War Department, 16^th October, 1800 Sir The Quarter Master Generals department needs some systematic arrangement, and at the same time is from its nature hardly susceptible of precise rules. The questions proposed by you I take to be three. 1^st. Whether the Quarter Master General is authorised without any express order from the department of War or military Commander to make purchases & appoint necessary agents for fulfilling the ordinary duties of his Office? I answer that he is not only authorised, but bound to see that these duties are fulfilled, and that of necessary consequence the means must be allowed him. He of course must have a wide discretion, but it is not unlimited: he must act with due attention, & oeconomy, and with [underline: integrity]. If it becomes a question whether either of these has been wanting in any instance, the case ought to be stated for the consideration of the Head of the Department. Thus much for the Quarter Master Generals acts evidently respecting the duties of his office. Your second Question is Whether he can in all cases out of the precise line of the Duties of Quarter Master General discharge himself, by shewing the order of a Military Commander? I answer that strictly speaking, a Military Commander has no right to compel any officer to do an act out of the line of his duty; I consequently that such an order is not necessarily & in all cases to be obeyed and considered as a justification to the Officer. If the order be evidently an attempt at an improper appropriation of public property the Quarter Master General ought not to obey it. Yet the unforeseen necessities of military service often render orders of the [strikethrough: state] kind from military Commanders necessary, and they ought to be presumed to be right, and, unless it be a strong case of misbehaviour in the Military Commander, the Quarter Master General ought to conform to it. He takes the responsibility on himself if he refuses, and extraordinary cases can be supposed where he ought so to do. The result of these principles is, that such an order justifies expenditures by the Quarter Master General, unless the order be of such a nature as [underline: evidently] to appear to be a misapplication of public property. Your third Question is What are the Duties of a Quarter Master General? It cannot be expected that I should detail them. Generally it is his duty to provide the Army with all necessaries, such as quarters, food, clothing, fuel, forage, &c^a and with all military equipments. When these are purchased already by the public and in store, or contracted for; he ought not to purchase of the same kinds, except in extraordinary cases. His duties will be confined to transporting & distributing them. Where they are not already provided by the public, he is bound to purchase them on as reasonable terms as may be. He ought not however to make expenditures of large amount without any order for that purpose, and where time and circumstances do not render it absolutely necessary, such large expenditures ought not to be made by the Quarter Master General at his own discretion, or ordered by a military Commander without the approbation of the Secretary of War. In all this, as I have said, he must act with [underline: attention], [underline: oeconomy and discretion], and if he fail in these, he is accountable. Much also depends on what has heretofore been the usage. If an Officer conforms to former usage, and act with good faith, he ought not to be holden to account according to different posterior arrangements. I am with due Consideration, Your obed^t Serv^t Sam^l Dexter The Accountant of the War Dep^t [endorsement, rotated: War Department 16^th Oct^r 1800 / Samuel Dexter / to the Accountant Dep^t / Answers to the Questions from / the Accounting of War Dep^t / relative to the Quarter Master / Generals acts — [undecipherable] in the manner for / the transfer of the monies found]