I have told General Washington, and I now warn you, as one of the Continental Congress, and the whole Congress, of the fatal effects of this delay, and that I must be quit of the blood of the matter, if this Army is disbanded before spring, for want of provisions. Pray God the event may not equal my fears.

I am, most respectfully, honoured Sir, your most humble servant,

JOSEPH TRUMBULL.

To Colonel Dyer, Philadelphia.

GENERAL GREENE TO GENERAL SULLIVAN.

Prospect-Hill, September 23, 1775.

General Greene returns his compliments to General Sullivan, and begs leave to acquaint him, as he was on court-martial on Thursday, he cannot tell him how it happened that so few fatigue-men went from Prospect, compared with those from Winter-Hill. Major Bon was ordered to furnish any number General Sullivan ordered. Yesterday an equal number with the Winter-Hill Troops was ordered down; and if they did not go, it was unknown to the General. There shall be a large party of fatigue-men ordered to work to-day. I should be glad a proper detail of duty between the two Brigades might take place, and include the guards of both hills, and all the fatigue-men on duty.

General Greene hopes that General Sullivan don’t suggest, he has the least desire of screening the Troops under his command from the least part of duty equal with those under the command of General Sullivan. It is his intention to furnish upon equal terms.

N. B. Excuse the badness of the writing—it is so cold I cannot feel the pen.

MAJOR BEDELL TO NEW-HAMPSHIRE COMMITTEE OF SAFETY.

Camp near St. John’s, September 23, 1775.

GENTLEMEN: We are now encamped within a mile of St. John’s, the enemy every day throwing shells or balls at our intrenchments, but without success. We shall have our batteries ready to play upon them to-morrow, or the next day, at farthest. Our men are all in good spirits. We arrived at the Isle-aux-Noix the 10th, and the next day we came within a mile and a half of the enemy, who saluted us with shells; no damage was done. We lay upon our arms all night, and in the morning I was detached with a party of four hundred men to re-enforce Major Brown, who had taken eight wagons from the enemy, loaded with stores. Before we could get up to him he was engaged, and obliged to retreat, but saved his booty. They upon our approach saluted us very warm with grape shot; we did not lose one man; what the enemy lost I cannot tell, but we found some blood on the ground; they retreated to the fort, and we kept possession of the ground, and we have a considerable intrenchment. Major Brown has took twelve wagons more, loaded with wine, rum, pork, &c. Every thing seems to prosper well. I have nothing more particular, only a party was fired on at Captain Megan’s house. We had three Canadians wounded. I have the command of the Green Mountain Boys, and a detachment of Colonel Hinman’s Regiment.

I am, &c.,

TIMOTHY BEDELL.

GENERAL SULLIVAN TO NEW-HAMPSHIRE COMMITTEE OF SAFETY.

Winter-Hill, September 23, 1775.

MUCH RESPECTED. GENTLEMEN: I am sorry to inform you that your Troops from New-Hampshire have more reasons to complain, and actually do complain more, than any other Troops in the Army. General Washington gave it out in order that all the Troops should be paid up to the 4th of August. All the other Colonies have complied, though not strictly obliged thereto by the original contract; and why New-Hampshire should refuse, I can by no means conceive, as the men must be paid sooner or later. And as the money now emitted is not on interest, it can make no difference to the Province whether they are paid now or two months hence; but to the men the difference is very great, as their families are in immediate necessity, and can by no means do without it. All the money you advance to make your Troops comfortable will be repaid by the Congress, and therefore can be of no disadvantage to you. I wish you were acquainted with the complaints and murmurings of your Troops. They have long been kept out of their blankets, and now are kept out of coats or blankets. The officers who bore their expenses here have never received any pay. The Committee here seemed to have been employed the whole time in riding back and forth, to bring small sums of money to pay part of the soldiers, to make the others mutinous and uneasy.

This, gentlemen, has been the case respecting those Troops, which I venture to pronounce the very best in the Army. Gentlemen, I am sure there must have been a great defect somewhere; where it is, or to whom you will impute the iniquity, time alone must discover. It must be allowed that suffering the New-Hampshire Troops to remain in so wretched a situation, for such a length of time, will never redound to the credit of the Colony, or have the least tendency to enable us to raise another Army, after this is disbanded, but the reverse. I must therefore, as a friend to the Continent in general, and the Colony in particular, beg and entreat you to send some trusty persons here, with money sufficient to pay off the men, in order to have them as comfortable as the nature of the service will admit; and you will thereby much assist the common cause of America, and partially oblige, gentlemen, your most obedient humble servant,

JOHN SULLIVAN.

The Hon. the Committee of Safety in New-Hampshire.

INTELLIGENCE FROM HALIFAX,IN NOVA-SCOTIA, DATED SEPTEMBER 23, 1775.

The address which was some time past sent from this place, and presented to His Majesty, has given rise to all the disturbance in this Province. It was declared to be an address from the inhabitants of the Province of Halifax, in Nova-Scotia, when, indeed, it was only managed by about one-thousandth part of them, when most of the members of the House of Representatives were up in the country, superintending their estates; and when they came to town, and found in what manner the liberties of the House of Representatives had been invaded in their absence, they, together with almost all the inhabitants, declared themselves friends to the cause in which the whole Continent of America are engaged, and refused being any longer subservient to the mandates of Government; therefore, no duties have been paid here since the latter end of August last, of which the Comptroller of the Customs is gone home to give an account. Yesterday a schooner arrived, with two tons of tea, from Bristol; the liberty boys immediately committed it to the sea. They have strong assurances of assistance from the Provincial Army, therefore it is to be feared that His Majesty’s yard, stores, and ammunition, in this Province, will be destroyed. The Tartar Frigate is here, to protect them; and the master shipwrights, caulkers, joiners, house-carpenters, smiths, bricklayers, and labourers, form a militia, and mount guard every night, for the protection of the yard, &c. The inhabitants begin to grow very warm, therefore suppose it will not be long before they find the Militia some military employment. Our Governour has wrote to Boston for assistance, but has received for answer, that they have more work cut out there than they have hands to complete, therefore no help can be expected from thence. We have been continually supplying the Army at Boston with fresh provisions, hay, corn, &c.; but the case is so much altered that nothing is suffered to be sent them from hence.

GENERAL GATES TO DOCTOR CHURCH.

Cambridge, September 24, 1775.

To Doctor CHURCH:

SIR: I am directed by his Excellency the General to inform you that his unwillingness to part with a good officer alone prevents his complying with your request, in your letter of the 20th instant. He desires you would stay with your family some time longer, and if there is then no prospect of its being in such a situation as to permit you to return to your duty, you will receive a discharge pursuant to your letter. Your very humble servant,

HORATIO GATES, Adjutant-General.