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Gentlemen:

Your favor of the 24th I have just received. The Troops going on the expedition to South Carolina are expressly by order of Congress to be in Continental pay as the greater part of them are badly armed, or have no arms at all. It is highly necessary that they should be supplied, which cannot happen in this State without your assistance from the Continental Stores, and as the arms in your possession are not directed to be removed to any particular State, I think it necessary (from the good of the service) to request you will be pleased to deliver to Col. Gideon Lamb all

the muskets or Bayonets and Cartouche Boxes belonging to the United States, which you have in your possession. I thank you for those already delivered. Be pleased to take his receipt for the whole and transmit me an account of them. These steps under our present circumstances I flatter myself will be approved by the Board of War, as they have no other tendency than the advancement of the common interests of the States in union.

Give me leave to return you my sincere thanks for your kind offers of serving the public in general and myself in particular, and to assure you that I shall ever retain a grateful sense of them.

I am at this time much hurried in endeavouring to get the Troops on, and have the duties of more than half a dozen men on my hands. You will therefore excuse my not adding further than that I am with great respect and esteem, Gentlemen,

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