1. Stevens wrote a similar letter to Maj. Gen. William Heath on this date (see MHi: Heath Papers). Heath had written Stevens from West Point on 17 April: “His Excellency the Command[er] in Chief expressed his pleasure in favor of securing a Quantity of Shadd, for public use, and that it would be eligible to appropriate as much of the Public Salt to that purpose as may be necessary to Cure the Fish, but no more, (an idea of paying for the Fish in Salt had been mentioned which is inadmissible)—the Sooner you attend to the matter the better The Salt nearest the place where it will be wanted should be taken to Save expence of Transportation” (MHi: Heath Papers; see also Udny Hay to GW, 10 April, and n.4). Heath reported when he wrote Stevens from West Point on 27 April that “His Excellency has again under Consideration the procurement of the Shad, he at first totally disapproved the very idea of paying for them in Salt, whether he will finally consent to it or not I cannot say” (MHi: Heath Papers). This issue probably was discussed when GW visited West Point on 26 April (see Heath to GW, 23 April, source note; see also Stevens to GW, 1 and 3 May).

James Monell, a lieutenant in Additional Continental Regiments from 1777 to 1779, lost an eye during the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778. He then served as assistant state agent for Ulster County, N.Y. (1780–81). In a letter criticizing Lt. Col. Udny Hay, Q.M. Gen. Timothy Pickering wrote New York governor George Clinton on 26 Aug. 1781 “that one Monell & another assistant of Colo. Hay were (as I have been informed) the undertakers to catch and cure the shad for the army” (Hastings and Holden, Clinton Papers description begins Hugh Hastings and J. A. Holden, eds. Public Papers of George Clinton, First Governor of New York, 1777–1795, 1801–1804. 10 vols. 1899–1914. Reprint. New York, 1973. description ends , 7:255–59, quote on 258–59; see also Pickering to GW, 10 May, DLC:GW). For a biographical sketch, see Baker, Monell Family description begins Wesley L. Baker. A Genealogy of the Monell Family: An account of James Monell who settled in Wallkill Precinct, part of present Orange County, New York in 1723 and of his known descendants in all Monell Branches down to the present time. Rutland, Vt., 1946. description ends , 73–77.