To His Excellency the Governor of North Carolina.
Sir:
I take the liberty to apply to your Excellency for a sum of money to pay a part of the wages due to my men. Without this help of your Excellency I should not be able to march to the remainder of our army with the perfect Confidence to keep the best order among my people. What remains of Genl. Pulaski's legion is incorporated in mine; and those men having not been payed
since a long time, and being entirely out of cloathing, are rather displeased and unwilling to march on. If your Excellency was willing to advance some money to the legion, I wish you would be so good as to send me betwixt seventeen and twenty Shillings hard money per soldier, which Sum would pay near two months' wages to the legion. Your Excellency knows very well that the several late advantages of the Enemy in this part over our troops have really discouraged in some measures the remainders of them, and even those who arrived since from the north; and that if to that discouragement, caused by the Sally's of the Enemy, we were to put an addition by ourselves, the deprivation & small Sums in enlisting men would be the unhappy consequence of it. Should your Excellency think proper to grant my request the money would be reimbursed by Congress or by the board of war, or by the pay Master to the Southern army, as soon as that have one. I wish your Excellency would tell me which of those two means may be agreeable to you, and I shall immediately act in consequence of your order.