Lieut. Col. Tho.^s Butler Aug.^t 21.^st 1800. S.^o West Point Tennessee Sir On my return to this place from Philad.^a where I was necessarily detained on business - I received your letter dated the 21.^st July Ult.^o, and in exculpation of the charge of treating you indelicately in ordering your pay to be stopped until the balance which appeared due from you to the United States should be accounted for, I have to state that the Comptroller of the Treasury had directed that the Secretary of War should in all cases designate in writing the several officers commandant of separate Posts who were entitled to double Rations, that where doubtful cases occurred he recommended that the Secretary of War should explicitly state for or against the claim, - and that such decisions in writing should be a voucher for admitting the claim: To this effect the Secretary of War was frequently called upon to decide in your case as well as several others but without effect - It was proper that your account should be entered on my Books, and no alternative remained but either to stop the regular entries or direct the Sum you had received on that head to be refunded or stopped from your subsequent pay, until a decision could be had. This measure I also conceived would accelerate a decision by the Secretary, and be the means of establishing the persons duly entitled - I trust therefore that you will no longer conceive that I have acted in any manner intentionally to hurt your feelings - but that I was induced by my duty to take the steps I did & which are uniformly taken on all similar occasions. No communication has been yet made to me by the Secretary of War, on the subject, if his decision should be favorable to your claim - payment will immediately be ordered. Any errors which may have been made in the statement to which you allude shall be duly corrected - I don't conceive that any necessity exists for a certificate from Major Craig of the period to which he paid you - as your statement is deemed sufficient. I am &c. [undecipherable]