of the Council of Safety, 1776. 405

time before cloathes and blankets could be furnished. You
will therefore be pleased to endeavour at supplying them with
blanketts and whatever other necessaries can be had your
way as this State is much drained of all articles required by
the Army. If musketts were given them instead of rifles the
service would be more benefited, as there is a superabun-
dance of riflemen in the Army. Were it in the power of the
Congress to supply musketts they would speedily reduce the
number of rifles and replace them with the former, as they
are more easily kept in order, can be fired oftener and have
the advantage of Bayonetts.
I have the honor to be your very obed^t Serv^t
Richard Peters, Sec^y

[H. Hollingsworth to J. Gilpin.]

Head of Elk 26^th October 1776.
Dear Sir. Yours of the 11^th I yesterday received and not
before, having been from home at Philadelphia this twelve days
endeavouring to settle my accounts for provisions, carriages
&^c of the 4, 5^th and part of the sixth Regiment of Virginia
from Elk to Chester, the men being near halfe sick has made
their carriage very tedious and expencive and has taken up
my whole time since the 26^th of September. You are a judge
how much my time was taken up with the Maryland forces
before that date, so that for the last two months I have been
prevented from taking proper care of my buisenis, otherways
should have been at Annapolis before this day, could wish a
commissary was appointed, as I am now while I am wrighting
applyed to by Cap^t Johnson of the sixth Virginia Ridgmnt to
provide barracks, waggons & provisions for his company to
pass them on to Phild^a, and that there is 800 Carolinahans in
the river which must be provided as above, you sir are, as is
the honourable Council of Safety better judges how necessary
it is to forward those troops than myselfe, and you also know
th^t no person hear will forward them but myselfe, (in your
absence) I must therefore Begg the Idulgence of the Honnour
Council if the arrival of those troops, and transporting them
over, should delay my coming to Annapolis longer than they
may expect, as I assure you and them on the word of a Gentlemen
that nothing else shall delay my coming one day, when I hope
to satisfy their Honnours, that every thing has been done by
me that could, by a man so circumstanced. As to the first
90 bayonetts sent M^r Winters they are not so good as they
ought, as most of them were made by young hands in the
Buisenis, and many of the best of what was then made,
picked out for the Marching Companyes going to flying Camp,

Original.