January 1— December 31, 1781 159

I shall be much obliged if your Excellency will please to give me as
full directions as possible how to conduct myself in Opposing the
Enemy & in all other affairs.

April 2

[John Hanson, Philadelphia, to the Governor and Council.]

M^r Carroll and I wrote to your Excellency and the Hon^ble Coun-
cil by last post, requesting a supply of one thousand Dollars each of
the new Emission, but at the present Exchange, I find that sum will
be insufficient to answer my Immediate purposes — the exchange be-
tween Gold and Silver and the Emissions of the 18^th March Issued
by the State of Maryland, is as 40 to 140, so that one silver Dollar
is equal to three and a half. I must therefore request that my sum
may be encreased to fifteen hundred Dollars for which I will be ac-
countable at the Exchange that may be settled by the state
The Marquis De la Facile writes from Williamsburgh of the
26^th ult. That the whole British fleet put out to Sea on the morning
of the 24^th and return'd again with a number of Transports (sup-
posed to be from New York) on the 25^th it is said these Transports
had 2000 Troops on Board — these Joined with the Army under
Arnold it is feared will do great mischief I have inclosed you
a hand Bill Containing an Account of the Action of the 15^th and of
the Killed wounded and missing of the Continentals — by the return
from the D A General we also lost of the Militia 97 Killed and
wounded officers included and missing 846 privates supposed to be
gone home. The Riffle regiments Commanded by Campbell and
Lynch had 224 Killed and wounded, officers included.

April 2
Red Book
No. 5
Letter 50

[Rich^d Barnes, Leo^d Town, to His Excellency Tho^s Sim Lee, Esq^r ]

I have enclosed you a Letter from Col^s Jordan, Hebb & Thomas
recommending one Hundred of Militia with their Horses to be
immediately raised for the defence of the Co^ty which I have
ordered from the Upper Battⁿ of Militia to hold themselves in readi-
ness untill we can have an answer from you. The propriety of the
measure, If we are desirous of doing any thing to the purpose, is to
me very striking as it is impossible for us to collect the Militia and
meet the Enemy on their present plan of conduct, unless their is a
party of men on Horseback constantly watching their movements
In short if something is not immediately done for the protection of
the Cot^ns ruin must be the consequence to many of the Inhabitants,
besides other evils which I have already informed you of. The Arms
we have are distributed in such places as would answer the above plan.
The Enemy have plundered many since I last wrote to you, and are
now on St. Georges Island. The party that are there have, as I have
been informed four Sloops, & four or five Barges. There has been
several Brushes with them and the Militia, in which we have had one
Man wounded. If you shuld think it proper for us to execute the

April 3