Philadelphia, March 2, 1782.

    Sir: I have recd. your favor of the 10th. ult. and am happy to find that the Officers had been sensible of the impropriety of the manner and stile of their representation and that the detachment had marched to the southward. ³⁸

[Note:At this point the draft has the following crossed out: "Necessity must sometimes justify going somewhat out of the regular line of proceeding." ]

    >From the situation in which matters were, I cannot blame you for the prompt execution of Hawkins? ³⁹ The necessity of the case, especially in military concerns, must often justify what is in fact an irregular mode of proceeding.

[Note:Joseph Hawkins, a mulatto soldier in Major Posey's department. ]

    Lt. Colo. Carrington is now here, making arrangements for the regular support of the Quarter Masters department in the state of Virginia and will be down before another detachment can be ready to march; you will therefore I hope have no further difficulties upon that score; And I shall direct the Cloathier General to have three or four hundred suits of Cloathes dropped at the place of General Rendezvous in Virginia, to equip the Recruits as they may come in. The supply can be occasionally kept up. The Cloathing will go to the care of you or whoever may be the superintending Continental Officer and it must on no account be issued but for Continental use.

    I wish it were in my power to give you and the Officers remaining in Virginia any immediate hope of Money. The superintendant of Finance is making every effort so to arrange the affairs of his department that he may make regular payments to the whole Army. In order to this he is obliged totally to suspend, for the present, all partial payments. His dependance is upon the compliance of the states with the requisitions of Congress, and the moment they furnish him, either with Money or Money's worth he will commence his payments. We have long struggled with difficulties which seemed almost insurmountable, but I am confident if the Officers will have patience to wait for the operations of the systems which have lately been introduced, that they will no longer have the same reasons of Complaint, that they have formerly had.

    You will let me hear from time to time what success you have in recruiting. I am &c. ⁴⁰

[Note:The draft is in the writing of Tench Tilghman. ]