Your Favor of the 14. Inst. came safe to hand—1 I am happy to see so much Cheerfulness Diffused thro it. I hope your sweet smiling Genius ^[in margin] won’t play the Coquette with you. The confidential part of your Letter shall remain secret. Putnams answer was cautious—he believed there was a fault somewhere—but neither excused or accused any Body— I suspect from this that nor did he take any notice of that part of our Letter which respected you. This Kind of Reserve is not Friendly—^2

The Evacuation of Tyconderogah continues to be the Subject not only of General Speculation but also of General Censure and Indignation Rep Reproach.

The Publick not being furnished with the Reasons for that Measure are left to form their own Conjectures, and seem very universally to impute it to Treachery & Practice with the Enemy. Nor are the four Generals alone the Objects of Suspicion it reaches You ^For further Reasons of [illegible] in my Opinion Just^ and it becomes in my opinion high Time that your Reputation that ^sh’d^ stand acquitted from that Imputation

It is unnecessary to inform you observe that like many other worthy Characters, you have your Enemies, & it is also true that countenance is indirectly given to the popular Suspicions by persons from whom I shd. have expected more Candor or I may say more Honesty.

It have been informed ^is said but I know not with what Truth^ that Sinclair on being asked by some of his Officers for what Reason why the fort was evacuated, replied generally, that he knew what he did, was that on his own acct. ^he was^ very easy abt. the matter, for & that he had it in his Power to justify himself. From hence some Know infer that he must have alluded to Orders from You.

Another Report prevails ^but^ that some short Time before the Fort was left a number of heavy Cannon were ^by yr. order^ dismounted, & laid aside, & small ones placed in there Room. This is used urged as Circumstantial Proof against You.

The Shi ship Carpenters have come down ^very clamorous^ much dissatisfied ^& clamorous^,3 I heard they In short Sir, great is that Jealousy which ever prevails in civil Wars, added to the Disappointment & Indignation which the People feel on this occasion ^together with the Malice of yr. Enemies,^ render it necessary ^require^ that the Integrity & Propriety of your Conduct be in as rendered so evident as that there may not be a hook or Loop whereon to hang a Doubt.

Much I forgot to mention that Stress is also laid on your not having been at or near ^Distance from^ the Fort at the time of the Enemys Approach, and from this ^circumstance^ unfavorable Conclusions are also drawn.

Your friends in the mean Time are not idle. they argue that you would have been highly reprehensible, tha if you had thought your Self safe ^suffered yourself to be by being^ in a Fort & be besieged, & for a long Time Deprived the other Parts of your ^the^ Departmt. of your Services & Superintendence— That they are assured of your having neither ordered or been privy to the Evacuation of the Fort &c. &c. &c.— A clear short & authenticated State of Facts can alone do the Work— While the People remain uninformed, they will suspect the worst— I think the Generals ^(who you know are mortal, if honest)^ ought to give you a Certificate that the Ticonderogah was left without your ord Direction Advice or Knowledge and I submit to you whether it would not be expedient to write such a Letter to the Council of Safety on this Subject as would be proper for Them to them to publish ^they could with propriety publish^— I wd. do not mean that ^Think^ it shd. ^not^ look like a Defence tho it shd. amount to it. It shd. take no notice of accusations & yet remove all Grounds for them. You may answer all Charges may ^be answered^ without seeming to know of any— A Defence more pointed & particular wd. give a Degree of Consequence to the Imputations ^even to Calumny^, & resemble an ^implied^ Admission that there was Apparent Room for Suspicion—

In one of your last ^late^ Letters to the Council was a ^this^ Sentiment, “You wish’d that the Evacuation might not be too much Depreciated”, & your Reasons for this Caution ^may^ have Weight—but Sir a certain Gentleman at that Board whom I need not name ^& from whom I do not desire you sh’d conceal this Information sh’d be concealed,^ is ^in my Opinion^ your secret Enemy; and under altho he professes much Respect &c. for you. he cant see thro the Business—he wishes you had been nearer to the Fort ^tho’ he does not doubt your Spirit^—he thinks we ought to suspend our Judgmt: & not censure you rashly—he makes no Doubts ^hopes^ you will be able to justify yourself &c. &c. &c. Observe so much Caution therefore in your Letters as to let them Contain nothing which your Enemies may wrest to their own Purposes.

^[in margin] I must also inform you that the Flying Seals of your letters to General Washington often arrive here broken— That from the different Color of the wax if not from the clumsy Manner in wh. they are often put up by the Secretaries, it can be no Difficult Matter for those who recieve them to percieve that they have been inspected. I wish some other Mode was devised—^

Thus Sir I have written to you with all the Freedom which I thought the subject demanded ^took the liberty of^ ^performed the unpleasing Task of^ ^writing to you with much freedom on a very disagreeable subject^ Let not my and of giving acquainting you with facts that will give you Pain, & put your Equanimity to a [illegible] Tryal—

I wont apologize for the Liberty I have taken, being persuaded that you will consider it as a Proof of the Regard with I which I am Dr. Sir your Frd. & hble. Servt.