To George Washington from James McHenry, 2 November 1796
From James McHenry
War office 2 Novr 1796
In compliance with the Presidents commands the Secretary of War lays before the President the points that have been submitted for consideration, in the Secretarys letters, bearing date the 8th & 10th of Octtober ulto.1
Will the President think proper, that detachments be made from West Point to complete the garrisons at Governors Island, Mud Island, Baltimore, Norfolk and Charlestown, to one company each?
Will it be proper to employ one or two qualified persons, to teach the officers of the corps of artillerists & Engineers, mathematics, the elements of geometry, the fundamental principles of statical mechanics & designing?
Will it be expedient to have the main body of the corps of Artillerists & Engeeneers, and each detachment, inspected from time to time, by a well informed officer, who should be specially charged to give information of the state of the works and buildings where posted, and the discipline of the men and improvement of the officers.
Will it be proper that the Secretary of war should digest, at his convenience, and report to the President, a system of rules & regulations for perfectioning the discipline & instruction of the corps?2
Will the President give the Secretary any orders relative to the sentence of the Court Martial on a soldier for desertion, noticed in his letter of the 10th ulto.3
James McHenry.
ALS, DLC:GW. GW docketed this letter: “Summary of Points in Letters from the Secretary of War 2d Novr 1796 Note—Directions given relative to them.” GW next wrote McHenry on 3 December.
1. For GW’s directions requesting this summary, see his letter to McHenry, 17 Oct.; see also GW to McHenry, 19 Oct., found at McHenry to GW, 14 Oct., n.1.
2. In his letter to GW of 8 Oct., McHenry had made the proposals found in paragraphs two through five of the present document.