next, to mention whether any, and which of these letters
have come to hand. This acknowledges the receipt
of yours of September the 28th, and October the 3rd,
5th, and 7th. The first of these was delivered
four or five days ago by Captain Drew. He will
be permitted to return as you desire, as we would fulfil
your wishes in every point in our power, as well as
indulge the ardor of a good officer. Our militia
from the western counties are now on their march to
join you. They are fond of the kind of service
in which Colonel Morgan is generally engaged, and
are made very happy by being informed you intend to
put them under him. Such as pass by this place,
take muskets in their hands. Those from the,southern
counties, beyond the Blue Ridge, were advised to carry
their rifles. For those who carry neither rifles
nor muskets, as well as for our eighteen months men,
we shall send on arms as soon as wagons can be procured.
In the mean time, I had hoped that there were arms
for those who should first arrive at Hillsborough,
as by General Steven’s return, dated at his departure
thence, there were somewhere between five and eight
hundred muskets (I speak from memory, not having present
access to the return) belonging to this State, either
in the hands of the few militia who were there, or
stored. Captain Fauntleroy, of the cavalry, gives
me hopes he shall immediately forward a very considerable
supply of accoutrements, for White’s and Washington’s
cavalry. He told me yesterday he had received
one hundred and thirteen horses for that service, from
us. Besides these, he had rejected sixty odd,
after we had purchased them, at L3000 apiece.
Nelson’s two troops were returned to me, deficient
only twelve horses, since which, ten have been sent
to him by Lieutenant Armstead. I am not a little
disappointed, therefore, in the number of cavalry fit
for duty, as mentioned in the letter you enclosed me.
Your request (as stated in your letter of the 7th)
that we will send no men into the field, or even to
your camp, that are not well furnished with shoes,
blankets, and every necessary for immediate service,
would amount to a stoppage of every man; as we have
it not in our power to furnish them with real necessaries
completely. I hope they will be all shod.
What proportion will have blankets I cannot say:
we purchase every one which can be found out; and
now I begin to have a prospect of furnishing about
half of them with tents, as soon as they can be made
and forwarded. As to provisions, our agent, Eaton,
of whom I before wrote, informs me in a letter of
the 5th instant, he shall immediately get supplies
of beef into motion, and shall send some corn by a
circuitous navigation. But till we receive our
wagons from the western country, I cannot hope to
aid you in bread. I expect daily to see wagons
coming in to us. The militia were ordered to
rendezvous at Hillsborough, expecting they would thence
be ordered by you into service. I send you herewith
a copy of Henry’s map of Virginia. It is
a mere cento of blunders. It may serve
to give you a general idea of the courses of rivers,
and positions of counties. We are endeavoring
to get you a copy of Fry and Jefferson’s; but
they are now very scarce. I also enclose you some
newspapers, in which you will find a detail of Arnold’s
apostacy and villany.