[Private] Newark May 2^d 1799 42 Sir ...very much a[ttach]ed by then idea of leaving the commanding Officer of a distinct army to regulate [undecipherable] his pretention before [silence?] — I have [undecipherable] the compliment after [undecipherable] to [Col?] [undecipherable] branch on the [undecipherable] that by the department [undecipherable] [undecipherable] for the command has [undecipherable] upon him I take the information only at my [undecipherable] [undecipherable] that [probably?] his own [undecipherable] on the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] after the most natural [undecipherable]. It [seems?] to me that the latter would render most [undecipherable] as a [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] and an [undecipherable] [undecipherable] and [undecipherable] than any [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] way — the [undecipherable] of the western [undecipherable], by a [undecipherable] — [undecipherable] at the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] in [undecipherable] immediately on the [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] as never found an as much too [undecipherable] — and if it [undecipherable] happen [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] be with means against which a [undecipherable] [undecipherable] will be of [undecipherable] consequence — [undecipherable] in [his?] [undecipherable] at [Massac?] — want the [undecipherable] of [undecipherable] an [undecipherable] a [undecipherable] to me not likely to counteract any [undecipherable] the [undecipherable] of [undecipherable] and [undecipherable] her — so a [undecipherable] to [undecipherable] [undecipherable] movement on our part, the [undecipherable] below will be as [undecipherable] as [before?] was But not being aware of the [views?] the [matters?] which may have [influenced?] the [undecipherable] of the [undecipherable], I [sent?] a [copy?] of my letter to you to enable you to [undecipherable] what you have done. And [undecipherable] you that it [will?] be that the [undecipherable] [undecipherable] [undecipherable] continue at [undecipherable] [undecipherable] after a conference in the General [undecipherable] and as it is over [undecipherable] in my [undecipherable] that his destination be more daily [undecipherable] [undecipherable], I now [undecipherable] you another [undecipherable] for [Col?] Hamtramck. [Wrapper verso:] [FREE] James M^c Henry Es^q Sec^y of War Philadelphia [Notation written sideways: 2 [May?] 1799 / Gen. Hamilton / Sec[retar]y of [undecipherable]]