To Alexander Hamilton from Timothy Taylor, 27 May 1799
From Timothy Taylor, 27 May 1799
Danbury May 27th 1799
Sir,
I have the Honor to inform you that the recruiting service in the circle under my Command has begun and as far as I can learn with tolerable success—from reflection & the best information I can obtain by visiting the sub district quarters, I am led to believe it would fecilitate the recruiting of the Regt. by delivering the cloathing to the recruits at the sub districts; that the Officers would feel greater responsibility in enlisting good men if they was to retain them for a while under thier immediate Command, & would be more emulous to excell each other in disaplineing the soldiers in thier respective Companies; that a number of likely recruits in Uniform in the different Towns would have great effect in induceing others to enlist; thier Uniforms could be altered to fit them with more convenience, and they would have a better oppertunity to dispose of the Cloathing they might have on hand—
As tents is not furnished I find it would be imposable to cover the recruits were they all to be ordered to the districts rendizvouse; consiquently I have directed them to be cloathed & disaplined at the sub districts for the present—
General Ebenezr. Huntington, & Major Huntington, has recommended to me Mr. John Brown of Preston for the appointment of Captain in the 13th Regiment Vice Capt. Chew declined; Austin Ledyard of New London for a Lieutenancy in said Company; & Nathaniel Noyes of Stonington in the place of Peter Richards Lieut. declined; & I would take the liberty to recommend Nathaniel Ruggles of Brookfield for Lieutenant to Capt. Bulfords Company Vice Truman Moseley, Paymaster; & John Beers of Darby who served as a Sergeant in the late American Army with reputation, for the Appointment of Lieut in Capt. Sanfords Company in the place of Waters Clark, Adjutant; & John Spaldin Jnr. of New Haven for the Appointment of Surgeons Mate to the Regiment; and as I fully believe they would do Honor to themselves & render service to the public was they to be appointed I wish they may suceed in obtaining them—
I have the Honor to be Sir with Great respect your Obedient Servant—
Timo. Taylor
(ALS, Hamilton Papers, Library of Congress). On the cover H wrote a draft of his reply: "Send the extract respectng Officers to the Secy of War & say that confiding in the Judgment of recommendation & believng it to be important promptly to fill the vacancies I shall be glad that the persons named may be appoin⟨ted⟩." On the second page of the letter, there is a pair of brackets around the paragraph beginning "General Ebenezr. Huntington..." and there is also an "X" mark in the left margin beside the line in the same paragraph beginning "appointment of Captain in...."