Fort Johnson 3^d. May 1800. Sir I have received your letter of the 17^th. of last month. I acknowledged the receipt of the Cloathing for the Company, in my letter to you of the 25. Ult^o. — I have caused it to be counted again, and I find there are 242 Privates Shirts — the other articles as before stated. In answer to that part of your letter whi[ch] respects Captain Frye's Cloathing — I have to inform you that when his Company arrived from New York, they had on hand a large quantity, which I understood be-longed to them; I had not then any idea that this Cloathing could be liable to my order, because I viewed it the property of the Company — therefore I never touched it — And until I received your last letter, and had some conversation with Captain Frye upon this subject, I had not understood it otherwise. I should certainly have supplied the wants of Cap^t. Haltaisen's Company from this Stock, if I had been fully appriz'd of the circumstances. — I enclose you the Copy of a letter from Cap^t. Frye to me, assigning reasons why his Company appears to have this surplus. — To answer your inquiries as to the [underline: cause] of the injury, and the [underline: nature] of the damage — I have to inform you, that, Fort Moultrie is built at the edge of the water on Sullivan's Island, and that the ordinary tides flow above the foot of the glacis — The barracks without the fort, and the caserne within, were at the time occupied by Cap^t. Frye & Huger's companies, and a detachment of Marines, under Lieut. Wynkoop; there was, therefore, no other place to store the surplus Cloathing but the Magazine, which is at one end of the caserne — & none so secure; it is to be observed that the barracks without, are in a most wretched condition, and the United States do not order them to be repaird, because the State of South Carolina will not cede the fort. — On the 25^th of September there was a most violent N.E. Storm, the tide rose to a considerable height — there were two feet water in the caserne and ditch — the water made its way into the Magazine — thus the Cloathing was injur'd — [strikethrough: That part of it which the officers to ours reported as dam-aged] may be Used, but that unfit for service is totally lost. — I am extremely sorry, that I was not perfectly acquainted with the circumstances relative to this Cloathing when Captain Frye's Company first came on — Cap^t. Haltaisen has borrow'd one or two Coats from it, under an impression the same as mine, with intention to return them when he should receive a supply. I propose to issue part of this Cloathing to Cap^t. Haltaisen's Company. — I observe by the General orders of the 28^th of March, that we are directed to make returns to you of all medicines &c. in the Hospital Department, on hand and wanting — Enclosed are returns of this kind — I need not urge to you the necessity of our having at all times a supply of these articles. — D^r. Baloho ha[s] requested me to forward the enclosed letter from him — he left the service and set up a Druggist Store in Charles[ton] — as long as he should keep fresh and good drugs, it might be proper to comply with his wishes, if he would supply them as cheap as they could be purchased in Philadelphia, including the [undecipherable] — I would thank you to send me two fort Flags, one for this Post, the other for Fort Moultrie — I imagine they can be purchased cheaper and better in Philadelphia than in Charleston. — I am, Sir Your Obedient Hum^ble Serv^t Const. Freeman, (maj^r. 1^st. Reg^t. A^t & E. Samuel Hodgdon Esq^r. S. O. M. S. P.S. I have not sent you returns for the Hospital Stores, such as tea, sugar, wine, &cⁿ. which may be required; because D^r. Thomas who succeeds D^r. Baloho as Surgⁿ. Mate, has not been in service but three days, and consequently cannot have obtained sufficient information to make the returns. I shall therefore be [undecipherable] to you to send such articles as can be procured at Philadelphia. — D^r. Gallaspry who has served at this post knows best what we may req[uire]. I suppose you have before now been informed, that M^r. John Loveday, has been appointed, Conductor of Military Stores, or Storekeeper for the M.S. in Charles[ton]. He was recommended by General Pinckney, and is a worthy, honest man. He sometimes is at a loss, how to act when the removal, or safety of the Stores requi[res] some small expence. — The Agent of the War Department, M^r. Crafts, does not suppose he has any thing to do with him. — I have therefore told M^r. Loveday that when-ever, the removal of the Stores should require a trifling expence, I would give him my orders for the purpose, and that I have no doubt but you would settle these accounts at your office, or give some directions how to proceed. I should be obliged to you to give him some instructions, as he is a member of your department. — C. Fe. --- [Copy] Copy of a letter from Cap^t. Frederick Frye to Major Constant Freeman, dated, Fort Moultrie May 1^st 1800. Sir In the Summer of 1798 my Company (then at Governors Island) was in want of Cloathing — I was directed by the Hon. Sec^y. of War, to make a Return, which I did in July, for about 66 Suits — M^r. Hodgdon did not send me any Cloaths. On the 2^nd of October, same year, I made another Return for 120 suits, as my Company had then encreased to upwards of one hundred men, and I was still recruiting. — during the winter my men received blue Woolen Overalls, not of a very good quality, furnished by Col^o. Stevens, Military Agent at New York. Sometime in the Spring of 1799 I received a letter from M^r. Hodgdon (enclosing an Invoice agreeable to my return of 2^nd of October) informing me, the Cloathing was forwarded to my address, which I afterwards understood was unladed and stored in New York — I requested Lieut. Dayton to wait on General Hamilton, and take his orders respecting them. — (After the Return was made, my number of men had been diminished to about Sixty, by sending a detachment to West point, and Casualties.) Lieut. Dayton informed me, he had waited on General Hamilton, who directed him to take all the Cloathing on to South Carolina with the Company; observing that there might be a difficulty in getting regular Supplies for the Company. — Soon after arriving at this place, the Company was reduced by Deaths and Desertions to about Forty one Men. — Those are the reasons, why, my Company, have a surplus, or rather Cloathing in advance. — I am &c. — [docket on verso: Copy of a letter from Cap[t]. Frye to Major [Freeman?] — [undecipherable] the clothing — [undecipherable] May 1799]