General Hamilton to James McHenry Esqr New York Jany 7. 1799 pg. 33 [scribble] New York Jany 7th. 1799 Sir,

            The unascertained situation, in which I have been, 

since my acceptance of the Military appointment, I now hold, has been not a little embarrassing to me. I had no sooner heard of the law creating the Office that I was told by members of Congress that I was generally considered as the person desgna- ted by circumstances to fill that office and that the expectati- =on of those who most actively promoted the passing of the law was that the Inspect General would be brought into immediate activity, particularly to [ ]intend the rasining and –gam ng of the Troops. This is mentioned as a [misc.] item in the incidents which influenced my calculations and arrangements.

              Very soon after, if not at 

the time, you communicated to me my appointment, you intimated though not officially your desire that I might [receive][of] myself in preparing for the consideration of the Executive a system of Tactics and discipline. And not long after you expressed to me your intention to commit to me the supervision of the recruiting service.

              In October, I received your summons to

attend at the seat of Government with the Commander in Chief. I obeyed and devoted to the purposes of the summons about a Month and a half.

              I received in due course a letter from your

department noting the expectation of the President that the General would think it proper to wave the [enrollments] of their stations till called into service. [I was] my reply of acquiesced.(?)

           But presuming that I would speedily be office

-ally charged with the execution of duties, which would [ ] along with them the compensations attached by the law to the station, I have acted on that presumption Ihave discontinued my practice as Attorney and Solicitor, from which I had derived a considerable part of my professional profits: and I have applied no small portion of my time to preliminary investigations in order to the collection of the best lights for forming a system of Tactics and discipline as perfect as ex- =ists any where else.

                 The very circumstances of my having

accepted a military appointment from the moment it was known, withdrew from me a large proportion of my [ ]- =onal business. This it will be perceived was a natural [effect]\of the uncertainty of my being able in the progress of [ ] to render the services for which I might be engaged at the customary previous expence to the parties.

                             The result has been

that the emoluments of my profession have been demonstrated more that one half and are still diminishing and [ ] in respect uncertainty whether or when I am to [derive] from the scanty compensations of the office even a partial retribution for so serious a loss.

              [Were] I rich I should be proud to be intent

on such a subject I should acquiesce without an observation as long as any one might think the minutest public interest required an accumulation of sacrifices on my part. [But after] having to in advanced a period of my life devoted all the my prospects of fortune to the service of the Country and depen -dant as I am for the maintenance of a wife and six children on my professional [excertions?], none so seriously abridged [as?] it is essential for me to forego, the [ or delicacy?] and [ ] of you to define my [re tion] that I may return [ ] pg 34 10,

to continue or to change my present plan. It will easily be

imagined that I should not accept compensations withheld from any other in a similar situation. If actual employment is to be the criterion in any other instance it must be so in mine; but then it is material to me to understand whether in the contemplation of the Executive, I now am, or immediately am to be employed or not– In the negative of this, my honor will compel submission to the consequent sacrifice, so far as is/it? is unavoidable ; but my arrangements will be different from what they are at present and will aim at making the sacrifice as small as possible.

         An early answer to this inquiry

will particularly oblige me with great [ ]

                                 I have the honor to be
                                      Sir,

The Secretary of War Your observant

                                         A Hamilton