[April 23 – 1799 To the President. Cadets. In P. 310 dc] War Departm^t 23 April. 1799 Sir. I had not time yesterday without closing the benefit of the mail, which you know closes at 12 o'clock A. M. to say any thing on the subject of Major Jacksons letter. I now take the liberty to observe, that the appointment of Mr. Pearson to be a cadet by Cap^t Gates, was altogether [strikethrough: irregular] and this [strikethrough: ought] to draw pay for him after [strikethrough: any] 27 Nov. [strikethrough: equally] so. Cap^t Gates by his recruiting instructions, which he was bound to observe, had not even power to promise a recruit, that he should be appointed, upon joining his Regiment a non-commissioned officer; how then could he suppose, that he had power to appoint a cadet, an intermediary officer, between a sergeant and Lieutenant, and an [strikethrough: officer] intitled to higher pay than a sergeant. The fact is, if Captains are to be permitted to play the parts of Presidents and Generals, every thing respecting the service must run into confusion. My letter to Major Jackson of which he sent you an extract, had in view, to check this practice, and at the same time to [strikethrough: indiscreetly pretty strongly,] to him that what had been done by Cap^t Gates, would be no otherwise countenanced than by considering Mr. Titcomb as a candidate, as soon as it would be proper to increase the number of cadets. [undecipherable] [undecipherable]. After this answer, Major Jackson should have forborn any further interference, and had he a thousand times written to me upon the subject, had no right to conclude from my silence, that I had [strikethrough: agreed] determined to sanction what was so highly improper. It is your opinion that M^r Titcomb is a promising young man. I have therefore [strikethrough: made] [strikethrough: not a warrant] [strikethrough: with [undecipherable] and] made a warrant, for him as cadet in the 2^d Regiment of Artillery and Engineers, dated the first of January ulto. and [strikethrough: directed] shall [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] transmit the same to Gen^l [undecipherable] — Hamilton, as the proper channel, to be forwarded to him. To avoid like mistakes in future I have [strikethrough: heretofore proposed] had inserted in the revised recruiting instructions the following article. v. "Commandants of Regiments, caps, or companies, cannot appoint cadets. They may be recommended through the commander in chief, the Inspector General, or General commanding a seperate army, to the Secretary of war, and if approved of, warrants of appointment will issue in due form" with the greatest respect I have the honour to be Sir Your mo^st ob^t S[ervant] — [undecipherable: probable reading James McHenry] S[ecretary of War?]