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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from Richard Peters to Horatio Gates
Peters, Richard, 1744-1828
June 15, 1780
Volume 14, Pages 501-503

BICHARD PETERS TO MAJOR GENERAL GATES.


War Office, June 15, 1780.

Sir:

We have the honour to enclose you the resolution of congress on the subject of your So. command and Warrants in consequence on the treasuries of Va. & No. Carolina. The sums are small, in comparison to your Demands, in a Quarter where every thing goes heavily for the Want of Cash. The enclosed letter from Baron De Kalb will shew you his Situation. I point the Necessity

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of your immediate presence to organize and collect the too much divided little Force you will have for the Beginning of your Army, which we hope, however, will increase by the Exertions of the So. States. We cannot give you exact information of the State of Affairs, but suppose you will learn them in your progress to the Southward. We enclose you a list formed more on conjecture than actual Returns of the Troops we suppose to the Southward out of Charlestown; but their stations we are not acquainted with. The Numbers of militia, if any in service, we know not. We have forwarded with Harrison's Regiment of Artillery a tolerable supply of Artillery Stores, calculated upon a Supposition of Adversity at Charlestown. There are with this Regiment twelve Pieces of Artillery. The Musket ammunition is rather deficient, but we have now prepared, ready to send off from hence, 360,000 Musket Cartridges, and have written to the Governor of Virginia to supply Pewter sufficient to make up into Cartridges Ten Tons of Lead, which Col. Finnie (who will inform you on this Subject) is to send on to Halifax. Three thousand Stand of Arms & Accoutrements are in readiness to proceed from hence, in addition to Two thousand sent from Carlisle & now at Halifax in N. Carolina. We are informed of the Number of Pieces of Artillery with Col. Porterfield's detachment. Whether Major Lee's corps will join is as yet uncertain. He was ordered to proceed to the Southward, but on the Enemy's entering N. Jersey his Horse was ordered to rejoin the Main Army. His Infantry are in Virginia. We have reported to Congress the Propriety of calling into Service General Weedon & Col. Morgan. But our Report is yet undecided in Congress. By the return of the Express you will please to inform us of anything on which you may desire our assistance, and we will readily afford all the Aid in our Power. We beg you to inform us where we shall write to you, & of anything you deem it necessary from time to time for us to know. You will receive thirty thousand Dollars for your travelling Expenses by this conveyance, for which you are to be accountable.

We have the honour to be,
With much Esteem,
Your very obed. servants,
RICHARD PETERS,
By order.

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P. S. Five of the Ten Tons of Lead before mentioned had been sent some time ago by Col. Finnie, and he was directed to send five more on his arrival in Virginia.

To Major Gen. Gates.