506 Letters to the Governor and Council

September 19

procure a large Number of Beef Cattle as soon as possible & to drive
or forward them to Fredericksburg in Virginia & have exerted my-
self as much as possible to collect them & notwithstanding this County
has been greatly exhausted by the Maintenance of the Convention
Troops Guards &c yet I have a well grounded Prospect of being able
to send 100 from this place in three Days & as many more in the
Course of next Week. My Sickness, the necessary avocations from
the Business of the Office occasioned by my attending to the Gover-
nor & Council their & your pressing Orders, relative to Beef Cattle
& Flour has prevented me from sending down a Return of Provi-
sions this Week, but you may I think depend upon it by next Post

September26
Red Book
No. 29
Letter 47

[Don. Yeates, D. Q. M., Elk, to Gov. Lee]

I rec^d your favour of the 23^rd Advising me of this want of flour
by our Army under His Excellency General Washington, and re-
quiring that articles to be forwarded by me without delay of time,
be assured no attention or Industry in my power shall be wanting
in the execution of this business, Permit me to acquaint you I am
much retarded in the business thro' the want of Craft, General
Lincoln took every one from this place I could Collect on either shore
for a Considerable distance down, after the first division sailed, since
which eight or nine Craft has been procured and by the particular
order of the General appropriated to the transportation of Amuni-
tion and some heavy Carriages to mount Artilery, in these a few
Barrels of flour will be got in, to amo^t of p^rhaps one hundred B^bls or
may be some more, these will sail to morrow, when I shall not have a
Craft at the place unless some of the first division that sailed re-
turns, I will then have on hand about three Craft Load of Artilery,
Quarter Masters, and Commissary Stores exclusive of the flour
but the first object now shall be to the forwarding the flour, and no
oppertunity lost that I can avail myself of; think it right to acquaint
you of these several circumstances as its probable some Craft may
come into the Port of Annapolis under a pretence of their not being
wanted.
P. S. 27^th evening all the Craft here has fell down the river ab^t
15 in number under the direction of Capt" Stephens and a Partie of
the train of Artilery, all the amunition, Artilery and other stores
which came on with the Army nearly shiped, also 151 B^bls of flour
for the American Army & ab^t 140 for the french, a few good Craft
will answer the business here now

September 27
Red Book
No. 27
Letter 10

[Charles Athey, Charles County to Governor Lee]

May it please Your Excellency I am a draught from this County
and belong to Capt. John Mitchell's Company of the 4^th Mary^d Rege-
ment; and on our march from Annapolis to Virginia obtained a fur-
lough from my Captain for two days to see my friends, in Which