Letterbook

Stephen Bayard discusses army accounts with Joseph Howell

Colonel Bayard continues to request immediate settlement of his account from Joseph Howell.

1788

01

26

Philadelphia

Stephen Bayard

Joseph Howell

Joseph Howell

Stephen Bayard

officers

General Schuyler

Philadelphia

certificate

balance

commutation

paper

balance

recruiting account

monies

1788012670055

334

Joseph Howell Esq

Philadelphia Jany 26th 1788

Dr Sir

I received your favour of the 21 Jany 1788 and as the same time that I assure you I am fully convinced your attention to the interest of the United States hath directed your conduct, I can easily persuade myself that where you are convinced it will be doing injustice to an individual to obtain the certificate for my pay and no injustice to the United States to deliver them, you will transmit them without delay. First then the estate which I posses, would sufficiently secure the United State, if I even owed them the whole sum that is against me - second, the sum that you have stopped from the officers in many cases may not amount to the balance they may owe, the demand of the United States well in with cases certainly not be cancelled against such officers, because then certificate, for all beyond hath been already delivered out, so I cannot conceive how the demand of the united states should be lessoned against me if any demand they have for this balance lying receiving these certificates any more than it would be lessened by my having received my other certificate against any demand upon me for a longer sum than what you have detained - the loan office of Pennsylv will be shut by the fourth of March next, so that if my certificates for the residue of my pay and commutation be withheld till that time, the pittance I am to resume for what is due me in specie, and what ought to be paid me thereon, will be rendered still less and to 0b (undecipherable) all your objections to the delivery of my certificates I hereby for myself, my heirs and executors declare that the demand against me by the United States, and my Accountability to them shall in no wise be lessoned or impared by my receiving the said certificates stopped form me. The paper you refer to is the very order upon which I received the balance of my recruiting account, it was call'd the new recruiting account to distinguish if from my former account, which had been settled, and in it I accounted for the monies you now desire me to account for - Genl Schuyler's order is sufficient, and shows that I rendered my accounts when I settled them, I believe I preserved a copy, but fear it was lost, should I ever lay my hands upon it. I will send it to you to enable you to charge the officers for the money advanced, but if this account hath been lost thro (undecipherable) Col Wood is accountable therefore not me, and I can see no more propriety in my accounting for the same money again, than if after you had settled my accounts received them and gave me the balance and they should by some means be lost and I should be called upon to account for the same monies - I expect you will be so kind as to send me the certificates by next post, till then I shall wait.

I am Dr Sir

(undecipherable) friend and Servt

Stephen Bayard