th Dec^r 1798 Dear Sir An early long and intimate acquaintance with you, and a favourable opinion entertained of your military and other qualifications, induced me when at Mount Vernon, to confer with the Commander in chief, in July last, to acquiesce with pleasure in his designation of you, provisionally, to the post of Adjutant General of the army, and your name was accordingly presented to the Senate. It was not till the nomination had been made that I understood objections existed among the members of the Senate which would prevent a concurrence. To obtain their assistance and advice among other matters of moment, in selecting proper characters to fill the several grades, in the appointed army of the United States, the Commander in chief and Major Generals, were requested to convene at [strikethrough: Philadelphia] the seat of Government, and have lately completed their business: among their recommendations [strikethrough: of the] your name is proposed to the President as the commandant of one of the Regiments; but at the same time that they presented the list of characters approved of, General [undecipherable: Washington] upon accompanied it with a letter of which the inclosed is a copy. I feel an extreme sensibility in making this disclosure, nor can hope no other claim on you for an [undecipherable: acquittal], than the obligation of a situation which demands from me the utmost candor and most perfect freedom of communication with the President I am D^r Sir Your most Ob^t! & hble S^t James McHenry W^m S. Smith Esq^r