360 Journal and Correspondence

C.S.C.

near £900 by Hindman to purchase such deficiency as the
Continental Store could not furnish, particularly shoes and
stockings. I am about to draw pay for the troops that first
marched with me, from the 6^th of July (the time they were
ordered to march, which will replace in my hands the half
month's pay advanced by Council and half a month's pay
advanced at Eliza. Town, out of the money advanced me
by Council and our Deputies at Congress. I also paid
Cap^t Veazey's company out of the above sums a month's
pay, they having had no advance from the Council upon
their marching. I shall credit the Province with this sum,
having charged it before the pay advanced by me to the
soldiers &^c and credited it 'with the sums received from the
Council & Deputies. We have received no pay since in
this service but £750 paid the men when marched to Long
Island, and I got an advance from the Gen^l of £750 more in
part of the sum sent by Hindman. There is now due us
down to the 31^st August which is as late as they will pay us to
near £3.000 inclusive of the Independents pay shou'd the
Council not approve of my drawing and retaining in my
hands that part of this sum that will be due to the Province,
they will please signify and it shall be lodged to their order.
My motive in drawing it being only to provide for contingen-
cies, money not being to be drawn here when most wanted,
for it has been the policy here to retain 2 or 3 months of the
Eastern Troops pay to prevent desertion and retain them
longer in service, by which better men often suffer and lan-
guish for their pay. there are severall vacancies now to fill
up, but having no time to make out a list, must beg leave to
defer it till I have more leisure. Lieut Ford behaving well
has acted under brevet as Captain of Light Infantry which is
in rotation agreable to his seniority. We want medicine
much, none can be had here, our sick have and are now suf-
fering extremely, the number as you'll observe from the list is
very considerable, owing in a great measure to the bad provi-
sion made for and care taken of them, the men being often
moved and have been exposed to lye on the cold ground ever
since they came here, after lying without their tents for several
nights as is now the case, having been five nights and days
without them, being ever since the enemy landed up here.
The inconvenience attending frequent removals of troops
when there are not a regular supply of waggons for that pur-
pose, which is much wanting here, no person can conceive
who has not experienced it, besides when their tents and
baggage cant attend them, they must be injured much by lying
in the open air at this season and in this place where heavy
dews prevail so much, and I may justly say our corps have