From Alexander Hamilton to James McHenry, 10 July 1799
To James McHenry
New York July 10 1799
Why, My Dear friend, do you suffer the business of providing to go on as it does. Every moment proves the insufficiency of the existing plan & the necessity of auxiliaries. I have no doubt that at Baltimore N York Providence & Boston additional supplies of Cloathing may promptly be procured & prepared by your Agents & it ought to be done though it should enhance the expence. Tis terrible at this juncture that there should be wants any where.
So of Tents—Calls for them are repeated from Massachusettes where better and cheaper than any where else they can certainly be provided.1
Pray take a resolution adequate to the exigency & rescue the credit of your Department.
Yrs. Affecly
A H
J McHenry Es
ALS, Mr. Pierce Gaines, Fairfield, Connecticut; ALS (photostat), James McHenry Papers, Library of Congress; copy, in the handwriting of Ethan Brown, Hamilton Papers, Library of Congress.
1. On May 24 and June 4, 1799, Richard Hunewell informed H that his troops had no tents (letters listed in the appendix to this volume).