New York Aug 5.^th [1799?] [2] If there be any thing in my general order lately Sent you which conduces to the [undecipherable] plea ignorance & inattention, I agree with you, my dear friend, that it ought not to have been [undecipherable] that [if] done with design it would be [undecipherable] a very culpable [in]action. But if it does bear this construction, I have very clum[s]ily executed my own intentions, [and?] I give you my honor that [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] [undecipherable] of it, [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] my aim was quite the reverse. I have already told you my opinion, that the letter from you to [Capt?] Frye was in the nature of [undecipherable] any [Picquette?] irregular[ity?]. It ought to have [been] address[ed] to Major [undecipherable]. If my [undecipherable] memory serves me right it refers to the [undecipherable] by [Capt?] Frye & then [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] [undecipherable] gives him the pretext of your [undecipherable] [undecipherable] it was necessary to do away, [the?] inference [and?] at the same time to observe [on?] the moral of the [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] of irregularity on your [part?]. My object was to reconcile these two [things?]... The means, I em[ployed?], [were] two [—] questions. — 1 That the intermediate circumstances were unknown to you. In this [case?] you nothing more. 2 That from a [undecipherable] to give [faculties?] to the [General?] you overlooked the [in]consistency of what was done with [the?] given instructions. Doss this [imply?] ignorance & inattention? I think not — [A?] superior [sometimes?] overlooks, that is [forbears?] to take notice of, the incompatibility of the conduct of any inferior with his instructions, [though] he clearly perceives [it] and consequently acts neither from ignorance [nor] inattention [but?] incompatibility — but wishes — to give faculty to the General on the particular instance he thinks it best to [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] waive any objection to what has been done, & even to give [—] effect to it. In civil & military life this has happened to my [self?]; and yet to have it [stated?] would not in my opinion [show?] me either [with?] ignorance or inattention. [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] There may often be good reasons for [underline: overlooking] a fault which we [perceive?]. To overlook is very [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] [—] [undecipherable] — [undecipherable] to neglect, to [underline: forbear] to [pursue?] [an] animadversion upon. And it seems to me that it is plainly in this [sense?] that it is used in the general order. [Most?] [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] it was intended so to be — Now let me rebuke you in turn — How could [you?] [imagine?] that [such?] an opinion that you have [underline: wantonly] or ignorantly given order to inferior officers within the command of their [superior?]. It is to injure my friendship [in?] you to suppose that I could think you had wantonly done so. That you may have done so through want of a [just?] habit on [the?] [subject?] & perhaps from [some?] incorrectness of ideas with regard to military etiquette I have indeed [believed?] but nothing [worse?]. And I cannot think that their [belief?] ought to give you pain. It only implies that you have not been long enough called by [situation?] to [establish?] in practice upon that etiquette to have formed exact notions of it and a habit of conformity to it — I do not myself [pretend?] to be an adept in [those?] [themes?] of knowlege; though I have endeavored to Systematize my ideas on the [subject?]. They are these that the Depart^t of War may regularly corresponds with the [Civil?] Staff [—] [persons?] charged with the [business?] of [supply?] in its various branches without passing through the [strikethrough: military] medium of the Chief Military [Officer?] [strikethrough: [undecipherable]] [underline: [undecipherable]] But that in all other [matters?] the correspondence ought to be with him exclusively — [saving?] the case of sudden emergency in which the [dept?] would suffer by using him as the medium. [Yrs affely?] [undecipherable] [[undecipherable] Henry E[sq?].]